THE TWENTY-NINTH ANNUAL MEETING 



99 



all unite on this question of the annual tax 

 on timber? Let us begin on one thing. 

 Of course, I am not wise about constitu- 

 tions and things that have to be written in 

 the constitutions. I know that taxation is 

 a very complex question ; but in order to get 

 out anywhere, we have got to begin. It has 

 seemed to me as if we might all unite on 

 that one thing. We are all working in other 

 directions, but let us combine on that one 

 thing. 



Another thing. You have spoken of want- 

 ing to send out lecturers. That is our greatest 

 need. From all over among the states it 

 comes to me, Where can we get lecturers? 

 Many of our state chairmen have informed 

 themselves upon the larger issues and have 

 gone up and down the states. I have done 

 so in Connecticut for seven years. It has 

 been a matter of astonishment to me that 

 while the people are willing to do things, 

 yet they are ignorant. In Connecticut we 

 have had for ten years a law granting re- 

 mission of taxation, but seven years ago I 

 could not find a single farmer who had ever 

 heard of that law. Last winter I sent copies 

 of this law out among the churches in all 

 the farming districts, and asked the ministers 

 to read it to the people. I felt that it was 

 as good gospel as they could hear. 



In regard to having lecturers, I think you 

 will find that the women's clubs are very 

 anxious and willing to combine with you, 

 and that they will help you to get your au- 

 diences ; that they will reach out and get 

 legislators there, and people who should be 

 reached, and that they will get the farmers, 

 the very kind of people who should be edu- 

 cated. They will furnish the place and get 

 the audience and combine with you in every 

 possible way. 



Finally, gentlemen and ladies, I wish to 

 say to you that the women of this country 

 are awake upon this question. We share 

 with you the higher vision; we are earnestly 

 at work trying to raise, by teaching these 

 things in the schools and in other ways, 

 a race of tree-planters instead of a race of 

 tree-destroyers. 



Dr. Rothrock paid a high compliment 

 to the splendid work for forestry done 

 in Pennsylvania by Miss Myra L. Dock. 



A rising vote of thanks was taken to 

 the National Federation of Women's 

 Clubs for their able co-operation in the 

 cause of forestry. 



The discussion of the forenoon was 

 on the state regulation of timber cutting, 

 with special reference to the much dis- 

 cussed opinion of the Maine Supreme 

 Court. The first paper was by Mr. 

 Austin Cary, Superintendent of state 

 forests in New York, read, on account 

 of the necessary absence of Mr. Cary, 

 by Mr. Charles R. Pettis. This was 



followed by an address from the legal 

 point of view by Allen Hollis, Esq., 

 Secretary of the Association for the 

 Protection of New Hampshire Forests, 

 and a member of the New Hampshire 

 bar. Owing to the great interest and 

 importance of this subject these papers 

 will be published in a later issue of 

 American Forestry in connection with 

 an abstract of the Maine opinion. 



WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON — RESOLUTIONS 

 AND OFFICERS 



At the afternoon session, which 

 opened at two o'clock, there was a 

 general discussion of some of the ques- 

 tions, taxation and the police power of 

 the state, which had been raised by the 

 papers of the forenoon. This was par- 

 ticipated in by Mr. George H. Maxwell, 

 Mr. C. R. Pettis, Mr. F. W. Rane, 

 President H. S. Drinker, of Lehigh 

 Ll^niversity, who gave some account of 

 the work that the University is doing in 

 the field of forestry education, Mr. 

 Mowry, Forest Commissioner of Rhode 

 Island, Mr. Allen Hollis, of New Hamp- 

 shire, Dr. y. T. Rothrock, Mr..S. B. 

 Elliott, Mr! John H. Finney and Mr. 

 S. L. Hartman. Director F. H. Newell, 

 of the Reclamation Service, also ad- 

 dressed the meeting. 



The Committee on Resolutions made 

 its report and resolutions were adopted 

 as follows : 



Resolved^ that for purposes of taxation 

 this Association approves the general policy 

 of separating growing timber from the land 

 upon which it stands ; that the land be taxed 

 each year, and the timber only when it is cut, 

 when a proper tax shall be paid. 



Resolved, that it is the sense of this As- 

 sociation that the long period of time re- 

 quired to provide a forest sufficiently mature 

 to furnish merchantable timber and other 

 forest products renders it absolutely neces- 

 sary that immediate action be taken to re- 

 store the forests on cut-over, burned-over 

 and now barren lands, to meet the necessities 

 of the people in coming years and maintain 

 the prosperity of the Nation, and that no 

 other appropriation of money for the public 

 use by National or state governments would 

 be so advisable or so useful for the welfare 

 of the country. 



Resolved, that appropriations by both 

 states and the Nation for forestry purposes 

 should be on a scale commensurate with the 



