EDITORIAL 737 



* 



would ofiver allow to be devastated as In comparing the national and pri- 



we are doing ? vately owned forest losses we made two 



Save for the position of its author, distinct statements, in separate para- 



■the article we have been discussing graphs. The American Lumberman 



would not be worthy of serious con- runs these together and misapprehends 



sideration. Careless in statement, dis- their real significance. In the first of 



ingenuous, disregarding facts acces- these paragraphs we said : "It is proba- 



sible to every citizen and which every ble that state and private owners suffer- 



member of Congress has placed before ed more nearly three times than twice 



him in the day's routine, it is the special as heavily as the nation by these fires," 



plea of a politician who is a past mas- that is the fires in the northwestern 



ter in the art of using language to con- states. This referred to absolute losses 



ceal thought. and not losses in proportion to area. In 



the next paragraph we broadened the 



^ '^ '!^ comparison to include the whole coun- 

 try and made this statement: "A com- 



Fire Losses and Fire Fighting parison of the public losses with the 



private losses for the whole country in- 



THE estimate of the fire losses dicates that the private losses were seven 



of the year as given in the Nov- times greater than the public losses, in 



ember number of American For- spite of the fact that privately owned 



ESTRY have been questioned by some forests are not more than five times 



excellent authorities. In particular greater in extent and are more acces- 



the American Lumberman reviews them sible than those privately owned." Here 



somewhat at length, and in certain again it was absolute and not propor- 



instances throws doubt on them without tionate losses that were referred to and 



giving sufficient attention to the con- it must be remembered that privately 



text. owned forests outside of the northwest- 



We believe these estimates were con- ern states have practically no protec- 

 servative and were as nearly correct as tion. We were not constructing a brief 

 they could be made at this time. In for national ownership but were trying 

 the very nature of the case estimates to get at the actual losses sustained by 

 of this kind must use figures in a large the American people whether in their 

 and general way, and it is always to be private or corporate capacity. The 

 remembered that while there is a con- American Lumberman seems to think 

 siderable salvage of burned timber suit- that we were trying to show that the 

 able for lumber, this can never equal in government protected its forests seven 

 value the unburned forest, and some of times better than private owners, which 

 the largest and most lasting losses from .was far from the intent of our thought 

 a great forest fire ca-n never be figured or the sense of our words. We do say 

 in dollars and cents. This is an axiom unhesitatingly that the government for- 

 but it must not be forgotten. ests are somewhat better protected than 

 We ask that our statement of what those of the country as a whole, many 

 forest fires cost in 1910 be read care- of the latter having no protection at all. 

 fullv as it was printed. As regards the The government forests are, as we 

 total loss in money this magazine re- have said, more inaccessible and diffi- 

 duced all newspaper estimates and based cult to protect than most private hold- 

 its computations upon the best authori- in?:s because they have not been_ located 

 ties obtainable. The results were check- Primarily on account of practicability 



J , . . J. , J for profitable lumbering. They have 



ed by working from known areas and , \, •1 „i. 1 °^„„^a -,c ^,,f 



.\. ^ ^. , . also been inadequately manned, as our 



Tjrobable stumpage. If the estimate so ^^^^^^ authorities have constantly main- 

 obtained does not seem correct we in- tained, this being due to insufficient ap- 

 vite our critics to work out a better one. propriations, for which certain senators 

 Thus far we have seen no attempt in and representatives from national forest 

 this direction. states must bear a considerable share 



