278 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



run price of lumber for the last three 

 years, and adds to the royalty for the 

 next five-year period one-fourth of the 

 excess above $18.00 per thousand feet. 

 At the end of every five years for six 

 five-year periods the same process is 

 renewed, the percentage of the price 

 increment above a price of $18.00 taken 

 by the government in royalty rising 

 gradually from twenty-five to forty per 

 cent. 



This means straight profit sharing 

 between the public and the lumbermen. 

 In revenue it means from forestry 

 several times the present returns before 

 the period of the act is ended. As a 

 precedent it means to British Columbia 

 true conservation, if the precedent be 

 followed, as I firmly believe it will. 

 It is precisely one of the great conserva- 

 tion principles for which Gifford Pin- 

 chot has been fighting and has been 

 winning and goes on doing both, in the 

 United States; and it is very gratifying 

 to Americans that in his speech endors- 

 ing the Royalty Bill of Mr. Ross, the 

 Premier referred to Gifford Pinchot as 

 "that great conservation leader who 

 possesses the rare combination of vision, 

 leadership and common sense." The 

 application of that principle to the other 

 vast resources of British Columbia, 

 such as water powers and minerals, will 



make it, more nearly than any other 

 government of which I know, the epit- 

 ome of conservation principles, with 

 the possible exception of Australia. 



I do not mean, of course, to imply 

 that the situation is absolutely roseate 

 Conservation confronts difficulties in 

 British Columbia as it does elsewhere. 

 But there is in that province an admi- 

 rable combination of opportunity — for 

 British Columbia owns nearly all the 

 natural resources of British Columbia 

 and the special interests do not — and of 

 patriotic, f arsighted men like Sir Richard 

 McBride, Mr. Ross and Mr. Bowser, 

 the Attorney General, in position of 

 high trust. Such a combination is sure 

 to get great results. 



The way in which the United States 

 Forest Service has, by friendly coopera- 

 tion, lent its help to the new forest 

 branch, is an exceedingly praiseworthy 

 and productive thing. The forest 

 branch cannot be a replica of the Forest 

 Service, because it deals with difterent 

 conditions under different laws; but the 

 purpose of both organizations is to get 

 the highest good for the greatest num- 

 ber from publicly owned forest resources, 

 and there is and is always bound to be 

 a constant and fruitful spirit of mutual 

 help between them. That spirit is 

 already active and at work. 



CONFERENCE ON IRRIGATION 



SECRETARY LANE has called 

 a conference on the general sub- 

 ject of the irrigation of the arid 

 West to meet in Denver on the 

 9th of April, and has requested the 

 governors of Arizona, California, Colo- 

 rado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New 

 Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, 

 Washington, and Wyoming, to send to 

 this conference those who are interested 

 in the further extension of irrigation in 

 the West. This conference will be de- 

 voted especially to the consideration of 



methods of cooperation between the 

 States and the Federal Government, the 

 building and managing of irrigation 

 projects and in considering the ways 

 and means of financing such work. 

 Secretary Lane will be represented by 

 several members of his staft", including 

 those most fariiiliar with irrigation 

 matters, and invitations have also been 

 extended to the representatives of 

 financial interests interested in the 

 flotation of irrigation bonds and to the 

 representatives of Carey Act projects. 



