EDITORIAL 



r 



UMBERMEN arc daily learning of 

 opportunities to export timber 

 J to Europe to take the place of 

 the supply formerly obtained 

 from European countries and which 

 has now been cut off by the war. An 

 instance of this is England's demand for 

 mine props. Formerly most of these 

 were obtained from the Baltic provinces 

 and from France. Now England is 

 looking to Canada and the United 

 States to supply them. A Commission 

 has been appointed to visit Canada to 

 investigate the possibility of that coun- 

 try supplying most of the timber Eng- 

 land now needs. The Provincial gov- 

 ernments have removed the restriction 

 that all wood cut on Crown Lands must 

 be manufactured in Canada, as far as 

 mine props are concerned, so that they 

 may be shipped in the rough. 



Commenting on the need of England 

 for mine props H. O. Williamson, an 



engineer of the Consolidation Coal Co., 

 of Fairmont, West Va., writes Ameri- 

 can Forestry Magazine: 



"It is interesting to note that the 

 English mine operators report a prop 

 cost running as high as thirty-six cents. 

 While there are a niunber of other fac- 

 tors, in addition to the availability of 

 timber, entering into the subject of 

 cost, still, even considering these, it is 

 rather startling to compare this maxi- 

 mum of thirty-six cents with, sa}^ our 

 present maximum of possibly six cents." 



The timber export question is further 

 illuminated by a dispatch from London 

 on Oct. 27, stating that German cruisers 

 had seized four Swedish ships laden with 

 lumber for England, and that Germany 

 has declared it will consider all ship- 

 ments of timber to Great Britain as 

 contraband. The effect of this should 

 be to increase the opportunities for 

 American shippers. 



WEST VIRGINIA is another 

 State which desires an up- 

 to-date forestry law, a State 

 forester, and a well managed 

 state forestry department. Wide-awake 

 men of the State are lending their aid to 

 the movement to secure such a forestry 

 law and it is gratifying to note that 

 almost every timberland owner and 

 lumberman in the State is interested. 

 Members of the legislature have already 

 pledged themselves to give earnest 

 consideration to the j^roposed bill and 

 the State Chamber of Commerce has 

 passed resolutions calling attention to 



the value of the timber lands of the 

 State, the need for their proper protec- 

 tion and to the benefit that will be 

 derived by the entire State if such a 

 forest law as is required is passed by the 

 next legislature. 



The arousing of popular demand for a 

 State forestry department and a liberal 

 appropriation for conducting it is now 

 under way, all that is necessary to in- 

 sjjire such a demand being the ability 

 to let the people know of the benefits 

 which will accrue to them individually 

 and to the State at large by the passage 

 of a forestry law. 



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