EDITORIAL 



NO POLITICS IN THIS FORESTRY WORK 



COMPLETE vindication in the 

 recent Oregon Legislature of 

 the principle that State forest 

 work should be both independ- 

 ent of politics and independent of other 

 State activities should be a lesson to 

 other States where these points are at 

 issue. 



Oregon has more timber than any 

 other state; indeed it has a fifth of all 

 the timber in the United States. 

 Forest industry employs nearly two 

 thirds its industrial population. Conse- 

 quently its forest laws are important. 

 It has a Board of Forestry wholly non- 

 political, consisting of representatives 

 of the several chief interests involved 

 such as the timber owners' patrol 

 organizations, the lumber manufac- 

 turers, the U. S. Forest Service, the 

 State Forest School, the Grange, etc. 

 These elect the State Forester and 

 govern his administration. There is a 

 compulsory patrol law making every 

 forest owner do his share. The State 

 policy is to coordinate State, Federal 

 and private protective effort under' a 

 cooperative system in which each has 

 due representation. Forest owners are 

 encouraged to organize and have voice 

 in this system. Funds for patrol are 

 jointly contributed and jointly spent. 

 The system is efficient. Fire losses are 

 negligible. 



In the recent Legislature there were 

 many attacks on this system. Reluc- 

 tant timber owners who sought protec- 

 tion without expense secured the intro- 

 duction of a bill abolishing compiilsory 

 patrol. They believed their neighbors 

 would continue the work for them. 

 Another bill sought to do away with 

 State Forest work entirely, theoretically 



to save expense to the tax payer but 

 actually as a "sandbag" measure to 

 secure control through compromise. 

 A third proposed to make the Board 

 and the State Forester politically ap- 

 pointive, in order to build up a patronage 

 machine. A fourth was for consolida- 

 tion of forest work with the State's land 

 and water work. 



Each of these supported its contention 

 by attack upon the existing system, 

 resulting in the presentation of every 

 conceivable argument and charge in- 

 volving its principle, administration and 

 personnel. All had the favorable aus- 

 pice of an "economy Legislature" 

 listening willingly to any criticism 

 of an appropriation-supported institu- 

 tion. The fighting was sharp and 

 prolonged throughout the session. 



The result was a rally of almost the 

 entire population of the State to the 

 support of the existing non-partisan 

 independent system. Limibermen, busi- 

 ness men, women's clubs, organized 

 labor — indeed practically every element 

 — protested against change. The Gov- 

 ernor himself declared against putting 

 forest work into politics, even under 

 his own appointment. The attempt to 

 consolidate forestry with other State 

 Boards was greeted with such indigna- 

 tion that it was repudiated by the very 

 committees appointed to seek consolida- 

 tion in State work wherever this should 

 be practicable. The system went before 

 the people on its principle, record, and 

 achievement and was triiimphantly 

 sustained without a single change. And 

 Oregon is a Forest State, with plenty 

 of bitter experience in matters of 

 forest protection. 



FORESTRY AND INDEPENDENCE 



SOME states, after securing a 

 State Forestry Board which is 

 independent of other State 

 boards, independent of politics 

 and independent of any affiliation or 



condition which detracts from its best 

 service for the good of the pubHc, 

 make the grave mistake of endeavoring 

 to combine such departments with 

 others. Invariably such change has 



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