SOCIETY AFFAIRS 219 



lion. It is a patriotic service in which the co-operation of all woodland owners 

 is necessary. You are therefore asked to give the time and thought required to 

 fill out the enclosed hlank. 



It is not expected that you will make an exact estimate. All that is necessary 

 is your conservative opinion of the amount, kind, and location of the cordwood 

 and saw timber which you own. List the most important kinds separately and 

 class those of minor importance as miscellaneous. 



Bear in mind the purpose of the inventory, which is to bring together facts 

 regarding the available resources of the nation in the form of wood and timber 

 and give all the information you can bearing on the subject. It will be treated 

 as strictly confidential and will not be used for publication except in tabulated 

 form. As it must be compiled at the earliest possible date to be of greatest value, 

 an immediate response is requested and will be greatly appreciated. The enclosed 

 franked envelope requires no postage and should be used for your reply. 

 Very truly yours, 



J. W. TouMEv, ChainiKin. 



Although the signing of the armistice has made no longer necessary 

 the primary purpose for which the census was undertaken, when com- 

 pleted it will make available much-needed information on the owner- 

 ship, location, and amount of merchantable lumber by counties and 

 towns in the States where the work has been undertaken and carried 

 out. 



On November 12 a conference was held in Boston, which was called 

 for by the men directly concerned with the conduct of the census. The 

 purpose of the conference was to ascertain the progress of the work in 

 each State, to analyze the results that each might benefit by the experi- 

 ence of the others, to have uniformity in the compilation of the data, 

 and to determine on a method of publication of the results of the 

 census. A report was received from each State, with the exception of 

 New Jersey. 



Although a complete tabulation of the data is not available as yet in 

 any State where the census has been undertaken, and in New Hamp- 

 shire the work only continued through the initial stages, the general 

 opinion of the conference was that the work should continue and the 

 census be made as complete as possible, and that it be left to each State 

 to complete the data and determine the manner of publication and 

 presentation to the public. It was appreciated by the conference in 

 Boston that the War Committee of the Society would be soon dissolved, 

 but it was believed important that the timber census should be con- 

 tinued for the benefit of the several States where taken. Your chair- 

 man was elected chairman at the Boston conference of a new timber- 

 census committee to continue the timber-census work of the War 

 Committee. 



