A NATIONAL LUMBER AND FOREST POLICY 357 



passed to private owners. The public forests are being protected from 

 fire, the timber is used as it is called for by economic conditions, and 

 the cutting is conducted by such methods as leave the land in favor- 

 able condition for the next crop of timber. 



There are definite policies of handling our National Forests and 

 their resources. There is, however, no public or national policy that 

 takes into consideration all the forests of the country and correlates 

 their problems and development. This is true also of the regions m 

 which the public forests are located. The manner in which the pubUc 

 timber is handled may vitally affect the lumber industry. The problems 

 of the lumber industry may affect the interests of the Government in 

 the administration of its own forests. There remains yet to determine 

 what shall become of the cut-over non-agricultural lands, to what ex- 

 tent these shall be taken over by the public, especially those on critical 

 water-sheds and on steep slopes. There are various other questions 

 relating to public forests, their extension and use, that require to be 

 considered in connection with any program that looks to the whole 

 forest situation of the country. 



A BROAD PROGRAM NEEDED 



The problems which I have set forth touch many interests, both 

 public and private. Their solution involves Federal and State legislation, 

 and also involves co-operation between public agencies and the lumber 

 industry. The different problems are closely interrelated one with 

 another. jMoreover, action in one section of the country concerns the 

 interests of other regions. These circumstances make it clear that for 

 a final solution there must be a far-reaching program that will enable 

 the Federal Government, the States, communities, and the industrial 

 forces to unite in a common effort. 



Such a program should be comprehensive enough actually to accom- 

 plish the objectives sought by the public and essential to the perma- 

 nent wellbeing of the industry. Many efforts have been made to find 

 a solution for some industrial features or some public features of the 

 forest and lumber problems, and have failed because they left out of 

 account some outstanding question that must be solved at the same 

 time. Let me illustrate : 



REMEDIES HITHERTO PROPOSED INADEQUATE 



It has been suggested that the problem of periodic over-production 

 could be met by modifying the Sherman Act in a way to permit agree- 



