FOREST DEVASTATION 939 



III 



SUGGESTED LEGISLATION 



(B). National legislation in furtherance of the proposed plan should 

 include the enactment of a Federal law : 



1. Creating a Commission, to consist of the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture, the Secretary of Labor, and the Chairman of the Federal Trade 

 Commission, with the duty of making such rules, regulations, and de- 

 cisions for the administration of the law as may be necessary, the Sec- 

 retary of Agriculture to be Chairman of the Commission and the execu- 

 tion of the law to rest with the Forest Service under his direction. 



2. Authorizing the Commission : 



(a) To establish regional administrative organizations to coin- 

 cide with the principal forest regions of the country, such 

 organizations to be in charge of regional foresters to whom 

 the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Forester, would 

 delegate such authority as may be necessary for the prompt 

 execution of the law in accord with local conditions and 

 needs. The regional foresters would be authorized to explain 

 the requirements of the law and regulations and to secure 

 compliance or report non-compliance with them. Representa- 

 tives of the Federal Trade Commission and the Department 

 of Labor would be assigned to the several forest regions as 

 might become necessary to co-operate in the administration 

 of the law. 



(b) To fix standards and promulgate rules to prevent the devas- 

 tation and provide for the perpetuation of forest growth and 

 the production of forest crops on privately owned timberlands 

 operated for commercial purposes ; but the Commission should 

 not enforce such rules and standards upon farm woodlots nor 

 upon other areas which in its judgment may be exempted with 

 safety to the public interests. 



The standards should relate to principles and general meth- 

 ods only, the greatest possible elasticity being allowed in their 

 application to varying local forest conditions. The object of 

 standardization should be to put an end to forest devastation, 

 and to place the lumber industry on a uniform basis through- 

 out the country as a whole. The object of local regulation 

 should be to provide for forest protection and perpetuation 

 in a manner fitted to local forest requirements. 



