A LESSON IN FOREST ECONOMY 

 By Theodore S. Woolsey, Jr.^ 



Dr. Wilson Compton's fourteen points, published by the American 

 Lumberman as representing the views of the Secretary-Manager of 

 the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association, are surely to be 

 as little followed in actual practice as were the fourteen points of our 

 foremost peace negotiator in Paris — but for different reasons. From 

 the broad economic viewpoint, Dr. Compton's points were unsound and 

 were not based on a solid foundation but were held by some to be 

 practical because they attempted to continue present conditions; the 

 President's fourteen points were sound and were based on the solid 

 foundation of justice and humanity but were held to be somewhat 

 impractical because they ran contrary to the self-interest of the Great 

 Powers. To my mind both Dr. Compton (and his backers) and certain 

 allied Premiers fail to have vision ; the next fifty years will do more 

 for "the people" and for the small defenseless nations than did the last 

 half century. A lasting and successful era of industrialism, which is 

 upon us,, must be based on justice to the majorities as well as protec- 

 tion to the minorities or the whole structure will crumble. The lumber 

 industry has become an important part of our national economic life, 

 and with the acute lumber shortage that exists today wise decisions 

 are necessary. Will the operator be satisfied with reasonable profits 

 distributed over a number of years or will he prefer to reap his harvest 

 in a decade? The lumberman may think it is vital to cut out his 

 holdings as rapidly as possible (in many cases it may be so far as 

 his pocketbook is concerned) but the ownership of forests, according 

 to the forest history of older nations, carries with it an obligation on 

 the part of the State to see that mountains and planes are not laid 

 waste, because forests affect fundamentally the economic welfare of 

 communities and States, and we can be certain the United States will 

 not shirk its duty to pass restrictive legislation when necessary. Let 

 me quote from the forest laws of Algeria which are almost identical 

 with the forest laws of France itself : 



Art. 99. — Clearing can only be opposed in case the preservation of the woods 

 is recognized as necessary : 



1 Rights to reprint the eleven points are reserved by the writer. 

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