i86 Forestry Quarterly. 



Cleveland came near impeachment through his action, and only 

 the ending of Congress saved the situation. 



Undoubtedly, the propriety of the purchase of these lands may 

 be questioned in principle, but expediency, which in Aimerican 

 government counts often for more than principle, justified the 

 action as long as the individual States are remiss or financially 

 incapable of doing their duty. 



It is to be hoped that both the purchase and the final manage- 

 ment of the Appalachian and White Mountain reservations will 

 be wisely done and recommend themselves to the people at large,, 

 so as to invite an extension of this policy. 



If the object of Canada is what it once avowedly was, namely 

 "to get rid of her timber," the proposed reciprocity arrangements 

 with the United States will undoubtedly help it along. The 

 opening of a wider market cannot help but induce increased effort 

 to supply it. That is, of course, what the United States — some of 

 her people — want. As long as the individual Provinces who' 

 control the commercial timber area of Canada keep the restriction, 

 which makes the manufacture of the raw materials in Canada a 

 condition of their timber licenses, only the private lands will be 

 more rapidly stripped. Of such there are hardly more than ten 

 million acres in existence. But the pressure which will be 

 brought upon the governments to open the door may be too strong 

 for them to resist long. 



If, before that time, the organization of strong forestry bureaus- 

 could be brought about and the cutting be done under reason- 

 able forestry regulations, the reciprocity arrangements might be 

 a blessing for Canada — otherwise not. Whether the United 

 States will be the gainers is open to question. 



Here is one point that is not generally recognized in the discus- 

 sions and which makes the timber trade a business to be considered 

 by itself: In the exploitation of virgin forest the percentage of 

 high grades that can be secured is small, rarely more than 20 

 per cent. The low grades which inevitably fall at the same time 

 from the saw are a drag if not a drug in the market. These will 

 also be increased from Canadian sources as far as cost of trans- 

 portation does not prevent ; wasteful use must be the result. 



Another point that has truck us, as strange, is that these 

 questions are always discussed merely with reference to the 



