14 



MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



in such a live, up-to-date and interesting way, 

 and the bulletin is well worth reading by 

 anyone interested in reforestation of northern 

 lands. 



CONSERVATION AND CONFLAGRA- 

 TION. 

 Conservation and Conflagration. 



In a speech made in the senate of the 

 United States in February of 1909, Senator 

 Heyburn, of Idaho, said, referring specifically 

 to the Bitter Root reserve: 



"The process of burning is one of nature's 

 housecleaning processes. I know forests that 

 would be benefited by being burned over." 



The northern, heavily timbered section of 

 Minnesota has just been undergoing one of 

 "nature's beneficial housecleanings." As a re- 

 sult over 900 persons lost their lives, millions 

 of dollars' worth of property, representing, in 

 many individual cases, years of ambition and 

 toil on the part of poor settlers, was de- 

 stroyed, and an area of 2,500 square miles 

 was denuded of all vegetable growth. In the 

 hour of his commonwealth's affliction, Adolph 

 O. Eberhart, governor of Minnesota, says: 



"Our losses will stand as a convincing argu- 

 ment when the legislature meets next Janu- 

 ary. The financial loss sustained in the disaster 

 is more than enough to have insured proper 

 fire protection for the entire state of Minne- 

 sota for the next 15 years." 



It may be noted that Gov. Eberhart and 

 Senator Heyburn hold different ideas of bene- 

 ficence, in so far as forest fires go, just as 

 they hold somewhat different notions as to 

 conservation of natural resources. 



The attitude of Senator Heyburn is nothing 

 new. The postmaster and principal store- 

 keeper, and therefore the "influential citizens," 

 of an Idaho town, in speaking to the writer 

 in 1910, upbraided President Cleveland in 

 unmeasured terms for creating a forest reserve 

 near their town, and said that unless it were 

 again "opened," it was likely to be "burned 

 into a prairie." The land was needed foi 

 agriculture. Idaho is still an unsettled coun- 

 try, land can be had in every part and corner; 

 but the greed of the local merchant and tim- 

 ber claim man was touched, and the interest 

 of the people of the United States was of 

 no concern compared to the needs for "busi- 

 ness" of this criminal individual. It is hoped 

 that these "prominent citizens" of Idaho and 

 Montana are satisfied with the results of their 

 preaching. 



But we need not go to Idaho for similar 

 attitudes. We, here in Michigan, have had 

 fires aplenty during the last seven years. In 

 not a single case were the facts carefully 

 looked into by our state or county govern- 

 ment; in every case the truth was promptly 

 suppressed, the local newspaper man found 

 that all reports were "exaggerations," and 

 that the few settlers burned out were really 

 a "worthless, sorry lot," and even our state 

 officials helped to hide the truth; and one of 

 the state fire wardens in 1908 had the audacity 

 to tell the people of the state that the ter- 

 rible fires were an actual benefit and thus 

 hide the neglect of duty of enforcing the law 

 which he and practically all other officials 

 were guilty of. 



Forest fires in the United States, and that 

 means Michigan as well as the rest, are not 

 a matter of the forester or of forestry as 

 much as they are a matter of law and enforce- 

 ment of law. And as long as we are deficient, 

 especially in the enforcement of law, the 

 forest will be burned and the woodlot of the 

 farmer destroyed. 



Good roads construction is progressing finely 

 in Richfield township, Roscommon county. 

 Charles Blanchard has eight miles completed. 

 Frank Richardson has two miles completed and 

 is rushing work on six miles more. The St. 

 Helen Development Company has been working 

 a small crew, but has been making headway. In 

 Gerrish township Commissioner Brown has the 

 Hitch through the swamp completed, and starting 

 at the town line west of the muck road, he has 



The Long Wait for 

 Good Roads is Over 



Vote YES November 8 



At the next general election, to be held Tuesday, November 8, you will 

 have the first opportunity to register approval of the plan to build without 

 further delay over 200 miles of good roads leading into Detroit from every 

 part of Wayne County. 



The plan that has been approved by the Board of Supervisors is the most 

 effective and economical method of obtaining immediately the better high- 

 ways of which we have seen the need for so many years. 



IT IS NOW UP TO YOU-VOTE YES 



Detroit is the ninth city in the United States in population. In business 

 enterprise, in public spirit, in beautiful parkways and public buildings, in 

 natural advantages, in commercial resources and in educational facilities, we 

 have every reason to be proud of what Detroit has accomplished. 



BUT THE PUBLIC HIGHWAYS THAT LEAD INTO DETROIT 

 ARE IN A CONDITION THAT WOULD KE DISGRACEFUL TO A 

 CITY HALF ITS SIZE. 



HELP REMEDY THIS SHAMEFUL CONDITION 



Help make highways into Detrtci which will rival those of neighboring 

 cities, such as Cleveland, Buffalo and Rochester, which already have milea 

 of magnificent roads leading into the country surrounding them. 



Help reduce the cost of living, by taking the MUD TAX off the price of 

 foodstuffs. Good roads will make hauling cheaper and quicker the year round, 

 and the cost of the produce brought from the farms and gardens surrounding 

 Detroit will be proportionately less. 



Help obtain increased business and increased prosperity for Detroit. 



The representative business men of the entire county are with you. Do 

 your share. 



Show this advertisement to your neighbour 

 and impress him with the importance of voting 

 for this measure. 



Remember that you vote on a separate ballot and that to have good roads 

 built as fast as possible during the next five years and paid for during the next 

 twenty years with a lower tax rate than now exists tinder the old and inef- 

 fective plan YOU MUST MARK YOUR I5ALLOT YES. 

 Issued by the Detroit Board of Commerce. 



completed four and a half mile of gravel and 

 made numerous short pieces of road. 



The annual report of the road commissioners 

 of Wayne county has been published. It shows 

 that the commissioners have continued their 

 valiant work, which is a credit to themselves and 

 Id the county as well. The commissioners are 

 firm in their belief that concrete roads out of a 

 city the size of Detroit are the only kind that 

 will withstand the enormous traffic they an- 

 called upon to bear, and they will continue build- 

 ing the trunk roads to the county line in differ- 

 ent directions of concrete. If the $2,000,000 

 bond issue carries, the commissioners will in 

 five years have Wayne county belted with con- 

 cn-tc roads. 



asked the board of supervisors for $20,000 

 the coming year. There is better than twontj 

 miles of crushed stone highway in this county. 



The progressive tax-payers of Bridgeton town- 

 ship. Xewaygo county, are planning on the im- 

 provement of two and one-half miles of highway 

 next season. 



The people who want the good roads propo- 

 sition re-submitted in Kalamazoo county are 

 meeting with strong opposition. The business 

 men's associations in the various towns are 

 interesting themselves on the side of good 

 roads, and they are getting up counter peti- 

 ti' us to offset any move made by the oppo- 

 nents of good roads. 



Mason County County Road Commissioners 

 spent $10.436.00 during the year ending Septem- 

 ber 29, 1010, for better roa<l> an<! (hc\ hay 



MONROE WILLING TO HELP. 



The city of Monroe has announced that it 

 willing to do its share towards the construction 

 of a permanent road between Detroit and 



Toledo, 



