Editorial Notes 



179 



It was very significant that Hon. 

 W. H. Hearst in addressing the Ot- 

 tawa Canadian Club appealed for the 

 support of lumbermen and the gener- 

 al public in his work of administering 

 the forests of Ontario. This bears 

 out what was said in these columns 

 last month that the most important 

 work before the Canadian Forestry 

 Association was to arouse and educate 

 public opinion. The propsals of for- 

 est conservationists are so self-evident 

 that their clear presentation gen- 

 erally means their acceptance but 

 the people are busy and they are 

 many and the subject must be preach- 

 ed without ceasing. A synopsis of 

 Hon. Mr. Hearst's address on another 

 page will be read with interest and 

 profit. 



One subject that will not down is 

 that of brush disposal. Almost every 

 mail brings letters or manuscripts or 

 printed artcles on this matter. Burn- 

 ing has many advocates and others 

 propose piling or lopping. Evidently 

 the old method of doing nothing can- 

 not long continue. 



-^> -^> 



It is significant that not all the 

 states' delegates at the National Con- 

 servation Congress at Washington 

 were in favor of handing over the 

 United States federal forests to the 

 several states in which they are locat- 

 ed. A specific and marked instance 

 is the conclusion of the Oregon State 

 Conservation Commission appointed 

 by the Governor under legislative au- 

 thority. This body after deliberating 

 on this question came to this conclu- 

 sion *It would seem that everyone ex- 

 cept those directly interested in pro- 

 fiting thereby has all to lose and noth- 

 ing to gain by a transfer from nation 

 to state. In our opinion the proposi- 

 tion is wrong in principle and would 

 be disastrous in results.' 



When Hon. J. K. Flemming, Prem- 

 ier and Surveyor Qeneral of New 

 Brunswick was in Ottawa recently he 

 stated that the new Crown Timber 



Act of that province which went into 

 force this year was working out very 

 satisfactorily. It will be recalled that 

 under the old Act all the timber leases 

 ran out in 1918, and as practically all 

 Crown Timber lands in New Bruns- 

 wick are under lease that lease ter- 

 mination affected every limit holder. 

 Under the present Act new leases are 

 granted for twenty years, with the 

 privilege of renewal for ten years 

 more, rentals, stumpage, etc. to be 

 readjusted every ten years. In the 

 case of pulpwood the new leases are 

 for thirty years renewable for a fur- 

 ther period of twenty years. Hon. 

 i\Ir. Flemming stated that practically 

 all lease-holders under the old Act 

 had taken out leases under the new 

 and that he believed the new Act 

 would prove satisfactory all around. 

 ^::> ^^> 



The movement in favor of the ex- 

 tension of civil service regulations to 

 the outside service grows constantly. 

 The Ottawa Citizen says 'A great ser- 

 vice could be done to Canada by the 

 inauguration of a civil service effi- 

 ciency campaign, as the result of 

 wliich all offices in the public servicee 

 would be taken out of politics, and a 

 merit system introduced which would 

 guarantee that the best man for the 

 job got it' 



^o <^ 



The Toronto News thus concludes 

 a thoughtful article on 'Forestry in 

 Ontario.' 'In 1830 when forest con- 

 ditions were less favorable than in 

 Canada today the forests of Prussia 

 l)roduced less than 200 board feet per 

 acre; per year, giving the state 44 

 cents per acre net revenue. In 1907 

 this annual production had reached 

 427 board feet, with a revenue of 

 $2.52 per acre. Forestry has paid 

 well in Prussia. It should pay in 

 Ontario. 



During the past ten years, forest fires 

 have cost Minnesota $3,968,418.51. The 

 fires burned over 1,682,669 acres. One 

 great loss was recorded in 1908, when 405,- 

 748 acres were swept by fire, entailing a 

 loHH of $2,003,633. 



