Canadian Forestry Journal, November, 1919 



457 



Compressed steel springs were used every ten 

 feet along both sides and down the centre of 

 the raft. These springs would allow the tim- 

 ber to swell without doing any damage to the 

 strength of the construction, also to allow for 

 the working of the raft in a heavy seaway. 



When the raft had been completed a tug- 

 boat towed her over to Ipswich, England. The 

 trip over took twenty-eight days, a consider- 

 able delay being caused by being held up in 

 the Norwegian Fjords waiting for favorable 

 weather on the North Sea. 



During the trip over the North Sea a big 

 storm was encountered. Durmg this storm the 

 raft went through very heavy seas, and she 

 twisted and turned and looked moke like a huge 

 snake than anything else, and it was thought 

 that the raft would never come through. How- 

 ever, the springs served right up to their pur- 

 pose and allowed the raft to strain itself with- 

 out doing any material damage. Later when 



in quieter waters you would never have known 

 that there had been any strain on the raft. 



On arrival at Ipswich the raft was inspected 

 by representatives from the Ministry of Ship- 

 ping and also by the firm who were responsible 

 for the construction of the raft. Every one 

 expressed their opinion to the effect that it was 

 certainly a wonderful piece of work and a credit 

 to those who had built it. 



It took two weeks to unload this timber with 

 the aid of two five-ton electric cranes and a 

 good-sized gang of men. 



Most of the timber came out in very good 

 condition and was immediately stacked for the 

 purpose of allowing the sun and wind to dry it 

 out. Some of the timber was rather badly 

 soaked with the salt water. However, as this 

 timber could be used to advantage in founda- 

 tional work it was not considered that any 

 material damage had been caused by the salt 

 water. 



THE WEST DESERVES BETTER THAN THIS! 



B\) J. R. M. in Toronto World. 



Conditions at present obtaining in Canadian 

 timberlands were previously outlined, but 

 criticism is worthless unless followed by a con- 

 structive policy. It is my intention to sketch 

 an efficient method of operation in conserva- 

 tion which has been recommended by Canadian 

 forestry experts. 



The condition which now prevails in the ad- 

 ministration of public timber lands, the experts 

 find, is incongruous; three separate and in- 

 dependently organized government branches 

 divide authority over them. There is the lim- 

 ber Branch, which is in charge of licensed tim- 

 ber limits; the Forestry Branch, in charge of 

 forest reservations, curtailed, however, by the 

 timber limit within the reservation which had 

 been licensed before such reservations were 

 made; and the Parks Branch, which has charge 

 of still other portions of the timber areas. Each 

 works without organic relation to the other, and 

 even exercising functions and dividing author- 

 ity over the same territory. Anyone with ex- 

 perience in business will admit that this is not 

 good business. 



The Forestry Branch was presumably in- 

 stituted to bring into the administration technical 

 knowledge which was to be utilized to insure 



the continuity of the timber resources in so far 

 as the Dominion controls them. Yet all, or 

 nearly all the timber lands which can be utilized 

 for the next fifty years, under the licenses now 

 supervision. Consequently they are gradually 

 being added to the mismanaged lands which will 

 be the burden of the future. In the matter of 

 commercial timber areas, the division of author- 

 ity between the timber and forestry brandies 

 frequently leads to friction and uneconomic pro- 

 cedure, because the divided authority often 

 covers the same area, namely, where timber 

 limits are included in a forest reserve. This is 

 true in most of the limits in .Alberta, and with 

 many elsewhere. Here the Forestry Branch is 

 charged with the duty of protection from tres- 

 pass for the timber limits themselves as well as 

 outside them, but has no right to interfere with 

 limit-holders who may be liable to trespass, and 

 who may be responsible for fires by neglecting 

 the prescribed conditions of logging and brush 

 disposal. While the conditions in timber lic- 

 enses as to cutting to a diameter limit, to com- 

 plete utilization and to leaving the ground in 

 good condition are well taken care of, the per- 

 sonnel of the timber branch being essentially 

 composed of office men. these conditions are 

 most frequently not employed in the field. 



