Canadian Forestry Journal, November, 1919 



463 



PRAIRIE PROVINCES AND THEIR NATURAL ASSETS 



The Secretary of the Canadian Forestry As- 

 sociation, Mr. Robson Black, recently concluded 

 a visit to Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, 

 during which thirty public meetings were held in 

 order to develop public vigilance in the better 

 conservation of the forest wealth of the Prairie 

 Provinces and to discuss with western business 

 interests a more intensive educational campaign 

 to encourage shelter-belt planting around prairie 

 farms and homes. In many cities three meet- 

 ings daily were in progress. 



The western newspapers devoted abundant 

 space to interviews and reports of addresses so 

 that the propaganda actually reached a very 

 large number of people. 



The chief object of the addresses was to tie 

 down the forest conservation question to local 

 western interests and to identify the present im- 

 poverished condition of the Prairie Province 

 forests as a threat to future industrial develop- 

 ment, the safety of stream flow and irrigation, 

 and a cheap wood supply to incoming settlers 

 in the northern districts. The speaker en- 

 deavored to outline a constructive plan of fire 

 prevention and timberland management, keep- 

 ing in view that the west may soon control a 

 part of its forest resources and that now is the 

 time to stimulate public sentiment and establish 

 a correct theory of provincial administration. 



The attendance at the meetings was, with few 

 exceptions, remarkably good. Such bodies as 

 the bankers and mortgage companies, the Rot- 

 ary Clubs, Canadian Credit Men's Association, 

 Canadian Clubs, Universities, Normal Schools, 

 etc., organized special meetings for the conven- 

 ience of the Canadian Forestry Association, and 

 strong pledges of support were given. 



PROVINCIAL COUNCILS FORMING. 



To more or less identify the provincial gov- 

 ernments and leading business men with the 

 forest conservation cause, the Secretary under- 

 took to form Provincial Councils for each of 

 the Prairie Provinces, with the Premier, one of 

 his ministers, and the leader of the Opposition 



joming with ten of the strongest business men 

 of the province, to co-operate in extending our 

 educational work. 



It is an interesting fact that while such cities 

 as Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary and Edmonton 

 are commonly regarded as being rather aloof 

 from forestry worries, Winnipeg actually has 

 over one thousand members in the Canadian 

 Forestry Association, and thereby ranks second 

 only to the city of Montreal as a focal point 

 of forestry conviction in the Dominion. There 

 is also a large membership in Calgary and Ed- 

 monton, and there seems a good probability 

 that during 1920 the strength of the Association 

 between Winnipeg and the Rocky Mountains 

 will run into several thousands. 



The western work of the Association not only 

 in the Prairie Provinces, but in British Columbia 

 urgently requires the appointment of a Resident 

 Western Secretary who will be in constant touch 

 with the local membership and able to promote 

 the objects of the Association in an intensive 

 educational way. 



SEE IT AS A BUSINESS MATTER. 



The business men of Western Canada are 

 keen to take up cudgels for more efficient ad- 

 ministrative policies as affect the handling of the 

 natural resources. In no part of the Dominion, 

 except perhaps Nova Scotia, have the forests 

 suffered to such an extent as marks the tre- 

 mendous expanses across the northern sections 

 of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and .Alberta. In 

 the old days when a public-owned asset was 

 often regarded as beyond the personal respon- 

 sibility of busy citizens, public administrators 

 were seldom called upon to account for such 

 items of needless public waste as this year's for- 

 est fires in Northern Saskatchewan, totalling 

 over eight million dollars of absolute public loss. 

 To-day, however, the western citizen evinces a 

 refreshing intimacy with the economic conse- 

 quences of destructive management of the na- 

 tural resources and is eager to play his part as 

 a citizen in bringing about reforms. 



BRITISH COLUMBIA LOSES A MILLION DOLLARS 



Victoria, B.C., Sept. 30, 1919. camps, engines and timber sawmills. $000,000. 



Our patrol forces, 180; acreage burned. Prosecutions and convictions, 16. 

 160,000; number of fires, 400; green timber M. A. Grainger. 



loss, 17 million feet board measure; fire loss, Chief Forester. 



