Canadian Forestry Magaaine, An gust-Sept ember. 1920. 387 



''The Time Has Come''— Premier 

 Taschereau 



{A verJialim <'opij of some striking sfaff-meiits made in an address at Quebec hy Provincial Prim? Ministeu, 



"First of all a jealous care aud rigorous conservation of our 

 natural resources. We bave '80,000,000 acres of unleased forests 

 which need fire j^rotection. For s'ome time big white birds have 

 been hovering over them. The hydroplanes have begun their 

 patrol to locate fires at their outset. They shall be supplemented 

 by observation posts fitted up with wireless telegraphy. 



"Tlie time has come, it appears to us, to regularize the cutting- 

 on limits by fixing a maximum of the annual cut to prevent the 

 destruction of the forests, and a minimum to stop speculation and 

 to assure us a reasonable revenue from the cutting rig'hts. We 

 shnll ask lumbermen to prepare their programme of operations to 

 permit us to safeguard the interests of the province by a previous 

 inspection and a constant control of their operations. 



''Reforestation should be immediately undertaken and en- 

 couraged with energy. We should have no illusions, our forests 

 are not inexhaustil:>le. Fort3^-five million acres are alread}' under 

 cutting license, and private forests contribute only 5,000 acres. 



"I am giving you a few of the plans wliich are dear to tlir 

 heart of the ]\linister of Lands and Forests. Xot oidy will he 

 send young engineers to stud}- forestry science in Furoj^e, bur he 

 is thinking of creating a paper school and a school for the cuHers 

 and foi'es't rangers. 



"The forests have acquired an unheard-of value. You will 

 readily see an anomal}'' wliich calls for urgent remedy wIumi .\-ou 

 note that a ton of paper, Which formerly sold at '^40, now calls for 

 $120, that a ton of pulp which wais worth $15 is now \aliied at .^n(\ 

 that the ])rice of a coi-d of wood has been increascMl IVoiii K) to ^20. 

 and that 1he Government collects about the same dul.x- as ])efore 

 the rise, l^'ar iVoiu us the idea of opprcssiuu' tliis tine industry of 

 pulp and i)aper, and to ignore the increased cost of pi-oduet ion, 

 pai-licularly in recent times. Hut we are to-dn\- tlie masters of 

 the mai'ket and, willioul waiting until another product is found to 

 re]>hice wood, we should get out (d'our foi'ests all the i"e\'eiuu' that 

 thev are ca])able of giving. I'esides, we have coid'erred with the 

 wood nierch'amts and mmnifact ui-ers, and 1 aiu pleased to recog- 

 nize the broad s])irit with whicdi they ha\-e greeted our representa- 

 tions. How shall we be able to ])rotect their limits, build i-oads. 

 ))ridges and reservoirs for them, if they do not di\ their share I 



