Grabbed the American Timber 



THE concentration into the hands of a few powerful inter- 

 ests of an enormous percentage of the timber lands of 

 the United States has created a problem so grave for 

 the nation, in the judgment of Luther Conant, Jr., commis- 

 sioner of corporations, that he has recommended to President 

 Taft that the existing national forests be retained by the fed- 

 eral government as far as practicable. This note of warning 

 was sounded by the commissioner in forwarding to the presi- 

 dent the full text of part 1 of the bureau of corporation's in- 

 vestigation of the lumber industry made by direction of con- 

 gress. The commissioner says: 



"The report shows a marked degree of concentration in the 

 ownership of standing timber in the United States. The area 

 covered by the bureau's investigation contains about 80 per 

 cent of the privately owned timber of the country. In this 

 area three holders have 14 per cent of the privately owned 

 timber, ninety have two-fifths and 195 nearly half. Marked 

 concentration in the area outside the bureau's detailed inves- 

 tigation also is indicated. Since the amount of standing tim- 

 ber is steadily diminishing and its value rapidly increasing, 

 this concentration involves problems of far-reaching public 

 importance. 



4 



So far as Timber Lands are Concerned, There Has Been Great 



Concentration of Ownership. 



"In view of the facts already published, no extended com- 

 ment appears necessary at this time. It seems proper, how- 

 ever, to emphasize that the present conditions of timber own- 

 ership are largely due, as clearly set forth in this report, to 

 the land policy of the federal government, especially the great 

 federal land grants to railroads and the faulty operation of 

 some of the general land laws. Instead of securing a wide 

 distribution of the public domain in the hands of a vast num- 

 ber of independent owners, as apparently contemplated, the 



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