1906 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



495 



ures to cut off a slice of the reserves. 

 Now, I do not wish to be classed as an 

 alarmist, nor do I wish to have you 

 consider this merely a theory. It is a 

 fact that, notwithstanding the policy of 

 the President to enlarge our present 

 forest reserves for the protection of 

 the timber and the conservation of our 

 water supply, attacks are constantly 

 being made on this policy, and efforts 

 are likewise put forth from time to 

 time to have thrown open to entry (so 

 that they might be located by agents 

 of the speculator) lands now in per- 

 manent reserves. You might ask. 

 "How could this be accomplished 

 when our lands are safe-guarded by 

 the agents of the Government?" Let 

 me again say, "Do not be too sure of 

 that." Were all Government agents 

 trustworthy, our fears might be quiet- 

 ed ; but I am sorry to say that such is 

 not the case, and that there is often 

 collusion between the timber grabber 

 and Government officials, as has been 

 demonstrated in the past. I might add, 

 also, that in this I speak not from hear- 

 say, but from personal knowledge. 



The developments in the Oregon 

 land fraud cases, which were made 

 public during the past year, and in 

 which Government officials, a United 

 States Senator, and prominent citi- 

 zens were convicted of timber land 

 frauds, only go to illustrate the fact 

 that there is a great necessity for more 

 stringent laws to protect our forests. 

 The illegal acts perpetrated in Ore- 

 gon are but a speck as compared with 

 those in other Pacific Coast States ; 

 and when the methods adopted by some 

 of the holders of these lands to ac- 

 quire the timber thereon are exposed, 

 they will make a startling chapter. 



One of the greatest causes for con- 

 cern is the fact that most of the avail- 

 able timber land is in the hands of a 

 few individuals or corporations. For 

 instance, in California approximately 

 one million acres of the best timbered 

 land in our state is controlled by one 

 individual. 



When we consider our timber land 

 laws which appear to some as being so 

 carefully drawn that they could not be 



improved upon, how is it possible that 

 such vast areas could be acquired hon- 

 estly? Is it not against public policy 

 that such immense holdings, whether 

 acquired legally or not, should be al- 

 lowed to be possessed by any individ- 

 ual or corporation ? 



What will be the position of the 

 miner a few years from now when his 

 present available supply of timber 

 shall have been exhausted? He will 

 be at the mercy of the timber baron, 

 unless there is a convenient forest re- 

 serve from which he can draw. Then 

 how will it be possible for him to mine 

 his ore at a profit without a cheap sup- 

 ply of timber to draw from? Already 

 timber and lumber prices have begun 

 to advance, and there is no indication 

 that they will ever become lower. If 

 this is the case, it behooves not only 

 the mining, but all other interests as 

 well to look to the future. 



There is a necessity also for extreme 

 watchfulness to preserve intact our 

 present permanent and temporary for- 

 est reserves against the underhanded 

 methods of the timber grabber. A 

 new danger confronts us which merits 

 deep consideration. It was thought 

 that the forest reserve policy would 

 protect all classes within the lines of 

 the reserves, particularly the miner, 

 and that none but a mineral entry 

 could be made in the reserves ; but be- 

 hold the ingenuity of the timber grab- 

 ber for contriving means to accom- 

 plish his purpose he files placer min- 

 eral locations. This has been done in 

 California in the temporary and per- 

 manent reserves, and filings aggre- 

 gating approximately one million acres 

 have already, been made on timber 

 lands, but a small percentage of which 

 have any evidence of being mineral in 

 character. Not only is this class of 

 locations illegal, but the methods of 

 the individuals making them serve to 

 cast an onus on our industry. 



This again brings up the question 

 of an available supply of timber for 

 the miner. If such placer locations on 

 timber land in temporary and perma- 

 nent forest reserves are legalized, I 

 ask you will the miner not be subject 



