770 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



r,u,\M) MI;KI: VILLAGE IN 1903. 



provide enough of the comforts and 

 conveniences of modern life to keep 

 them. Some of the mills have given 

 just enough, but the wiser ones have 

 gone much further. 



As wood of coniferous trees is the 

 raw material of pulp and paper, these 

 must be an abundant, accessible and 

 sufficiently cheap supply. All of the 

 larger mills, therefore, own their own 

 forests, but not absolutely, and here it 

 is necessary to explain the wonderfully 

 advantageous position of Canada from 

 the standpoint of conservation. All 

 lands in Canada, as originally in the 

 United States, belonged to the Crown, 

 and while in the latter the Government 

 after the War of Independence, in the 

 effort to encourage colonization, parted 

 with them carelessly and recklessly, by 

 wise foresight, Canada acted differently. 

 Here the land is divided into three 

 broad classes : farming land, forest and 

 mining land, over which the Govern- 

 ment retains all rights, as well as over 

 water powers, hunting and fishing. An 

 ideal situation were it carefully carried 

 out, and it is, as a general rule. Land 

 fit for settlement is sold on very low 

 terms and easy payments to the settler, 

 who must, however, clear a certain 

 amount of land each year and build a 



house. Licenses to mine, to cut timber 

 and t> hunt and fish are sold to the 

 highest bidder at auction, and so long 

 as he pays his annual rental and com- 

 plies with the Government regulations, 

 he is left in undisturbed possession and 

 may sell his rights or will them to his 

 children. The (',< ivernment demands an 

 annual rental of $5.00 per square mile 

 per year, the protection of the forest 

 from fire and a tax of $1.30 per thou- 

 sand feet, board measure, when the tim- 

 ber is cut. At first the Government 

 protected the forests from fire itself, 

 charging a fire tax, but this protection 

 was so poor, owing to inefficient organ- 

 ization and too much politics, that the 

 licensees petitioned to be allowed to 

 protect their own lands at their own 

 expense, and this request was acceded 

 to. The licensees choose their own 

 rangers, who are commissioned by the 

 Government. This system has worked 

 well, but has been further improved by 

 all the owners of licenses forming an 

 association, which protects the limits. 

 The association is the largest on this 

 continent, representing over 7,000,000 

 acres of timber lands. Rangers on gas- 

 oline speeders patrol the railway lines, 

 following all trains, and crews of two 

 men each, with tent, canoe and camp- 



