PROGRESS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA 



By OVERTON WESTFELDT PRICE 



R 



RITISH Columbia has already 

 travelled, surely and very rapid- 

 ly, far along the road which leads 

 to forest conservation. That is 

 important, since in British Columbia's 

 forests is estimated to be over one-half 

 the total timber stand of all Canada. 



To what is British Columbia's progress 

 in forestry due? To these three things 

 as I see it. First, a very remarkable 

 opportunity to make the provincial 

 forests serve the provincial welfare; for 

 while British Columbia possesses large 

 agricultural and rich mineral resources, 

 vast water powers and great fisheries, 

 it is primarily a forest country. Second, 

 after opportunity comes the man in 

 William R. Ross, the Provincial Minister 

 of Lands, who, with the strong support 

 of the Premier, Sir Richard McBride, 

 is carrying forward wisely and vigor- 

 ously a remarkably progressive, clean- 

 cut policy of land, forest and water 

 conservation. Third in the list of pre- 

 disposing causes for forestry in British 

 Columbia, and also an absolutely essen- 

 tial one, comes a group of men like 

 H. R. MacMillan, M. A. Grainger, R. E. 

 Benedict and J. H. Lafon; men who 

 have great zeal and great efficiency in 

 forest work, and who are building up a 

 forest branch which is like themselves. 



This new forest branch is a distinctly 

 vigorous infant. The toys with which 

 it is playing happily and usefully are 

 the forests of British Columbia. That 

 makes quite an extensive puzzle picture, 

 for British Columbia's forests cover one 

 hundred and fifty million acres. This 

 infant organization spent last year 

 about $350,000 and took in from rentals 

 on timber held by lumbermen under 

 lease from the government, "royalties" 

 which means payments for stumpage, 

 and from miscellaneous sources, about 

 $3,000,000, or a revenue of $6.93 per 

 capita for the entire population of the 

 province. 



Nor is this somewhat precocious 

 youngster interested merely in present 

 returns. It also goes in quite extensively 



for forest fire protection and last year 

 held, with a force of 320 men, the total 

 forest fire damage in the entire province 

 down to $18,354, which, to put it 

 mildly, is distinctly creditable to those 

 320 men. During the year alsc the 

 forest branch completed its organization 

 of twelve forest districts, each with a 

 district forester in charge. It made an 

 admirable beginning on logging inspec- 

 tion of 794 operations whose product 

 aggregated one and one-third billion 

 feet board measure, as well as great 

 quantities of shingle bolts, piling, posts, 

 mine props and poles. It made a notable 

 beginning too, on permanent forest 

 improvements, in the construction of 

 nearly twelve hundred miles of trail 

 and 360 miles of telephone line. To 

 complete the tale merely of its more 

 notable achievements, the forest branch 

 has also developed a thriving little tim- 

 ber sale business, which last year com- 

 prised $238,000 worth of timber sold, 

 and a further $147,000 worth advertised 

 for sale. When the fact is recalled that 

 the forest branch is not yet three years 

 old, this progress is notable in forest 

 history anywhere. 



The next task before the branch is 

 to put forestry into effect on all timber 

 limits with fairness to the forests and to 

 the lumbermen. That, as Mr. Ross, 

 the Minister of Lands, announced in a 

 recent speech, is the most important 

 task of all ; and he and his forest branch 

 are facing it. 



The recent act introduced by Mr. 

 Ross for the adjustment of timber 

 royalties is a great accomplishment. 

 Without going into detail (for the act 

 is available from the forest branch to 

 any one who asks for it) , I want merely 

 to indicate what it accomplishes in 

 fundamentals. 



This act provides that royalties, now 

 fifty cents, shall go up by fifty per cent 

 on January 1, 1915, and;there remain 

 for five years. Then, in 1920, comes a 

 readjustment, under which the govern- 

 ment first determines the average mill 



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