Canadian Forestry Convention 2 



in hemlock bark. For the older districts he suggested the 

 establishment of a rule that there must be at least sixty per cent 

 of arable land on all lots applied for, and then only where there 

 are other lands in the same locality which are fit for settlement. 

 The offering of small berths, and for limited periods, and the 

 granting of pulp and pine concessions over the same areas had 

 hastened the destruction of the timber. Mr. Miller's whole 

 argument was for the permanent holding of forest lands and re- 

 planting where necessary. 



Mr. William Little, of Westmount, Que., took up the ques- 

 tion of the lumber industry and its relation to the forest. In the 

 last six years prices had risen 10 per cent in the eastern part of 

 Canada. There was a great loss in the way lumber industry was 

 carried on. So far, vast areas of timber had been sold by govern- 

 ments to people for a mere trifle of their value. He knew of a 

 man who boasted that he bought a timber limit for $20,000 from 

 which he cut $200,000 worth of timber and sold it for $750,000. 

 The selling of timber limits at a sacrifice was a common mistake 

 of all the governments. Instead of Canada making money by 

 lumbering, it made money by not lumbering. It was deplorable 

 to look upon the immense losses caused by the sacrifice in timber 

 sales. Mr. Little dealt in scathing terms with the lumbermen who 

 went into the woods and chopped down valuable trees which 

 were too small to make lumber. 



"Forest and Lumbering in Nova Scotia," was the subject of 

 a paper by F. C. Whitman, President of the Western Nova Scotia 

 Lumbermen's Association. He said that in the past, forestrv 

 in Nova Scotia has not been given much thought. The govern- 

 ment of the province was too lenient in disposing of the timber 

 lands and should have kept control instead of making absolute 

 grants. The cutting of the best timber and fire have depleted 

 lands that to-day should be valuable ; and they might be made so 

 by reforestation. At present, there are signs of a greater interest 

 being taken by the Government of Nova Scotia and by lumber 

 firms in forestry. The timber owners feel more assured under the 

 present Act of "Protection of woods against fires" of their hold- 

 ings being protected, and more inclined to conserve their cuttings 

 and let the smaller growth reach maturity. The future gives 

 promise of attention being paid to forest values, more conservative 

 cutting, and with natural reproduction and protection there is 

 every reason to believe that forest wealth will continue to be one 

 of the most important assets of the Province of Nova Scotia. 

 There is still to be solved the best method of reforesting in Nova 

 Scotia, the kind of trees to plant and who will undertake the 

 work. It would appear to be a proposition that the Government 

 should take up, and as they own 1,500,000 acres there is ample 

 area on which to begin such a work, and there is no doubt the 



