Canadian Forestry Convention. 163 



Mr. F. W. Jones, President of the Mountain Lumbermen's 

 Association of British Columbia, read a paper on "The Lumber- 

 ing Industry in the Mountains." After sketching the develop- 

 ment of the lumber industry in the mountains, in which the 

 Mountain Association had an important part, and predicting a 

 bright future for it, Mr. Jones went on to sav: 



"We are all in sympathy with the objects of the Canadian 

 Forestry Association ; that we are all members of that Association, 

 that a great many of our members are here to-day, and that all 

 the rest would be here if they could possibly have got away. 



"In the mountains, reforestration is not a live issue at pre" 

 sent, but our interest is to establish some better S3^stem of pre- 

 serving and managing what the Almighty has given us and stop- 

 ping the enormous destruction of standing timber by fire. We 

 want better laws for dealing with fires ; some attempt at a ' Fire 

 Ranging System,' in the interior of B.C. by the Provincial 

 Government; more definite regulations covering the difference 

 between agricultural and timber lands ; a campaign of education 

 under the auspices of the Forestr}^ Association, as to the import- 

 ance of preserving standing timber (even small growing trees 

 which will not be fit to log for some years), putting down fires, 

 and keeping squatters out of timbered areas and places where 

 young timber is coming on ; and an amendment of the Provincial 

 regulations providing for such tenure and terms on timber li- 

 cences, that the lumbermen will be able to pay some attention 

 to Forestry principles, in carrying on their operations. 



"Next to fire, the greatest enemy to the proper management 

 of the Forest resources of this Province, is the manner in which 

 they are administered, particularly in the way of the title given 

 to timber licences, and the rentals charged. 



"The present regulations would seem to have been invented 

 for the purpose of forcing the clearing of each limit as rapidly as 

 possible, in order that it may be abandoned at the earliest date. 



"Practically all the timber land in the interior, outside of 

 the Dominion Belt and lands given toj railways, is held under 

 special licence. Each special licence consists of not more than 

 640 acres and for this an annual rental of $1.15 is charged, in 

 addition to the dues of 50 cents per thousand, when the timber is 

 cut. 



" In neither case is there any provision whatever for renewal 

 after the expiration of the 16 or 21 years period, as the case 

 may be. 



"Now the natural result of the very high rental, the uncer- 

 tainty of tenure, and the possibility of a sharp increase in the 

 rental of the 21 year licences at any time the Government needed 



