American Forest Congress 447 



and I think one of the greatest questions of forestry 

 within the States having to do with the private owner- 

 ship of the forest and the promotion of forestry locally, 

 is the taxation question. Much baby timber is cut 

 because its owners can't pay exorbitant taxes. I will 

 not detain you by giving my ideas at this time upon 

 the subject, but I think an equitable State taxation 

 scheme can be devised with the aid of those present. 

 I believe that the time is long past when the Govern- 

 ment should, through the operation of any law, sell or 

 dispose of timber by the acre, but that every tree 

 disposed of should be under the direction of the Forest 

 Service, and be sold by the thousand feet. And, I 

 believe, further, that while in years past our forefathers 

 cut the trees of the forest without leave or hindrance, 

 that now we all readily see that no man has a private 

 right to the timber on public lands without paying a 

 full consideration. Under our present laws much tim- 

 ber is annually obtained, and at a fraction of its actual 

 value. And, I believe, that the same is true with 

 regard to the use of the forest reserves by the stock- 

 man, by the sheep raiser and the cattle raiser. I think 

 the time is at hand when they should pay a small, but 

 equitable and just charge for the use of the ranges. 



