1018 



Canadian Forestry Journal, March, 1917 



The Right Use of Land 

 Also the question of opening up 

 lands for settlement in timber limits 

 should receive att^ention and laws be 

 passed forbidding this on lands which 

 are unfit for agriculture. The in- 

 terests of the settler and the licensee 

 are not antagonistic as the latter 

 needs the settlers to furnish labor for 

 his woods operations and the former 

 needs such work to tide him over the 

 winter. But the settler who is per- 

 mitted to take up land too poor to 

 give him a decent living is a menace 

 to the community; he steals timber 

 and must trap and hunt out of sea- 

 son for a living and is not able to 

 properly educate and rear his chil- 

 dren. This is a matter which calls 

 only for a little common sense, and 

 new townships and parishes should 

 not be opened until they have been 

 examined and laid out by experts. 

 At present settlers have only to ask 

 for lands in certain sections to have 

 them granted and experience shows 

 that very often such lands must be 

 abandoned after cropping for a few 

 years. 



The Government should also pub- 

 lish the work done by its Forestry 

 Branch and should as rapidly as pos- 

 sible make a complete inventory of 

 the forest resources of the Province. 

 A standing Committee should be 

 appointed by this Association to 

 study the cjuestions of better pre- 

 servation, closer utilization and per- 

 petuation of our resources and should 

 make recommendations to this As- 

 sociation for the guidance of its mem- 

 bers. These cjuestions which con- 

 cern our raw material are vital and 

 fundamental to our industry and have 

 been too long neglected. 



* * * 



Mr. Wilson continued: The most 

 important thing in regard to the pulp 

 and paper industry is most certainly 

 the raw material, and the progress 

 which has been made in taking care 

 of this raw material — or the source 

 of this raw material — is lagging far 

 behind the rest of the work that is 

 being done. You have a good Tech- 

 nical Section which is discussing the 

 chemical side of the question, but 

 you have nobody whatever who is 



showing any care of your woodlands. 



Information Meagre 

 Now, the woodlands of the Can- 

 adian manufacturers are only just 

 beginning to be taken care of at this 

 late date, as they should be taken 

 care of. The waste in the woods is 

 certainly very large, and the know- 

 ledge which the manufacturers in 

 Quebec and Ontario have of their 

 resources is, with a very few excep- 

 tions, almost nil. You have relied 

 for years upon the reports of men, 

 who are supposed to know the con- 

 ditions. The Governments are tak- 

 ing certain steps which they hope 

 will conserve the forests, but they 

 are putting ah the burden of the ex- 

 pense of the work on you. You are 

 reciuired to pay for fire protection; 

 you are required to pay for your own 

 maps, and are required to do some 

 other things which, licenses and rent- 

 ers of lands, you should not be re- 

 quired to do, but on the other hand, 

 these things are absolutely necessary 

 and until such time as the Govern- 

 ments are wilhng to take their share 

 of responsibility, it will have to be 

 borne by the paper manufacturers. 

 I have been asked to say a few 

 words in regard to the forest lands 

 at the present time. This is a ques- 

 tion which certainly demands atten- 

 tion, and I would suggest that a com- 

 mittee be appointed by this Associa- 

 tion along the line of your other 

 technical committees, to examine into 

 all the things which refer to the pro- 

 ducts and protection of your raw 

 material. This is a very important 

 thing and such a committee could be 

 of very great assistance and use to 

 you. 



Careless Cutting 

 In regard to the devastation of 

 the forest lands: the cutting which 

 has been carried on in the sections 

 with which I am familiar, has caused 

 a great deal of devastation, and I 

 think we should take some action 

 before it is too late. The indis- 

 criminate cutting of .the forests and 

 the taking of the raw material which 

 was the handiest and cheapest to log 

 at the time, has certainly contributed 

 to the low prices which you have been 

 able to charge for your paper, but 



