CANADIAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION 79 



to a greater extent in the future than ever heretofore in the world's history. The 

 aim then should be not to encourage, much less to compel, the cutting of our forests, 

 but on the contrary their conservation. I do not propose to go into the far-reaching 

 effects of the denudation of the forests at the sources of water supply and the con- 

 sequences that must follow not only to water powers but to the impoverishing of 

 the agricultural districts. 



These questions are of vital interest to this country, but my desire is merely to 

 consider the practical question as to the relations of the lumberman to forestry. 

 I know that at present there exists a prejudice against the holding by individuals 

 of continued vested rights in the products of the public domain, but in the case of 

 timber it will be well to consider the question before condemning the practice. 

 The operations of the lumberman are generally on a large scale and the employment 

 of considerable capital is necessary to success in his business. In the early days 

 when timber was near at hand and in the proximity of settlement, a small mill, 

 cutting within a radius of a few miles could be profitably carried on, on a small scale. 

 Conditions have now changed. The lumberman has to seek his supply often at 

 hundreds of miles from his mill and in order to be at all successful his operations 

 have necessarily to be on a large scale or failure will be sure to follow. Such being 

 the case it is necessary for him to possess a sure supply of considerable extent and 

 that will last for a number of years. 



The lumberman as the employer of capital, as one engaged in the production 

 of a necessity, should receive reasonable encouragement in the pursuit of his oper- 

 ations and a close analysis of the situation will show that the interest of the lumber- 

 man and the public interest can be best met.by such regulations as will encourage 

 the former to use the products of the territory embraced within his license, so as 

 to produce the greatest amount of timber and 1 not to produce an abuse by a hasty 

 cutting away of his holdings. 



Looking at the question from another standpoint, the Government of the 

 country exacts a ground rent from the license holder which continues so long as it is 

 profitable for him to hold it, and the longer that he retains this license the more 

 the Government receives from this rental. The Government also has it within its 

 power to increase the stumpage dues providing in the future it is considered that 

 a higher royalty may be imposed. So both the amount received from the ground 

 rent and from the stumpage will not be less but greater the longer the timber lasts. 



Let us endeavour to view this question in a broad way. Looking at the map 

 of Canada we cannot but be impressed with the vast unoccupied area of timbered 

 land which this country possesses. This is the property of the people and it is 

 wrong to consider it as exclusively owned by those of this generation. Our ad- 

 ministrators should regard themselves as stewards not only of those living in the 

 country to-day, but of future generations as well, and it should be their aim to look 

 far afield and adopt only such regulations in its management as will conduce to the 

 very highest benefits resulting from this product of nature to the country as a whole, 

 and for an indefinite period of time. Forest wealth differs from that received from 

 the mines inasmuch as the latter is definite and absolute in quantity, while in the 

 forest we have entered a realm where life exists and where reproduction is constantly 

 going on. Besides this, we have the functions of the forest as bearing on agricul- 

 ture in its office as effecting a water supply and also in manufactures owing to the 

 power that water affords especially in a rough country, like much of ours is, in 

 driving machinery where coal can only be used for a like purpose by going long dis- 

 tances to obtain it. 



It will thus be seen that our administrators are facing a problem requiring 



