22 



The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 



State Owner- 

 ship Would 

 Have Some 

 Advantages 



Private 

 Owners Must 

 Face the 

 Problem 



who have bought the land for its timber are simply holding the 

 land until they can sell it at almost any price, but little can be 

 done. If, however, the owners retain the land with a view to its 

 productive use, plans can be put into effect involving the de- 

 velopment of the property for the various uses for which its 

 different parts are best suited. Neighboring owners could co- 

 ordinate their activities of fire protection, grazing administra- 

 tion and forestry, just as the Government does with other owners 

 whose lands are adjacent to and interlocking with the National 

 Forests. Of course, the plan would work out most simply if the 

 state owned all the lands. It would sell the agricultural lands 

 to settlers and for townsites ; it would sell timber as we do in 

 the National Forest, retaining title to the land and providing 

 for protection and regrowth ; it would lease grazing privileges on 

 the same lands and would provide for miscellaneous special uses 

 of the lands as demands might arise. A great deal of the grazing 

 would ultimately be by the settlers who would build up herds in 

 connection with their farms. The grazing privileges would re- 

 sult in an increasing number of settlers who would combine ag- 

 riculture and stock raising and thus use land for agriculture that 

 without the grazing would not support a family. Progressively 

 the agricultural land would thus be occupied and the balance 

 put to its best use. 



The timber would furnish a stable and permanent industry 

 and contribute also to the increased use of agricultural lands, 

 through the markets for food and hay and the chance for part- 

 time employment connected with its various activities. This is 

 the sort of thing that is actually occurring on an extensive scale 

 where the Government owns the land in the National Forests. 



The public does not own the pine lands of the South, and it 

 may not be feasible to acquire them. The question is whether 

 it is possible to secure under private ownership their productive 

 use, even if that is not as complete as if the state owned the 

 lands. The public interests in the right handling of these lands 

 is so great, the public loss from wrong handling so far reaching, 

 that it is only a question of time before the states themselves 

 will enact regulatory and restrictive legislation regarding them 

 if they are allowed to become an unproductive waste. A better 

 plan, in my opinion, is for the public and private agencies to 

 unite forces now and by joint effort work out a method for put- 

 ting the development of the pine lands on a permanent and 

 stable basis. 



