Canadian Forestry Journal, October, ipi6 



773 



has been achieved by a reduced staff 

 working under abnormal pressure. It 

 would seem a mistake from every point 

 of view to allow the common practice 

 of a "clean up" at the change of gov- 

 ernments to take from the Forest 

 Branch any serious percentage of those 

 holding records as efficient and experi- 

 enced rangers. Such men cannot 

 easily be replaced, and none of the tri- 



fling considerations of patronage 

 should deprive British Columbia of 

 their future services. 



Hon. Mr. Brewster has plainly 

 pledged his Government to a disregard 

 of the patronage system, and if this 

 pledge is carried out to the full, no 

 alarm need be felt for the maintenance 

 of efficiency in the Forest Branch. 



■^ 



A Forecast of Post-bellum Demands 



United States lumbermen seem to be 

 keenly alive to the unparalleled oppor- 

 tunity for business which will come af- 

 ter the war. At a meeting held in 

 Chicago on August 21 a plan for a sur- 

 vey of the export markets was ap- 

 proved, and the statement was made — 

 based on reports already in hand — 

 that the demand for lumber after the 

 war will be "almost beyond belief." 

 Secretary J. E. Rhodes, of the National 

 Lumbermen's Association, in speaking 

 of these reports, said : 



"France as well as other foreign pow- 

 ers has shown a strong prejudice in 

 , favor of American lumber. Tentative 

 plans have been made by France and 

 "ingland to rebuild the devastated por- 

 ton of Belgium. The northern part 

 o\ France wil Inecessarily be rebuilt, 

 anl from the present outlook it appears 

 thjt the French Government will un- 

 derake the rebuilding. Already the 

 Freich Government is considering the 

 praclcability of rebuilding towns and 

 villags on a community basis, with 

 modelfarms on the American plan. It 

 is said hat this action has been largely 

 influenod by the activities of the 

 Souther. Pine Association in demon- 

 strating he qualities of southern yel- 

 low pine and its adaptation to the 

 needs of te country." 



Almost nanimously the lumbermen 

 agreed thal^he proposed study should 

 be undertak\i^ that the markets may be 

 entered int^g-gntly, and as soon as 

 possible. TV necessity of shipping 

 the proper grLg of lumber for certain 



uses was emphasized, and it was urged 

 that the men making the survey 

 should be practical lumbermen, with a 

 knowledge of the manufacture and 

 marketing end of the business. It 

 was pointed out that the indiscriminate 

 making up of cargoes of any class of 

 lumber, whether suited to the needs of 

 the rebuilding of Europe or not, and 

 the dumping of these cargoes upon the 

 market, would prove very harmful to 

 the permanent export of American 

 lumber, and the investigation is to be 

 undertaken largely to determine the 

 different grades and classes of lumber 

 for the different uses, and to inform the 

 European governments of this as well 

 as the American shippers. If possible 

 the investigation will include other 

 countries than those at war. 



A summary of the conditions in bel- 

 ligerent countries — as presented to the 

 meeting — shows the following: 



Belgium. — The forests have been en- 

 tirely destroyed and the nation so 

 wrecked physically and financially that 

 it will have to be entirely rebuilt, and 

 this rebuilding will have to be financed 

 by the Allied powers. 



Northern France. — Northern France 

 will have to be entirely rebuilt. A 

 great deal of railroad construction will 

 have to be undertaken; so much indeed 

 that it is said the number of ties, sleep- 

 ers and timbers is beyond estimate at 

 the present time. This same condi- 

 tion holds true with regard to the 

 farm buildings, villages and cities of 

 the section. This need will be deft- 



