A Decennial Record . 93 



i^irdled it, left it standing for a year or two, and then set it on fire. 

 It was in their way. The timbernien went hy, fortunately, where the 

 wood was still standing. The gum tree that was neglected back in 

 the nineties is now being put to practical use and has direct commer- 

 cial value. That was due to the fact that so much timber of a better 

 quality was available during those years, and at a cheaper price, that 

 the people refused to use the poorer qualities of timber at any price 

 Avhatever. 



It is unfortunate for the country and unfortunate for the timber 

 supply of the country that there was not some control, even back in the 

 sixties and seventies when the great timber supply was here; that 

 there was not some supervision that compelled the use of what we at 

 that time regarded as the class of timljcr that had no commercial 

 ^-alue for purposes to which it could be put and save the high-grade 

 timber — the timber that we need so much today — for the future. But 

 somehow our forefathers did not foresee it. We will not blame them 

 for it. It is not a nice tiling to speak ill of those who went before us. 

 We do not mean it that way, but we can express regret that no form 

 of intelligent supervision M^as undertaken at that time. I am sure 

 that many billions of dollars' worth of beautiful timber that was 

 slaughtered for nothing might have been saved for the benefit of 

 future generations. 



We have reached tlie point now where we appreciate that. I 

 believe that all thinking men appreciate the fact that the question of 

 a timl)er supply for the future has resolved itself into a serious propo- 

 sition. It is true that we are using now what we left in years gone by. 

 AV^e are using now even the despised hemlock that you could not give 

 away in the early days. Xobody Avould look at it. It was not good 

 ))uilding material in the ])ast. It may ])e the best we have now, but, 

 compared with what we used to have, it is not good ; nevertheless, we 

 have to use it. That is becoming exhausted, however, little by little, 

 and in the course of time the liemlock will })e in the same situation 

 that the cork pine was in, a magnificent supply when we started, but 

 completely exhausted. Now, what shall we use as a substitute for 

 hemlock? I do not know. We shall have to find some ornery tree 

 that we would not use in the past and do not care for now, but it will 

 answer the purpose and will look better wlien ^ve need it. 



