CHIEF FIRE WARDEN. 135 



FEDERAL COfiPERATION. 



The United States Government can be justly held to concur in 

 paying the forestry expenses of states containing nonagricultural 

 land, the people as a wholedrawing'advantage from a state forestry 

 system. A division of forestry already exists' at Washington, ad- 

 mirably managed by Mr. Gifford Pinchot. The cooperation of its 

 officers can be had almost free of charge. If federal money is en- 

 gaged in Minnesota's forestry, federal forest authorities must be 

 allowed to watch its proper application. The American people pay 

 for the administration of the United States forest reserves in the far 

 West. Is it unjust to demand that the people as a whole bear a 

 share of an expense which is incurred — to a large extent — -for the 

 benefit of tlje people as a whole, be it in the East or in the ^yest, 

 in the North or in the South? 



In Minnesota, the federal government still owns several million 

 acres of nonagricultural land. This land should be withdra-wn 

 from the market, as long as conservative use of its resources in the 

 hands of private parties is impossible, private forestry being unre- 

 munerative. All mature timber, of course, should be sold as early 

 as possible, and from the receipts the expense for forest adminis- 

 tration and forest development should be covered. If an arrange- 

 ment can be made by which the administration of federal and state 

 forests, and the protection of .private woodlands can be combined, , 

 being placed in charge of one and the same official staff, the expense 

 for forestry in Minnesota will be a minimum and its efficiency a 

 maximum. 



Love of the forests alone will never bring about forestry. ' The 

 people ruling this country must be made to see the intrinsic eco- 

 nomic importance of forestry. Every leader of the public mind, every 

 te9,cher, every preacher, every county and state officer, must con- 

 sider it his duty to draw the people's attention to the necessity of a 

 forest system. There is no room for selfishness in the forestry 

 propaganda. The advocate of forestry can only be a man devoted 

 more to his country than to his private interests. He will have to 

 battle against the state's main .enemy, the egotism of its various 

 constituents, fearing loss of taxes for the county, or loss of a chance 

 to obtain timber at a small price. He will have to brave the vocif- 

 erations of those public leaders who offer to the people at random 

 what the people like to hear, the war-cry against increased public 

 expenses. As long as the people are taught to love the dollar kept 

 in the pocket better than the dollar spent for the country, forestry 

 will have a poor chance to develop. 



