18 



In 1883: 



The i>resent iucreasing value of timber is an iudiicement to individuals and com- 

 panies to make large investments with a view to the control of the timber i^roduct 

 and the further enhancement of prices resulting from such control. 



It would, perhaps, be of little moment how soon the public title to lands should 

 pass to private holders, since that is the ultimate purpose of the laws, if the further 

 purpose of the laws that public lands should in the original instance be widely dis- 

 tributed among the people could be secured. 



Public notices relative to forest fires have been prepared to be posted, have been of 

 beneficial effect, but no funds are on hand to do enough in this direction. 



In regard to tlie timber and stone act ol' 1878, he says : 



The restrictions and limitations are flagrantly violated. 



Evidence is cumulative that the act is made use of by corporations and wealthy 

 individual operators to secure fraudulently, for the purpose of manufacturing into 

 lumber or to hold for speculation, the accessible forests yet remaining in the States 

 and Territories, thus to be lost to those who would enter and make use of them. 



Fraudulent removal of timber on mineral lands, under cover of this 

 act, is also reported : 



Information is in my possession that much of the most valuable timber is being 

 taken up by home and foreign companies and capitalists through the medium of en- 

 tries made by persons hired for that purpose. I have found it necessary to suspend 

 all entries of this class, « * * 



In 1884, in regard to the same act : 



The developments of the past year erax^hasize the foregoing statements relative to 

 the prevalently illegal character of this class of entries. The result of the operation 

 of the act is the transfer of the title of the United States to timber lauds practically 

 in bulk to a few large operators. 



The preventive measures at the command of this office have proven wholly inade- 

 quate to counteract this result. 



Public interest would be served by its repeal. 



Speaking of the necessity of some measure by which natural forests- 

 may be preserved at the headwaters of important rivers, the Commis- 

 sioner says : 



The importance of the subject can not perhaps be overestimated, and it is appar- 

 ent to me that if anything is to be done in this direction it should be done quickly. 

 The forest areas of the country are rapidly diminishing, and the timbered lands of 

 the United States will, under existing laws, soon be exhausted. To a great extent 

 such lands are now appropriated by pre-emption and commuted homestead entries, 

 made without settlement except that of lumber camps, and without improx^emeut 

 except the cutting and removal of the timber for commercial purposes. The United 

 States receives only the minimum agricultural price of the land, irrespective of its 

 real value, which is usually largely in excess of the Government i)rice. 



The low price at which such lauds are now obtained stimulates fraud in acquiring 

 titles and holdings for future speculative purposes, while as soon as reduced to pri- 

 vate ownership such lauds have their proper market value, and the cost of timber 

 products to consumers is naturally predicated upon that value and not upon the 

 Government price at which the lands were primarily obtained. 



Commissioner Sparks.expresses himself as follows, in 1885 : 



Depredations upon the public timber are universal, flagrant, and limitless. Whole 

 ranges of townships covered with pine timber, the forests at headwaters of streams, 

 and timber land along water-courses and railroad lines have beeu cut over by 

 lumber companies, under j)retense of titles derived through pre-emption and home- 



