ANNUAL REPORT—INDUSTRIAL NEEDS. 
29 
and limitations—a thing the state has a perfect right to do in 
the sale of lands belonging tc it, or held in trust—or to stimu- 
late and encourage the planting ol trees in those portions of 
the state under general cultivation and not sufficiently supplied. 
In 1867 a commission was created with the duty of report¬ 
ing “on the disastrous effects of the destruction of forest trees 
going on so rapidly in the state of Wisconsin.” This commis¬ 
sion made a full and convincing report, and there the matter 
rested. 
The importance of the subject is beyond all question. The 
state cannot afford much longer to postpone action. 
ENCOURAGEMENT OF MANUFACTURES. 
♦ 
The natural advantages for many branches of manufacture 
are so marked in Wisconsin that mills and factories are spring¬ 
ing up with but little effort and no special encouragement on 
the part of the state. Nevertheless, it is manifest that a still 
more rapid growth could be induced by the adoption of some 
policy calculated to engage eastern and foreign capital in cer¬ 
tain branches requiring heavy outlays in the beginning and 
considerable time for first returns. 
If in such cases there was but a temporary exemption of 
machinery from taxation, that amount of encouragement would 
often decide the question of investment in our favor. And 
since, in every instance of this kind, only such property would 
be exempted as otherwise would never come into the state at 
all, that exemption would impose no additional burden upon 
any other interest. 
Such exemptions of machinery from taxation are practised 
by some other states, and with great apparent advantage. 
Being in general strongly opposed to everything like class 
legislation, we would be slow to even suggest any measure that 
would fall in that category unless it should appear that the 
reasons for it were very much stronger than any that could be 
urged against it. The above suggestion is made with the knowl¬ 
edge of some important cases in which capitalists accustomed 
