Page:Report of the Oregon Conservation Commission to the Governor (1908 - 1914).djvu/263

 return, and it would give the State an opportunity to demonstrate what it can do along actual forest lines.

With the office of State Forester already established and provided for and with a protection program being carried out the expense of administration to the State would be light, and in time through the sale of such timber as could safely be cut the forest would be a paying investment to the State. The scattered holdings could probably never be handled in such a way as to bring the maximum returns and the cost of administering them is sure to be excessive.

Legislative action is, however, necessary to carry out this plan. Congressman Hawley in January, 1912, introduced a bill providing for the exchange of the scattered holdings for a solid block of timber land, to be managed as a State Forest. Later Senator Chamberlain introduced a bill similar to that of Mr. Hawley's but specifying "that in fixing the value of State school sections offered in exchange the Secretary of Agriculture shall take into consideration the value of such lands to the State, by reason of their being available and salable for scrip or base for indemnity selection."

So far as known these bills were never released by the Committee on Public Lands, and further and more aggressive action will have to be taken at the next session.

Governor West has also had this matter up for consideration with Chief Forester Graves of the Forest Service, and the State Forester has been requested to select some area of National Forest land for which the State would be willing to exchange its scattered school holdings. This has been done in a tentative way.

It will therefore be seen that preliminary steps are being taken to secure a State Forest. The matter should not be allowed to drag. There is already precedent for the Federal Government allowing such exchange.

BEFOBESTATIOIT ITNXtBB STATE OONTBOI^

In addition to securing by the State under the most advantageous terms possible the exchange above referred to, it is felt that provision should be made for purchase by the State of denuded areas for purposes of re-forestation. The permanence of a great industry depends upon steps being speedily taken to insure a future crop of timber. The state is in a better position to take up this work than any individual. The state is free from burdensome taxation, and not requiring immediate returns on its investment, could at comparatively small cost secure property which at no far distant time would