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Show J Save the Kaibab Forest for Utah; H Almost Lethal Blow If Made Park I Beehive State Would Lose Industrially 18 Million Dollars If National Preserve Idea Materializes B WUiL O'BYKNE. j Tlicre is a movement on at present I f that If successful means a illrcct in-1 I duslrlal loss to the state of Utah of I between $17,000,000 and $18,000,000 in I payroll! I Can the business interests of this I biate afford that loss.' I No one seems to be paying much at-1 J ' t. ntlon to it ju:-.t now. And that I tho principal reason for this story. I In fact, not very many people seem I to realize Hint such a movement is n foot ami the ultimate result of it 10 the state if thH thai are further-1 ins it nro succeful. The mooment is to turn the KailiaM national forest into a natural park be-. tauuc of its proximity to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, and also. It i.t said rather, freely and emphatically af aft touring public o( the United States EH the scenic beauties of southern Utah if PUBLIC MAY BE MISLED. BtB io much has been said recently, by KS those that desire to turn the Kaibat 1 s national forest into a national t"' ti.' sci'im l...cuti-s uuilvrn BH Utah, so much stress has been laid HP g pom scenic beauties, about the con- Hy-K i ctlon of -; roadways I ii tt S II (onni-ct Cedar Cltj With the Ziou BttaV national park, the Grand Canyon na- H i lonal park and Crjce's canyon and: HCjfl the wonders of Cedar Brakes that the EB )ubiic is apt to be blinded by the HBB BCenic smoke screen thrown out. HJufl For it is practically certain that the K real reason for the calling of the pB .tire held at Salt Iuke recently IB for Stephen T Mather, director of na- H ifonal parks, was but t lay the foun- H Wation upon which the pull is to be H exerted, that shall drag tin1 Kaibab H forest into the national park area. J' It might be well to Inquire Into the H reasons for turning the Kaibab natlon- H al forest into a national park. H The first public announcement of B the movement is contained in ail nr- H talc by Emerson Houjch in the cur- rent Issue of a widely circulated pop- ular magazine. I II AT HOUGH SA1 S. H ''no reason advanced bj Mr nough H is tho creation of a President's Forest and in one portion of his article he B says- B, Tin- year tlu public park situation B was such that actual railroad I nation of quasi or semi-official sort i I made That is to say the story of this inaccessible but exceedingly in-, teresling wilderness broke this fall.' 1 1 chnnceil that l was hi that coun-j try, with the director bf national parks I at tin .ui- that iin. passenger . o iin.' Denver & Rio Grande Western a and the Union Pacific railroads were I below the head of steel and wonder-1 I ing where the head of steel eventual- F jy would He' This then Is the first public an-1 nounccment of the movement to take over the Kaibab national forest an J 1'e it to the national nark orffani.a- Hsf Other reasons advanced by Mr Hjfl Mough are first and foremost, the na- BWr rural beauty of the forest, for in one BBf paragraph he says: jHf&f "Have you ever reen a virgin pine Vf y forest? "Where would you go to find BhW one now? Here Is the greatest re- HV malning pine forest of the United States." And in another paragraph he (makes this statement: "The President s Forest with Its splendid wild lif". sboubl be put in precisely those hands best fitted to keeD it as a wilderness, and not run it either as a woodlot or us a hurdy-gurdy hurdy-gurdy country fair " In other portions of the same article he advance the Idea by Inference that if it Is allowed to remain as a natloual forest we may as well kiss it good-bye, for In says: YY 1 1 T HE THINKS. "That is to say. the wiping out of a country's assets, the using of it- principal, prin-cipal, solves no country's Industrie problem, never has and never can. We don't solve our own lumber shortage by insanely slashing off our last forests. for-ests. We don't make Americans rich and happv by damming our last stream and using our last acre. The distress will be just as gnat when all that is done . don t solve the meat problem b grazing to death the last of the open range that we have left (The press for rnnge, the cost of beef and mutton will be Just as great when we shall have used our last inch of land." Anotep reason advanced, but not by Mr. Houph. hpwever, is that the turning turn-ing ot" she Kaibab Into a national park will tend to bring more tourists Into Utah and that Hie business interests !of the stuto will benefit thereby. Answering Mr. Hough's argument regarding the beauty of the Kaibab i national forest it is admitted without 'luestion that It is a beautiful forejBt but only beautiful us any other forest for-est is beautiful. I take issued with Mr. Hough's Inference that the Kaibab Kai-bab national f-.r. st is The most b au-llful au-llful forest of pine, fir ahd spruce ever known In America, the largest body "f virgin timber of any description now-out-of-doors In the United Mates. It is beautiful beyond comparison. It is almost filly miles in the Bquafe but ill has not been used and It would not be commercially missed, if we cut it (down we should not solve one industrial indus-trial problem. We should only leave a greater problem unsolved." In fact, 1 take l.-sue with every statement he makes in that portion just quoted and especially with his inference lhat If the Kaibab Is hit as a national forest for-est it is going t be cut down Mil I 111 I It required but a very superficial Knowledge of the national forests in Idaho to refute his statement that the Kaibab Is the moat beautiful or the largest body of virgin timber In the United States Why, there are national na-tional forests, virgin national forests of pine, fir and spruce along the Salmon Sal-mon ilver area In Idaho in which one could lose the Kaibab fores! The Kaibab is not in any sense 60 miles square It Is about -JO miles long and 10 miles wide and contains in round numbers 1 .-J 30,000.000 feet board measure of timber that Is 12 Inches or more in diameter and in the national Dark area adjacent to the j Kaibab there Is tied up for all time some 257.000.0u0 feet board measure ; which is exactly what will happen to the 1.436.000,000 i'-ct in the Kaibab I If It becomes a national nark. There are also national forevts in the Payette and Holse river districts i and the south fork of tho Snake river I district in Idaho where one could readily lose the Kaibab fores! And . ulbng the Salmon river watershed ter-i ter-i itor i hen' in standing approximately approximate-ly 6,000,000,000 feet or virgin pine. spruCe and fir. The Kaibab is not at all a large national na-tional forest ,ls national forests aro counted . In the Olympic forest there was blown down two years ago between be-tween 10 and 12 billion feet of timber and there is a tromeridoufc forest left then yet. Not only that but many of our national na-tional forests are much more beautiful beauti-ful than ihe Katb-tb with Its lack of vegetation hot caused as Mr. Hough would have us believe bv that area being overgrazed but, as he Inadvertently Inadvert-ently admits when he Breaks of the gravelly roadway over wnlcjh ho traveled trav-eled iii the automobile through the forest, to the gravelly soil and the ! scarcity of water. ARGUMENT BL ISTED. Now as to his inference that if it is loft as a national ftyest we can kiss It good-bye for all time, it requires also but a very superficial knowledge of tin- fundamental policy of tho forest for-est service to discover that there is nothing to that argument. Forestry does not contemplate thai cUttinK fhall o on at a rate that the timber of any national forest will ever be exhausted. The forest service figures on a "sustained "sus-tained yield," cutting the forests no faster than they grow , living on the Interest of tho investment and not as .Mr. Hough would have us believe, "by Insanely slashing off our last forests" Nor does the forest service contemplate contem-plate turning any forest into "a WOOOV lot or a hurdy-gurdy country fair." If j Mr. Hough has had any experience with the forest rangers while he has i been camping he would know better than that for the safne policy of tidi-ness tidi-ness runs throughout the entire service. ser-vice. In his article Mr, Hough fails to take into consideration t in? numerous settlers whose very livelihood depends ii me grazing oi men swk mi iiiu Kaibab. Hut he docs mention the Grand Canyon Cattle company and Mr. Marshall's offer to take his cattle cat-tle off the forest. According to M : lloujfh Mr. Marshall would not stand in the way of making the Kaibab a national park Mr. llouch does not tell us, however, how much Mr. Marshall Mar-shall wants In hard cash to give up hU rights to graze hie cattle on the fori -t. He says nothing about it. lie does tell us, however, that the forest is sadly overgrazed and that there are those that believe all Btuck should be removed rrom it for the next five years. .K IZIXG PIU IBIJ M ST! lli.i. j It is tho policy of the forest service to do nothing of any nature that Is going to bring difficulties to the stockmen in any section. The question ques-tion of overgrazing has been studied carefully and the. so that have permits to graze, stock on the Kaibab arc having hav-ing them reduced gradually so that they can make other arrangements without having their means of liveli-h liveli-h 1 cut off abruptly in that area 40 miles in length and 10 miles in width there are now being be-ing grazed approximately 8,400 head of enttle and about 6.000 head of sheep. But very little Is said about the scenic beauty of the Kaibab, the principal prin-cipal reason being that excepting for the natural beauty found in any forest for-est such a thing as is understood by the phrase, scenic beauty, is conspicuous conspic-uous by Its absence in the forest proper. i Perhaps a description of the forest topography will make thh: clear The timbered area is located In northwest i iwiwimmjb q ern Arizona. Tho breaks In th ;rand canyon bound it on the south extending In a northerly direction along the crest of the Colorado plateau pla-teau for a distance of about -io miles Beyond all doubt the view of the canyon from Bright Angel point Is beyond be-yond description. It cannot bo described de-scribed fittingly. "Words are futile. Fourteen miles across and a mile deep With grandeur lnd let rlbablc. Hut that has nothing to do with tho Kaibab national forest. The top of the plateau ranges in elevation between be-tween 7.000 and O.'Jou feet and on all of its sides the surface slopes away rapidly. In the greater number of places precipitously, the decrease In elevation amounting in ome cases to l.L'Oo feci in a comparatively short distance. SEVERAL LARGE CANYONS. Several large canyons extend from tho rim of the plateau back to the main divide and furnish an easy method of access, among the more important im-portant being, the Ln Kevre, Jacobs, Warm Springs and Xeaglc canyons. The average grade, and this is Important Im-portant from the Industrial point of view, from tho main divide to the edge of 'he plateau is around i' per cent. A notable feature of all of the san-jrons san-jrons Is the absence of running, water. In fact this Is a notable feature of f.he forest proper, though there are a number num-ber of springs that furnish sufficient water for stock that graze In the forest area .luring the grazing season On account of the natural topo-grapli topo-grapli and th,. fact thn. thi- Im'.toms of the canyons aro without timber and furnish easy grades, these things have made the building of roadways into tho forest a comparative!) easy undertaking. un-dertaking. However, this does not give any reason for the fore., being Included In-cluded in the national park area. The point to remember is that the moment you get away from :ho rim of the great ga.sh . hoy.. I. a l li r . viewed the canyon will please pardOn that phrase there is no scenic beauty beau-ty to go Int'i ecstasy about. 10 become In the least enthusiastic abou.-.. in fact no more so than in any natuul forest with Its natural beauties. So why include it in a national park ? Perhaps I have failed to mention as the reasons for including ! as a natural nat-ural park the money that win be turned turn-ed into the coffers of the railroad companies. It Is almost certain, however, that the railroads will receive more money later on If the area in quecrfon Is left no o n-, II, .n,l frirul tVini. If I, i- , . . n ed into a national park.. At this point It might be well to mention i.hat this Is In no sense a brief for the forest service, certainly not for tho national park organization and to admit that It is an argument for the citizens of the state of Utah. Why should wo keep the Kaibab national na-tional forest a forest and resist every effort to turn V. into tho national park area 7 Forest service officials courteous always, al-ways, answered only such questions as tho writer asked them. In fact they seemed reluctant- to discuss the question ques-tion of he movement on foot to turn the Kaibab national forest into a national na-tional park. Ono official and for obvious reusons his name Is not mentioned refused to answer the pointed question. ' What Is your opinion as to giving up the K.ubab national fore;'. and seeing it turned Into a national park area?'.' He said that as a forest service officlul he had absolutely nothing to say in the matter. And he went on to point oi. that the questioner, apparently unaware un-aware that he was rushing In where angels feared to tread, had better leave that question to the officials of tho national park to settle MORE Ql ESTN N Somehow. 'hat answer didn't meet with the entire approval of tho questioner. ques-tioner. His interest is primarily with the state of Utah and its citizens, not with (he forest servico nor with the national park organization but with the people of this htate and their ultimate ulti-mate welfare in all material things. And naturally he asked questions because be-cause ho knew that as lpng as the iiuestlonu were relative to the public information on file at tho forest service ser-vice ho would get the information desired. de-sired. So these in brief are reasons why we should keep the natural forest as a forest. In .hat forest there Is standing In round numbers 1.126.000,000 feet of timber. The value of this timber In round numbers Is about $30,000,000 Industrially to tho state of Utah. Now of this amount it is fair to estimate that between $17,000,000 and $18.-000,000 $18.-000,000 will go to labor In the form oi payrolls, to say notning ot the amount that will everVually go to the ralroads In the form of transportation because the manufactured lumber must eventually be shipped out of the atato or used in the r'ate. These Industrial plants would of necessity be located In Utah because of natural economic barrlcn In Arizona where the forest is located. Though ed In Arizona the forest Is separated sep-arated from t'.hat state proper by the iig gash one mile deep and 14 miles across and consequently all manufactured manufac-tured lumber musi in. transported to1 eastern points or to points within the stato through LV.ah. Another i i-ason why such plants must be located In Utah is that there Is no other placo where transportation facilities are. to be had. The lack of he necessary water on the forest Is one great drawback to the establishment there of the necessary neces-sary sawmills. Manufacturing Indus-iries Indus-iries of every kind aro always to bfr found where transportation facilities are good and where i'lif natural re-1 sources aro close at hand. That Is a I i ommerclal geographically fact and in i )s no argument to support It. The facts support It. WHY GIVE IT UP I sav nothing about the conservation argument, nor tho faot that wo hav! been drilled for a year on the Idea -ii e.-.,iiomlzing, conserving, and drilled1 on the Idea of saving for a number of years until the very phnises used In the propaganda i-ucd have become I I. -words It the conservation Is so necessary why give up $30,ooo,000 worth Of Umber Um-ber to a national park that will in the future bring to the vv.ik.- i-arm rs of this state some $17,000,000 or $18,-1 000,000 in payrolls.' For tho sake of illustration let me Offer s few figures from Idaho. iquiOB mill ouiijul is i UVVVUU feet "f lumber per year. I. ln worth $23,000,000 of which $l"i, 000.000 goes Into payrolls and many million more Into local expenditures. The investment invest-ment In logging and mill equipment ilono Is $17,000,000. Idaho has 100.000,000.000 feet of timber which, if saved for manufac-turlng manufac-turlng will bring in from two to three billion dollars. Now along ihe same lino It mut 1" remembered that hundreds of eastern md southern sawmills paper mills and wood using industries finding their -upplies exhausted are surveying the, western states for new locations, where h raw resources nr.' to bo had EYES 'N l l 1 1 And at this moment they have their i-yes on Utah and, on the Pacific coast aates. As Utah develops there will be an Increasing demand for lumber but at Iho same time the forest service if .1 almie will keep s w t, ,,v ,. n the timber capital of the state and ii will crow along with t'hc slate un-j ler the protection of the forest s rvlce. rhat Is the primary underlying prln-l ;iple of the service to see that the capital cap-ital Is kept intact. True, the Kalbnb national forest Is n Arizona and It may be asked whs lub eltlaehs of this state should bothei themselves about a forest hat Is situated sit-uated In an adjoining State. Because of that great gush which separate the Kaibab national forest from Arizona proper, that Is one rea-I son and because of :he natural bar-1 rlers to "reeling sawmills In the forest, for-est, according to the opinions of engineers engi-neers that have examined the ground, those sawmills will be erected in I I ib, southern Utah probably, andchc money mon-ey win be expended for labor in this, state and not in Arizona, |