Too many persons are engaged in lumbering.

Wastefu/ harvest prac tic es.

Wastefu/ harvest practices.

’Juniper’ is valuab/e.

A one-off harvest.

’Junip er ' lost to fire.

N0 ’junioer’ in Second Queens.

There should be no controls on timber cut.

am sorry to say, there are too many engaged in lumbering; and however necessary the carrying on of the lumbering trade may be for the supplying of the ship—yards and the benefit of ship-builders, I am very certain that most of the poor men who are so engaged. instead of improving their own circumstances by it, are, year after year, becoming poorer and poorer.

Mr. [Francis] LONGWORTH. The export trade, in juniper, as it has lately been carried on, is only in Knees, for the sake of which hundreds of valuable trees are cut down, and after having had the knees taken off, left upon the ground to rot, and, in the case of fire, to be, as it were, an additional means of accomplishing the destruction of those which were left standing. all the juniper now growing in the Island will, if left, be required, by ourselves, for ship—building purposes;

Mr. [Donald] MONTGOMERY. l have always thought that the cutting down of juniper trees. for the sake of the knees, and allowing all the rest to lie upon the ground, would not only, eventfully. prove very detrimental to our shipping and general interests; but that it would also cut off an immediate source of gain to those directly concerned in its destruction for the sake of small immediate gain, arising from the sale of knees. Juniper is the most valuable timber in the country, and the preservation of it, for home use in ship-building, would be the preservation of a source of general prosperity. As good ships cannot be built without it, the preservation of it for ship—building uses, is, no doubt, essential to the success and continuance of that trade; If the Americans be allowed, but for a short time longer, to purchase, and ship off juniper-knees, as they have done of late, there will not be a juniper tree left in the Island.

Hon. The SPEAKER [Alexander Rae]. ...The crop in question was one which, once cut down, would never grow again; at least a second growth of a useful size could not be looked for. A quantity of juniper, for which, if exported, not more than £100 would be received, would, if left at home, for the use of our ship—builders, eventually realize the return of £1000, for the benefit of the Colony. The hon. the Colonial Secretary had said that they who were engaged in lumbering derived no lasting benefit from it. That was a mistake. Some ship-builders gave employment to as many as 1000 men, in that way, and in their shipyards; and it was well known that many, by means of such employment, had become free-holders. In some districts there was no ship-building; and in such there was little or no lumbering. At the west end of the Island there had. last year, been burned down more juniper, if he had been correctly informed, than had been shipped from that quarter for years before. If that was the case, if such was the danger to be apprehended from fire, it would be better to cut down and ship-off all the juniper they had left, although they might not be able to sell it for more than one—tenth of its value.

Hazard’s Gazette, Charlottetown. 22 June 1853, p. 2.

Colonial Legislature. House of Assembly, Monday March 21 1853. House in Committee on Ways and Means — Mr. Haviland in the Chair. Concluded, Mr. [Robert] MOONEY. The land upon the nine Townships in the District which I have the honor to represent [i.e. the Second District of Queen’s County, comprising Lots 29 to 32, 35, 36, 37, 48, 65], is all tenanted and improved; I believe there is little. if any, juniper growing upon them. I do not therefore oppose the duty on account of my regard for the interests of my constituents. I oppose it in principle, and I would stand against it—even if I stood alone—if there were not a single juniper tree in the whole District. I say the people ought to be left at perfect liberty to do what they please with all wood or timber that grows on the lands that they occupy—to cut

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