Wood For War (ca. 1942)

please one of God greatest freeze one of God greatest gifts to man majestic in their beauty prolific in their bounties forest one of nature's few self replacing resources when you get all of gold silver coal or iron out of a mind that is the end of the mind when the oil here is all gone these wells will be dry worthless what forests if wisely handled will live forever and produce a perpetual supply of a necessary war material would at the same time offering shelter and food for wild animals and livestock and protection for Watership america owes much of its greatness to the lavish use of wood bands of steel on wooden ties railroad ties by the millions threads of copper on wooden pole railroads and communication lines brought this country distant communities together and it became great about 50 years ago some farsighted public spirited citizens realized that future timber crops must be planned if we their children and grandchildren were to enjoy the use of forest products plenty of wood to meet every challenge could be assured if sensible cutting and adequate protection measures were applied to all forest land would for war would for peace wooden ruler wood over Hills would download waterway would over waterways would for war would for peace would for us now would for him 20 years from now our armed forces need steel tin and aluminum but milady can still carry on for forest products now supply household and toilet requirements the army needs raw silk cotton leather so civilians turn to wood every article of clothing and adornment worn by this pretty miss is a forest product the Navy needs special woods for patrol boats mine sweepers and supply ships but we may still furnish our homes comfortably with furniture made of wood not suited to defense purposes the colorful seats and backs are plastic a wood product there is an unprecedented demand for wooden military buildings all forests will not let us down the demand will be met and civilian war workers to need homes more wood again the need will be supplied chemists and engineers are developing new uses for wood and wood waste to replace critical materials right now more than 200 drugs and remedies come from the trees and did you know that phonograph records motion picture film food for man fodder for cattle fuel for automobiles dyestuffs paints foils and naval stores can all be made of forest products food containers to save tin dishes and a thousand other articles are made of wood poke well the ID up to now has been to show you the importance of wood the army needs wood the Navy needs wood the air forces need wood for troop-carrying gliders we all need our forests but the forests vicious public enemy number one who is it my friends prepare for a shock it's you yes you you good citizens who would never knowingly damaged the forest you are careless with your smoking who are in too much of a hurry to put out that last part of your campfire fire ruthless devastating forest fire wiping out homes destroying critical war materials taking its annual toll of lives here is a war plants to be close to its raw supply it is located near the edge of a forest forest fire would threaten it yes even a fire miles away would take war workers from their lathe drills and presses instead of making torpedoes tanks and trucks these munitions workers are going out to fight fire to save their Factory and machines instead of working on bombs bombers and bayonets they are working day and night perhaps for weeks on this so unnecessary job brought on by your carelessness halting production slowing up delivery of badly needed rifles and bullets leaving our brothers and our sons our husbands and our sweethearts who marched away so bravely to fight for us now in their foxholes in meijer and muck without adequate means to defend themselves yes fires do slow up war production what are you going to do about it I know before you throw that match away you're going to think break it into feel it know that it's out you are going to crush out that pipe Neil you are going to be sure that cigarette is out you are going to save the forests to help win the war