The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1891-11-12
DAHO'S ARID LANDS.
Protection of our Forests
Interesting presentation
of this Most Important
Subject

A d Foote in Boise Statesman
The state should own the forest
lands and hold them that it may
preserve the forests thereon from
destruction, and the water supply
from becoming intermittent and use
less.
The state should own the grazing
lands and hold them, that they may
be made valuable and that the
revenues from them may be available
to pay the expense of protecting the
forests.
The state should own the irrigable
lands, that it may obtain revenue
from their sale with which to so regu
late and distribute the water supply |
for their irrigation as to produce the
greatest benefit to the commonwealth |
and to the individual irrigator.
TIE FORESTS.
Idaho has about 10, 900, 900 acres
of forest lands. These are of great
value for their natural products alone
and should be protected from
devastation on that account. For the
regulation and conservation of the
water supply, however, they are Of
far greater value of the state.
No system Of reservoirs, however
costly, can so well regulate the flow
of its great rivers, and hold their
waters back for irrigation late in
the summer as the forests do now.
Under the care of the general
Government the forests of this state
are being. destroyed by fires with
terrible rapidity and there appears no
hope of change in this policy. This
state. if it owned these forests,
would establish system OF mount
, ed patrols which would prevent the
fires from destroying and the timber
enters from doing injury.
Such a system would cost about
!, $75, 900 per annum. A portion OF
:, this sum would be repaid to the state
bv a tax on the timber cut and the
r remainder from the reaatals OF the
f pasture lands.
, TIE GRAZING LANDS.
There are about 20, 900, 900 acres
i of land in Idaho reported as pasture
- lands. These are now of no direc
4 benefit to the general government
and cannot be sold because under th'
r lands laws no one can acquire owe
- 100 acres. and such small area i
# of no value.
ia Under state ownership they woul'
10 he leased on long terms in tracts no
80 exceeding five thousand acres eac
IN for two cents per acre per annum.
4 With the security Of tenure thu
IA oiyen stockmen would fence thei
p holdings, develop water on them an
an make them extremely valuable
If adiuncts to their irrigated hay lands
as using the pastures for their summe
a. and the hay lands for their winte
at feeding.
no The revenues from the grain
ba lands. thus rented, would b
40 sufficient for the administration an
protection of both pastures an
forests.
90 THE IRRIGABLE LANDS.
In irrigation a very unstabl
W though valuable, element is spre'
90 abroad ever the land in open channe
90 and must be divided equab
ng amongst hundreds of individuals.
led The obtaining of this water at t
ro- proper time is often the sole conditi
t if between plenty and poverty to hu
ted dreds of families.
her 1t is an absolute necessity that t
md water supply be controlled and res
on lated by the state to prevent terri
of oppression and hardship.
nds Proper control and regulation
iser difficult and intricate, requiring
age of ability xnd special training an
,uld large expenditure of money.
sers 1t is not reasonable to tax the OF
cans industries of the commonwealth
ated the direct use and benefit of Il
hink irrigable lands, therefore the s
to should own these lands, that it
sell them at such a price as will
for the extraordinary expenses "
ash their peculiar conditions require.
tates The state would establish com
rived sion or board OF waters, lands
ith forests, whose duties would bs
pbell protect the forests from fire sc
the proper cutting OF timber