The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-10-06
FOREST RESERVATIONS.
The Problem Of Taking Care OF Tbsm--
inad once Business.

The Problem Of Taking Care OF Them
Inad once BuslnssM
WAmuH0ros. Oct 5.-What TO do With
forss, reserves hss become ssTious qu's'
tlOn In the department oi ths Interior.
Congress passed law tTorlding TO- aoitlhg
spaFi tracts OF lands NJ forest retervoa and
when 90 set apart thsy could not 10 entered
upon for Any purpose whalsvef Acting
under this Inv the president has from tlms
10 tins sst Spat tracts which aro knovn ea
iofeAt reservations and which are nov on
the govoTnment lands. Ia all thors ato
oysf 1900, 600 thus reserved Ia tho
states OF California, Or'Rou. Washipaion,
Colorado, Wyoming, Montrna, aud ia Utah
aud Arizona territories.
No provisions whatever have been made
for taking ohlo OF thrHo reservations I'm
der law thor Afe Tsuefved 10 tho govern
mont and no person con make une of them,
ret there IL nothing W prevent persons frOm
going upon them. or Ia RnY way defeating
tho object Of the legislation and rtaefVa-
tion proclamation. Persons might bs
prosecuted afterwards. bot there 10 no
means of preventing dsprada.ious. Neither
IL there Any way 10 prevent forest frss OF
othsi metbods 0f distraction.
Persons intsrsatgd in forest preservation
woTa inetrumonthl Ia having tho Teteiya
tion Law passed and the rsss yAtions made.
They have AlsD tfisd to SECURE lava for the
protection of 10 eHis, but ~ Tor without
success. One OF the most enthusiastic for
s1try men Ia the present AdminIslrstion IL
Assistant COMMISSIONS Bowers. OF ths
general land offoc. lie has bean doing a
good deal toward having tbs ioseryationu
made. and has also been urging legislation
for tholr pIsssrVhtion aud protection.
Oommiasioner LamorsuH is practical lum-
herman. and referring 10 the value OF the
timber on those forest fsasfVhtions says
that no timber 10 valuable unless II Ia
within marketable dlstaRcs OF streams or
railroads, and at present mons OF tAs lum-
bar OF these reservations could be sold. He
does not believe their timber will be do
manded for half century.
Part OF the scheme for the pTeIerv ton
Of the forests includes the sale OF limbs
from them 10 pay for their protection. II
ths,e is no demand for the timber this plan
will fail. and II will DO necessary for the
goysrnmsnt 10 OPP roprlAte money for this
purpose. Already thss have been p!aua
presented for making national parks Of
these reservations, and II the FIRST plan
fails, then an effort will bs made TO turn
them over TO tho several states for state
parks.
3. w. LamoreauK, commissioner Of the
land office. In his annual report shows that
there has not been 80 much activity In pub-
lie land offices this year az formerly. due TO
hard times and consequent falling of In
IMMIGRATION. Among Other reeommenda-
,ions made 10 one for az innovation In SUI
vsy. Instead OF the contract system. under
which public lands are now surveyed, he
sAYs the government should mako the sur
veys. He suggests that the work bs done
bv the geological survey, and points out
that the present geological survey IL com
pslled 10 go over the same ground which
has been previously gone over by contrao,
surveyors. A geoarsphicAl survey and thi
topogra phioal survey can be made al the
same time and with much leie expense.
The disposal of land for the year ending
June 30 was as follows; Sold for cash, 6l3 :
S2G ncres; miscellaneous entries. 9,7G3 39a
teTss; Indian lands. % S76 aorss; to,Al de-
crease, compared with Last year. ], 1856. 043
Total cash receipts OF the oflieo we're $l2,
76Z 6?4. q decrease of 81, III 800; total aari-
cultural patents issued 80 255. q decrease
OF 8, ,429: mineral patents. /. 162; railroad
land grants patented, $50 656 acres; ap.
proved 10 states under public grants, bl9,-
993 heres; Indian and miscellaneous. 3l5.-
1892 norst; total number OF acres patented.
2 633. 1856. Surveys amounting to 6923, iSl
acres have been approved during ths YEAR
Ths commissioner recommends that M
approp 'iation be made for Mt least six Az
torneys TO supervise and direct the pro.
osedinRs OF the special agents operating in
districts designated by tbs commissioner,
the atiorneFs TO have oharas OF the prose-
cution Of oAsss discovered by special agents
He renews his room mendstion of last yeaI
that the law permitting ths cutting Of tim
boz on public landa b0 repealed.