The herald., 1897-04-30
FOREST RESERVATIONS
FORESTRY COMMISSION PRO-
VIDE FOR MINERS
Objections to President Cleveland's s
Orders Claimed to Be Met by a
Proposed Plan of Control

The substance of the detailed and vol
luminous report to be submitted by the
government forestry commission, the
body designated by the National Acade-
my Of Science, is embraced in the follow
ing letter, which has just been submitted
by the commission to the secretary OF the
interior in advance of the formal report
to be made early in May:
The legislation relating to reserved
forest lands of the public domain which
the commission of the National Acade-
my will recommend in its final report.
now in course of preparation, provided
for the following:
First, that authority be given to the
secretary of war to make details of
troops at the request of the secretary OF
the interior 10 protect temporarily and
until a forset service is organized the
property of the government in the forest
reservations from fire and trespass and
to enforce such rules and regulations as
he may make for their care.
Second, the establishment of a per-
manent forest bureau in the department
of the interior, composed of trained Of
|ficers, to administer maintain and i'm
prove the reserved forest lands.
Third. the appointement of a COM
mission to institute as rapidly as possi-
BILE, under the supervision of the di-
rector of the geological survey, topo-
graphical surveys of the reservations,
and determine what portions of them
should be permanently reserved on ac-
count of their forest covering and what
portions should be reopened to entry
and sale.
Fourth, to authorize the secretary of
the interior to issue the necessary rules
and regulations for the protection,
growth ana Improvement of the forests
on the reservations, for the sale of tim
ber firewood and fencing from them
to actual settlers in and adjacent to the
reservations and TO owners of mines le-
gally located therein for use in such
mines; for granting permits to saw
mill owners to enter the reservations for
the purpose of manufacturing such
lumber as may be sold to actual settlers
in and adjacent to the reservations. and
to the owners of mines located therein;
for allowing actual settlers who have
no timber on their own claims to take
from the reservations firewood, posts,
poles and fencing material necessary for
their immediate personal use; for allow
ing the public to enter and cross the res
ervations; for granting the county com
missioners right OF way for irrigating
bitches. fumes and pipes and for reser-
voir sites, and for permitting the pros
pectors. under such rules and regula-
tions as he may from time to time es-
tablish, to enter the reservations in
search of valuable minerals.
The commission will recommend that
the reservations be opened to the loca-
ton of mining claims, under the gen.
eral mineral laws. and that the owners
of valid mining locations in the reserva-
tions made and held in good faith shall
be permitted to fell and remove from
their claims the timber growing on
them for actual mining purposes in con-
nection with the particular claim from
which the timber is cut. 1t will also rec
ommend that the owners of unprotected
bona fide claims or patents of land in
cluded in the forest reservations be per
mitted to relinquish their claims to the
government. selecting in lieu tracts of
vacant laHu upeh ~ SetticiiiSHt' Jul hot
exceeding in area the tracts covered by
their claims or patents and that the
owners of such unprotected claims shall
not be subjected to additional charges
for entries or record. and that credit
shall be allowed them for the time spent
on the relinquished claims. The COM
mission will also recommend that the
secretary of the interior be authorized
to enter into negotiations with the land
grant railroad companies for the pur-
pose of concluding agreements by whicl;
these companies may relinquish to the
United States the title acquired by them
to lands within their granted and indem-