Evening star., 1897-04-06
FOREST RESERVATIONS
The Forestry Commission Provide for Min
ers and Others.
Objections TO President C1cveland's y
posed Plan of Control.

The substance OF the detailed and volu-
minous report to be submitted by the gov
ernment forestry commission. the body
designated by the National Academy of Sci
cree, is embraced in the following letter,
Which has just been submitted by the COM
mission to the Secretary of the Interior in
advance of the formal report TO be made
early In May:
The legislation relating to reserved for
est lands of the public domain which the
commission of the National Academy Will
recommend in its final report. now In course
of preparation, provides 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 In
terror to protect temporarily and until a
forest 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
tfeir care.
Second, the establishment of a perma-
nent forest bureau In the Department of
the Interior, composed CT trained officers
to administer maintain and improve the
reserved forest lands.
Third the appointment of commission
10 institute as rapidly as possible. under
the supervision of the director of the geo
logical survey, typographical surveys of
the reservations, and determine what por-
uons of them should be permanently re-
served on account 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
and improvement OF the forests on the res
ervations, for the sale OF timber, frewood
and fencing from them to actual settlers
in and adjacent to the reservations and 10
owners Of mines legally located therein for
use in such mines; for granting permits to
saw-mill owners to enter the reservations
Tor 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 tim
ber on their own claims to take from the
reservations firewood, posts, poles and
fencing material necessary for their imme-
diate personal use; for allowing the public
to enter and cross the reservations: for
granting the county commissioners right
of way for irrigating bitches, fumes and
pipes and for reservoir sites. and for per-
mittfng the prospectors, under such rules
and regulations as he may from time TO
time establish, to enter the reservations in
search of valuable minerals.
The commission will recommend that the
reservations be opened to the location of
mining claims, under the general mineral
laws, and that the owners of valid mining
locations in the reservations made and held
In good faith shall be permitted to fell and
remove from their claims the timber grow
irg on them for actual mining purposes in
connection with the particular claim from
which the timber is cut. 1t will also rec
ommend that the owners of unprotected
bona hde claims patents of land in-
Guided in the forest reservations be permit
ted to relinquish their claims to the govern
ment, selecting in lieu tracts of vacaat
land open to settlement but not exceeding
In area the tracts covered by their claims
O. patents, and that the owners of such un-
perfected claims shall not pe subjected to
additional charges for entries or record and
that credit shall be allow ed them for tin.
time spent on the relinquished claims The
commission will also recommend tha. the
Secretary of the Interior be authorized %
enter into negotiations with the land grant
railroad companies for the purpose of con-
cluding agreements by which these COM
panies may relinquish TO the United States
the title acquired by them to lands within
their grartod and indemnity limits winch
these lands lie within the boundaries of
forest reservations. and may accept other
unappropriated lands in exchange from the
even-numbered sections within their grant
ed and indemnity limits not included in for
est reservations
Signed: c. S. Sargent. Henry L. Abbott
William IL. Brewer, Arnold Hague Clifford
Pnchot.'