New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-07

of promptly refunding 20 the Treasury The -.
OF construction. The reclamation act has -
found TO be remarkably complete and efsees,v.
and so broad In it's provisions that wide a.,
OF undertakings has been possible under n =.
the same time economy is guaranteed BIZ ~,
fact that the funds must ultimately be retI;snas
to be used over again.
II is the cardinal principle Of the for.s, -
serve policy of this administration that IN. :.
serves are for use Whatever interferes v,,
the use OF their resources is 10 be avoides ~
every possible means. But these resources NM.
be used in such a way as to make them perm
nent.
The forest policy OF the government IS ms.
now a subject Of vivid public interest through.
out the West ara 20 the people Of the Un,tss
States in general. The forest reserves them.
selves are Of extreme value to the present a,
well as to the future welfare Of all the Wests-,
public land States. They powerfully affect TIA
use and disposal OF the public lands. They ar.
of special Importance because they preserve Ii,
water supply and the supply OF timber FOR d.
nestle purposes. and so promote settlement IN
der the reclamation act. Indeed they are essen.
tial TO the welfare of every one OF the great n
terests of the West.
Forest reserves are created for two prIncloal
purposes. The first is to preserve the water
supply. This is their most important use Ts
principal users OF the water thus preserved sr.
irrigation ranchers and settlers. cities and towns
10 whom their municipal water supplies are o.
the very first Importance, users and furnishes
OF water power, and the users Of water FOR Co.
mestic, manufacturing, mining and other vu,.
poses All these are directly dependent VI,
the forest reserves
The second reason for which forest ressrv.
are created is TO preserve the timber supp,y
for various classes of wood users Among TIA
more important of these are settlers under ths
reclamation act and other acts. for whom
cheap and accessible supply Of timber for DO
nestle uses is absolutely necessary; miners and
prospectors. who are in serious danger Of losing
their tfrnper supply by fire or through export By
lumber companies when timber lands adjace-.
70 their mines pass into private ownership
Iumbermen, transportation companies. builders
and commercial interests in general
Although the wisdom of creating forest re-
serves is nearly everywhere heartily recognized
yet in a few localities there has been misunder-
standing and complaint. The following state
ment is therefore desirable:
The forest reserve policy can be successful
only when 1t has the full support OF the people
of the West. 1t cannot safely, and should nO,
in any case. be imposed upon them agal1s,
their will. But neither can we accept the view
of those whose only interest IN the forest IS
temporary. who are anxious TO reap what thsy
have not sown and then move away, leaving
desolation behind them. On the contrary i
is everywhere and always the interest OF th4
permanent settler and the permanent business
man. the man with stake in the county,.
which must be considered and which must de-
eide.
The making Of forest reserves within railroai
and wagon road land grant limits will hareattsr
as for the past three years, be so managed as
to prevent the issue under the act OF June 1
1897, of base for exchange or lieu selection
casually called scrip. In all cases where for
est reserves within areas covered by land grams
appear to be essential 70 the prosperity o.
settlers, miners OF others the government lands
within such proposed forest reserves wth as II
the recent past, be withdrawn from sails q
entry pending the completion OF such negcta
tons with the owners Of the land grants as VII .
prevent the creation of so called scrip.
It was formerly the custom to make forest -
serves without first getting definite and ts;aasS
information as to the character OF land and TN
Der within their boundaries This method q
action often resulted in badly chosen boundaries
and consequent injustice TO settlers and Others
Therefore this administration adopted the pres
ent method OF first Withdrawing the land from
disposal, followed by careful examination OF
the ground and the preparation Of detailed MAPS
and descriptions, before any forest reserve
created.
I have repeatedly called attention to the con-
fusion which exists in government forest mat
ters because the work is scattered among tnFes
independent organizations. The United states
is the only one OF the great nations in which tn'
forest work OF the government is not concen'
trated under one department. in consonana
OT
ton and common sense. The present arranss-
r,ent is bad from every point Of view. NIsSy
70 mention It is TO prove that it should be ter
minated at once. As 1 have repeatedly recon- F
r,ended all the forest work OF the governTnen
should be concentrated IN the Department g
Agriculture. where the larger part OF that WofA
is already done. where practically all OF ths
trained foresters of the government are en-
pIoyed. where chiefly in Washington there y
comprehensive first hand knowledge OF the PROV
lens of the reserves acquired on the grouhI'
where all problems relating to growth from tA'
soil are already gathered. and where ali us
sciences auxiliary to forestry are at hand io'
,rornpt and effective cooperation These rea'
sons are decisive IN themselves. but u sAou-I
he added that the great organizations OF citizens
whose interests are affected by the forest re-
serves such as the National Live Stock AssoclA-
zion the National Wool Growers Assocl2NOA'
the American Mining Congress, the Nation1
Irrigation Congress and the National board "
Trade have uniformly. emphatlcaliy' anu mus
of them repeatedly, expressed themselves
favor OF placing all government forest WORK !"
e. Oapartment OF Agriculture because OF 10
a.rI,ar admiration OF that department for J.
:. 10 true also, that the forest services Of nearly
III the great nations Of the world are under ms
rasnecttye departments Of agriculture, while N
but two Of the smaller nations and in one CO..