The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-12-06

At the same time economy is guaranteed
by the fact that the funds must ulti-
mately be returned to be used over
again.
FORESTRY AND RESERVES
Value Of Forestry to the Western Pub
lie Land States.
It is the cardinal principle Of the
forest reserve policy of this admins
tration that the reserves are for use.
Whatever interferes with the use of
their resources is to be avoided by every
possible means. But these resources
must be used in such way as to make
them permanent.
The forest policy Of the government
is just now a subject Of vivid public
people Of the United States in general.
The forest reserves themselves are of
extreme value to the present as well as
to the future welfare of all the western
public land states. They powerfully af
feet the use and disposal of the public
lands. They are of special Importance
because they preserve the water supply
and the supply of timber for domestic
purposes, and SO promote settlement un-
uOl JIG IcC1duldC1Ou dCU. 1uuScu, Guty
are essential to the welfare of every
one Of the great interests Of the west.
Forest reserves are created for two
principal purposes. The tirst is to pre-
serve the water supply. This is their
most important use. The principal
users of the water thus preserved are
irrigation ranchers and settlers, cities
and towns to whom their municipal
water supplies are of the very first i'm
portance, users and furnishers OF water
power and the users of water for do
nestle, manufacturing, mining and other
purposes. All these are directly de-
pendent upon the forest reserves.
The second reason for which forest
reserves are created is to preserve the
wood users p Among the more important
Of these are settlers under the reclama-
ton act and other acts, for whom a
cheap and accessible supply of timber
for domestic uses is absolutely neces-
sary; miners and prospectors, who are
in serious danger Of losing their timber
companies when timber lands adjacent
to their mines pass into private owner
ship; lumbermen, transportation com
panies, builders and commercial inter
ests in general.
Much misunderstanding.
Altho the wisdom of creating forest
reserves is nearly everywhere hearth,
recognized, yet in few localities there
has been misunderstanding and com
plant. The following statement il
therefore desirable
The forest reserve policy can be sue
cessful only when it has the full supper
of the people Of the west. It can no
safely, and should not in any case, b.
imposed upon them against their will
But neither can we accept the views O.
those whose only interest in the fores
is temporary; who are anxious to real
what they have not sown and then NOV
away, leaving desolation behind them
On the contrary, it is everywhere AM
always the interest of the permanen
the man with a stake in the country
which must be considered and whici
must decide.
The making of forest reserves With
railroad and wagonroad Immigrant lin
it's will hereafter, as for the past tire
years, be so managed as to prevent tn
issue, under the act of June 4, 1897, o
base for exchange or lieu selection
Casually called scrip. In all case
where forest reserves within areas COY
=, cred by land grants appear to be esse1
/
Tor, other, the government, lands with
such proposed forest reserves will, a
in the recent past, be withdrawn fro1
sale or entry pending the completion q
such negotiations with the owners O
the land grants as will prevent the cres
ton of so-called scrip.
} 1t was formerly the custom to max
} forest reserves without first gettin
definite and detailed information as t
/, tho hor of 1or1 orI Tim
in their boundaries. This method Q
| action often resulted in badly chose
boundaries and consequent injustice t
. settlers and others. Therefore this ai
ministration adopted the present metl
. cd Of first withdrawing the land frol
disposal, followed by careful examine
. toin on the ground and the preparatio
Of detailed maps and descriptions, b.
fore any forest reserve is created.
.sToo Many Cooks.''
[ have repeatedly called attention t
the confusion which exists in govern
ment forest matters because the wor
is scattered among three independer
organizations. The United States is tn
only one Of the great nations in whic
3 the forest work Of the government
: not concentrated under one department
l in consequence with the plainest dictate
8 of good administration and .commo
Q sense. The present arrangement is ba
: from every point of view. Merely
+ mention it is to prove that it shoul
4 be terminated at once.
s AS have repeatedly recommends
: all the forest work Of the governme1
b should be concentrated in the depar
( ment Of agriculture, where the large
d part Of that work is already don
where practically all of the trained TO
esters Of the government are employee
:. where chiefly in Washington there
p comprehensive frst-hand knowledge {
q the problems Of the reserves acquire
9 on the ground, where all problems L
q lating to growth from the soil are a
0 ready gathered, and where all tt
8 sciences auxiliary to forestry are
hand for: promHs and effective G
= operation.
I These reasons are decisive in the1
- selves, but it should be added that tt
u great organizations Of scitizens who
: interests are affected by the forest +
;, serves, such as the National Live Stot
. association, the National Wool Gro,
. ers' association, the American Mini1
congress, the National Irrigation co
gress, and the National Board of Trad
have uniformly, emphatically and mo
Of them repeatedly expressed ther
g selves in favor of placing all Cover
ment forest work in the department
IL