The Bourbon news., 1904-12-09

! problems have been solved and Ii now
remains to execute with care, economy
and thoroughness the work which has
been laid out. All important details are
being carefully considered by boards of
| consulting engineers, selected for their
| thorough knowledge and practical ex-
| perience. Each project is taken up on
| the ground by competent men and viewed
| from the standpoint of the creation of
| prosperous homes, and of promptly re-
funding to the treasury the cost of con-
struction The reclamation act has been
found to be remarkably complete and eff
| fective and so broad In it's provisions
that wide range of undertakings has
been possible under 1t. At the same
time. economy is guaranteed by the fact
| that the funds must ultimately be re-
turned to be used over again.
Forests.
| 1t is the cardinal principle Of the forest
reserve policy of this administration that
| the reserves are for use. Whatever. in
| terferes with the use of their resources
! is to be avoided by every possible means.
But these resources must be used m such
way as to make them permanent.
The forest policy of the government is
| just now subject of vivid public inter
! est throughout the west and to the peo-
| pie of the United States in general. The
| forest reserves themselves are of eX-
treme value to the present as well as to
| lAO AuluAC- WcAldIG VI al luc W6SLeTn
| 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-
| der the reclamation act. Indeed, they are
essential to the welfare of every one of
the great interests of the west
! Although the wisdom of creating for
est reserves is nearly everywhere heart
| lily recognized, yet in a few localities
there has been misunderstanding and
complaint. The following statement is
| therefore desirable:
The forest-reserve policy can be sue
cessful only when it has the full support
OF the people of the west. 1t cannot
safely. and should not in any case, be
imposed upon them against their will.
But neither can we accept the views of
those whose only interest in the forest is
temporary; who are anxious to reap what
they have not sown and then move away,
| leaving desolation behind them. On the
contrary, 1t is everywhere and always
the interest of the permanent settler and
the permanent business man. the man
with stake in the country, which must
be considered and which must decide.
have repeatedly called attention to
| the confusion which exists in govern
ment forest matters because the work is
| scattered among three independent or
| ganizarions. The United States Is the
only one of the great nations in which
the forest work of the government Is not
concentrated under one department, in
conSonance with the plaineSt dictates of
good administration and common sense.
The present arrangement is bad from
every point of view. Merely to mention
| it is to prove that it should be terminal
| ed at once. AS have repeatedly recon-
mended, all the forest work of the gov
| ernment should be concentrated in the
| department of agriculture, where the
larger part of that work is already done,
| where practically all of the trained for
| esters of the government are employed,
I where chiefly in Washington there is
| comprehensive first-hand knowledge of
the problems of the reserves acquired
on the ground, where all problems relat-
| ing to growth from the soil are already
| gathered, and where all the sciences
| auxiliary to forestry are at hand for
prompt and effective cooperation.
The Postal Service.
| In the post office department the service
| has increased in efficiency, and conditions
| as to revenue and expenditure continue sat
| lsfactory. The increase of revenue during,
the year was s9.35S, ,1S1.10, or SO per cent,
| the total receipts amounting to $143, ,3S2,-
62434. The expenditures were $152 1862, ,116 TO-
an increase of about nine per cent over the
previous year. being thus IS, ,979, ,492. 36 in ex-
| cess of the current revenue. Included in
these expenditures was a total appropria-
ton of S12,956, ,6S7 30 for the continuation and
extension of the rural free delivery service,
which was an increase Of 81 1902, ,237. So over
| the amount expended for this purpose in
| the preceding fiscal year. Large as this
expenditure has been, the beneficent results
| attained in extending the free distribution
| of mails to the residents of rural districts
| have justified the wisdom of the outlay
Statistics brought down to the 1st of Octo-
| ber 1904, show that on that date there were
! 27,138 rural routes established, serving ap-
proximately 12,000009 of people in rural dis
/ tricts remote from post offices, and that
there were pending at that time 1859 petit
| tions for the establishment of new rural
routes. Unquestionably some part Of the
general increase in receipts is due to the
| increased postal facilities which the rural
service has afforded. The revenues have
also been aided greatly by amendments in
] the classification of mail matter, and the
curtailment of abuses of the second-class
mailing privilege. The average increase In
| the volume of mail matter for the period
! beginning with 1902 and ending June, 1905
| (that portion for 1905 being estimated), is
| 4O.4 per cent, as compared with 25. As per
cent. for the period Immediately prsced-
| ing, and 1892 for the four-year period inn
mediately preceding that.
National Quarantine Law.
| 1t is desirable to enact proper national
i quarantine law. 1t is most undesirable
that state should on it's own initiative
enforce quarantine regulations which are
/ in effect restriction upon interstate and
, international commerce. The question
should properly be assumed by the govern
ment alone. The surgeon general of the
national public health and marine hospital
service has repeatedly and convincingly
set forth the need for such legislation.
Currency.
The attention of the congress should be
especially given to the currency question,
and that the standing committees on the
matter in the two houses charged with the
! duty, take up the matter Of our currency
and see whether it is not possible to secure
an agreement in the business world for
bettering the system; the committees
should consider the question of the retire
ment of the greenbacks and the problem
of securing in our currency such elasticity
as is consistent with safety. Every silver
dollar should be made by law redeemable
in gold at the option Of the holder.
Merchant Marine.
I especially commend to your immediate
attention the encouragement OF our mer-
chant marine by appropriate legislation.