East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-07-19

the Past Year.
Within the last two years the area
set aside for forest reserve purposes
has increased from less than 50,0OO,-
600 to more than 100,O00,000 acres.
Such a change caused great conster-
nation among those who were not IA
miliar with the objects to be attain
ed by forest reserves. All the enemies
of the national forest policy made
ammunition of it. and many of its
more timid friends began to fear that
the movement was going too far Most
of the arguments of doubters, how
ever could easily be refuted.
There were two objections that
could not be disposed of so readily
first. that this vast area, as large as
AN the New England and middle
states with Maryland and Virginia
thrown in, took away from opportu-
nifty for agricultural settle and home
building many tracts of land scatter
ed here and there along creeks and
valleys within the forest reserves. The
forester felt the propriety of this criti-
cism keenly and studied carefully the
boundaries of each reserve to elimi-
nate as much agricultural land as
possible. Finding that many small
tracts remained, he submitted to the
secretary of agriculture the "Agricul-
tural Settlement Bill" which the lat
ter recommended to congress and
which finally received the presidents
signature June II. 1906.
Farming Land Excluded.
Although under this law all land
actually unstable for nome building
will be brought within the reach of
the people. there was another strong
objection to the reserves, namely, that
many counties in which reserves lie
have much, in some instances more
than half, of their area withdrawn
from the possibility of private owner
ship and taxation.
The forest service was not unmind-
full of the unfairness of this condition
and submitted a bill to grant 10 per
cent of the total receipts from forest
reserves to the counties in which they
are situated. This proposed law was
finally Incorporated in the forest re-
serve provisions of the agricultural
appropriation act of June 80. 1906.
The clause read as follows:
Ten Per Cent for Schools and Roads.
THAT 10 per centum of all money
received from each forest reserve dur
ing any fiscal year, including the year
ending June 80, 1906. shall be paid at
the end thereof, by the secretary OF
the treasury to the state or territory
in which, said reserve is situated, to
be expended as the state or territorial
| Legislature may prescribe for the ben
eft of the public schools and publis
roads of the county or counties IN
which the forest reserve is situated
Provided, That when any forest re.
serve Is In more than one state oil
territory or county the distributiv,
share to each from the proceeds o.
said reserve shall be proportional t.
its area therein: And provided fur
ther, That there shall not be paid t,
an amount equal to more than 40 pc
centum of the total income of sucl
county from all other sources"
Proceeds for Past Year.
! The proceeds from forest reserve
, In the fiscal year ended June 80, 1901
: were s5S,436.19. During the mex
: fiscal year the receipts were s73,276.
E Is. The transfer of the forest re
serves to the forest service was mad
\ February l, of that year, and durin
TIE five months remaining the fore:
e service was busy reorgahizing tn
= plans fer forest reserve administra
I tion. The result is notable. Durin
t tho year ended June 80 last the r,
ceipts were s767,219.96, which wa
e more than a tenfold incraese over II
r previous year.
f. The full measure Of the importanc
Il of this 10 per cent provision can nc
y however, be taken from the figur
II of this year. The receipts from Il
y reserves will probably Increase wit
l. great strides for years to come, al
the contribution to the counties
destined to make UP richly for Il
- loss of taxation.
The 10 per cent contributed to Il
= counties is safeguarded in the act
provision that II must be spent e
tirely for the maintenance of schoc
,r and public roads. The state legisl
,s lures are allowed to direct the e
penditure. Another safeguard is tn
the contributions from forest reser
" receipts must not in any case be grea
is er than 40 per cent of the taxes I
n. ceived from other sources.
no The governors of all the states a
territories in which forest reserves a
situated have been informed by lett
concerning the amount which "
come to each state at the present til
from the forest reserve proceeds
the last fiscal year.
Table of Receipts.
Following is the amount recei'
. during the past year:
State. 10 per &C
~ ARIZONA 1876
Z California s,192
! Colorado 1854
Z idaho 6,43t
, Kansas 10s
I Montana ........... 5,ss!
x Nevada "a
4 Nebraska .t...'..... fs'
Z New Mexico ............. 4,69t