The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1906-03-09

A large proportion Of these lands
have been in the heavily tinbered belt
of the far northwest and is oGthe
class Of timber described by the sec
rotary Of the interior in his report
for the fiscal year ended June 80
1903, in which he says:
The timber and stone act will If
not repealed or radically amended, re-
suit ultimately IN the complete de-
struction Of the timber on the unap-
propriated and unreserved public
lands The rapidly with which the
public tfmbered lands are being de-
nuded Of their timber-and the op-
portunity offered under the timber
and stone act for the fraudulent &C
QUESTION Of title to public umbered
lands at the uniform price Of $3.50
per acre when they are in many in
/ stances worth forty times that (S10O)
/ has been heretofore set forth in the
/ pages Of my annual reports and those
/ Of my predecessors
Hundred Million Dollar Waste.
But estimating the values only Of
! the 4-7O9.86O acres of timber land
/ disposed Of in the last FIVE years, and
at only SIS per acre, the government
has, in that time, parted with the title
Of land worth $117, TAG, 800 The price
received for this land has been at the
uniform rate Of $3.50 per acre, or
S11,774,65O, a loss to the government
OF over S1OO,OOO,OOO Your commit
tee endorses the recommendation Of
the president and his public lands
commission for the repeal OF this tim
] Der and stone act and the substitution
of a rational forest policy, by which
the title to the public timber lands
shall remain forever in the govern
ment the stumpage only to be dispOs-
ed Of, at its market value
Uuder such a plan as this, and IN
? der an agreement whereby. One-hal1
the proceeds could be devoted TO the
forestry service and the other half 70
tn irrigation fund, two policies OF
great internal Improvement and i'm
portance could be generously main
/ tanned, while at the same time the
forestry question would be to a great
extent solved, public forest lands De-
. ing numbered in such a manner as tC
= preserve the young growth and leave
, the forest as a perpetual source OF IN
; come to the nation and at the saIn'
t time sonserve the water supply.
If the S1OO,OOO,OOO which have beer
lost to the government under tn
above showing, were at hand, 3, scOr'
. or more Of enormous irrigation pro
: iects could be Immediately construct
: ed. retaining from 100000 to 3,
: 100000 acres Of desert land, and en-
ormous acreas Of eastern forest re
serves created through the purchas
Of mountain timber lands east Of tn
Mississippi.
i In this connection, your commute
o is much impressed with the import
e ance of the creation Of federal fOres
= reserve to preserve the water suppl
, of eastern streams, upon the contin
' ued flow Of which depends much O
u our manufacturing activity IN
= western half Of the United States ha
over 100000, 900 acres set aside IN ma
: tionaI forest reserves, as a source
: future timber supply and for the pre-
e servation Of the flow OF streams 10
E irrigation; but the east has no sue
q an advantage whereas, the menace I
= her water supply from forest destruS
/ ton is equally as great. Large area
q in the southern Appalachian an
e White Mountain ranges should like
L wise be created into forest reserves.