Gilpin observer., 1907-12-05

ure to protect employees from loss of
life or limb. can be effectively reached.
any more than the evils of rebates and
| stock watering can be reached without
| good laws To fail to stop these prac-
| tices by legislation means to force
| honest. men into them, because other
| wise the dishonest who surely will
| take advantage of them will have
| everything their own way. If the states
VIII correct these evils well and good:
| but the nation must stand ready to aid
| them.
Inland Waterway systems
Should BE Developed.
1.-The conservation of our national re-
| sources and their proper use constitute
| the fundamental problem which under
| lies almost every other problem of our
| national life. We must maintain for
| our civilization the adequate material
basis without which that civilization
| cannot exist. We must show foresight
| we must look ahead. AS nation we
| not only enjoy wonderful measure of
present prosperity but If this prosper
| ity is used Alright 1t is an earnest of
| future success such as no other nation
will have. The reward of foresight foi
this nation is great and easily foretold
| But there must be the look ahead.
| there must be realization of the fact
that to waste. to destroy, our natural
resources. to skin and exhaust the land
| instead of using it so as to increase its
| usefulness. will result in undermining
| in the days of our children the very
| prosperity which we ought by right to
| hand down to them amplifed and devel-
oped. For the last few years. through
several agencies. the government has
| been endeavoring to get our people to
| look ahead and to substitute a planned
| and orderly development of our re-
sources in place of haphazard striv-
| ing for immediate profit. Our great
| river systems should be developed
national water highways; the Missis-
| sippi. with it's tributaries. standing first
| in Importance. and the Columbia sec
ond. although there are many others of
| Importance on the Pacific and Atlantic
| and the gulf slopes. The national gov
ernment should undertake this work,
| and I hope a beginning will be made
| in the present congress: and the great
| est of all our rivers. the Mississippi,
! should receive especial attention. From
| the Great Lakes to the mouth of the
| Mississippi there should be a deep
terway, with deep waterways leading
| from it to the east and the west. Such
| a waterway would practically mean
| the extension of our coast line into the
| very heart of our country. 1t would be
| of incalculable benefit to our people. If
| begun at once 1t can be carried through
in time appreciably to relieve the con-
| geStion of our great freight-carrying
lines of railroads. The work should be
| Systematically and continuously carried
| forward in accordance with some we'll
conceived plan. The main streams
should be improved to the highest
| point of efficiency before the improve
ment of the branches is attempted; and
| the work should be kept free from
| every taint of recklessness or jobbery."
Attention is called to the work of ir
| rigation and reclamation of govern
| ment lands. In the same connection he
asks for revision of the public land
laws along the lines proposed by the
| public lands commission. Believes the
| government should increase its efforts
to conserve our forests and should in
| crease by purchase the existing forest
preserves. on the subject of the natural
| resources of the nation he says:
In the eastern United States the
| mineral fuels have already passed into
the hands of large private owners, and
those of the west are rapidly following.
| 1t is obvious that these fuels should be
| conserved and not wasted and 1t would
be well to protect the people against
unjust and extortionate prices. so far
| as that can still be done What has
been accomplished in the great oil
fields of the Indian Territory by the
| action of the administration offers
| striking example of the good results
of such a policy. In my judgment the
government should have the right to
| keep the fee of the coal, oil and gas
| fields in its own possession and to lease
| the rights to develop them under
| proper regulations; or else. If the con-
gress will not adopt this method. the
coal deposits should be sold under linn
| itations, to conserve them as public
utilities. the right to mine coal being
| separated from the title to the soil.
| The regulations should permit coal
lands to be worked in sufficient guam
| tity by the several corporations. The
| present limitations have been absurd
| excessive. and serve no useful purpose,
| and often render IL necessary that
there should be either fraud or else
abandonment of the work OF getting
out the coal"
Progress of the Work
On the Panama Canal.
Work on the Panama canal is pro-
ceeding in a highly satisfactory man.
| ner. In March the total excavation in
the Culebra Cut where effort was
| chiefly concentrated. was Sl5,270 cubic
| yards. In April this was increased to
| S79. 527 cubic yards. There was n con-
siderable decrease in the output for
May and June owing partly to the ad-
vent of the rainy season and partly to
temporary trouble with the steam
shovel men over the question OF wages.
This trouble was settled satisfactorily
| to all parties and in July the total ex-
cavation advanced materially and in
August the grand total from all points
| in the canal prism by steam shovels
and dredges exceeded all previous
United States records, reaching 1874
4o4 cubic yards. In September this rec
ora was eclipsed and n total of l,5l7.-
412 cubic yards was removed. or this
amount 1.4S1. 307 cubic yards were from
the canal prism and 36.105 cubic yards
were from accessory works. These re-
suits were achieved in the rainy sea-
son with rainfall in August of 11.S9
inches and in September of 11.65 inches
Finally. in October. the record was
again eclipsed, the total excavation be-
ing 1.s6s.729 cubic yards: a truly ex-
traordinary record. especially in view
OF the heavy rainfall. which was III
inches. In fact. experience during the
last two rainy seasons demonstrates
that the rains are less serious OBJ
stacle to progress than has hitherto
|