Amador ledger., 1907-02-08

| IL Is likely lHaC another etfOr
will he made at this session t.
secure possession by the government
of the Calaveras Big Tree Grove.
that the giant sequoias may be pre-
served. 1t is we'll known that speake,
Cannon will not permit the passage
of bill appropriatipg money for the
purchase of the necessary land, for
the reason that, in his opinion, il
would set a precedent whereby the
government might be held up by
speculators who would be on the
watch to secure tracts that it might
be desirable at some time to make
public property. A bill drawn Oh
other lines has been prepared in the
bureau of forestry and will be sub
mitld to the senate by senator
Perkins, providing for securing
possession of the groves in one of
three ways; first. by giving other
timber land in exchange; second, by
giving stumpage in the forest reserves
eqCal to the stumpage value of the
growth on the tract where the groves
are situated; third, by accepting
money contributed by private in
dividuals, aud the state OF California,
the government contributing one
third of the cost from sales OF lumber
from the forest reserves. BY the bill
the groves are placed in charge of the
the only department that has funds
that can properly be devoted to its
care. If the groves can be secured
under either of these plans, the trees
will be under proper guardianship
and will be cared for scientifically.
The bureau of forestry has made a
close estimate of the value of the
trees for lumber purposes, and finds
that not exceeding S211, 900 could be
secured from their destruction and
sale as lumber. In consequence the
owner need not expect to get larger
price, for it will not be granted. Ii
the bill Is passed the bureau OF
forestry will at once take hold of the
matter vigorously aud endeavor to
arrive at some agreement with MI
Whiteside Ii he should decline to
dispose of the tract on the terms pro-
posed, there is no danger that the
trees will be destroyed, unless
wartonly, for the bureau of forestry
states that from their location they
are not now available for lum ber and
will not be for very many years tC
come.
Early IN the present session CON
gresham Mann of illinois, chairman
OF the committee op interstate and
foreign commerce, introduced bill
increasing the limit of cost of five
light t-house tenders previously author
lied. The original bill provided fo1
the construction of two tenders for
the Pacific coast, one for each light
house district The Mann bill in
|
OF 500, 900 in the case of each vessel,
making the total cost of each S215, 00C
instead of $3.50, 600. The bill was
passed in the house, and when 1t
came to the senate committee on con, :
merce it was given to senator Perkins
to consider aud report. Last week
/ hn q
favorably, and, it will undoubtedly
pass. 1t is therefore practically
certain that two new lighthouse
| tenders will be built on the Pacific
coast, and it is up to the shipbuildeIs
OF San Francisco and the navy yard
at Mare Island whether they Will be
as the location will be determined by
the bids received. Bids were called
for under the old limit for the con-
struction of one tender, and letters
we're sent to all the shipbuilders in
San Francisco, but not one of them
put in bid, and some replied that
they did not wish to bid at all. Only
one bid was received from Seattle.
In few months bids will be called
for in the case of the two tenders,
and it remains to be seen which will
take more interest in the matter. the
San Francisco builders or the Seattle
builders, and whether Seattle and