The Mena weekly star., 1908-04-09
CHARLES (. REID ON
 NATIONAL FORESTS
Investigation Has Convinced Him of the Necessity for Their Estab- lishment Was Once Op-
 posed to Them.

Congressman Cnaries Cs Neiu of the Fifth District of Arkan- sas. delivered an excellent speech before congress on March 24 re- earding the National Forests of Arkansas. He said in part: "Mr. Chairman, in the last few months, by the proclamation oi the President, there has been withdrawn from public domain in the state of Arkansas some- thing like 200, 10000 acres of land, which have been set apart as for est reserves. This, 1t will be noticed, IS area almost as great as the cont bined acreage of the two states of Rhode Island and Delaware.
 II confess that 1 have reached the conclusion that the establish ment of these reserves in my state is for the public good only after a careful examination into the whole question and in spite of preconceived ideas to the con- trary. To one who will give the question the thought 1t deserves it will be made to appear that there are overwhelming reasons why these forests should be in telligently conserved. Not only is it essential to tEe perpetuation of ar abundant supply of lumber and wood, among the chief factors of human progress, but their effect upon climatic conditions is equally as important. Beyond this IS the still more important fact that the destruction Of the forests upon the mountain slopes leaves the soil unprotected, and tLe rains, which should add to the productiveness of the earth and preserve the equal flow of the water, unrestrained by the sponae.like character of the for ests and the fallen leaves, be. comes a destructive agency by which the fertile surface soil is
 carried suddenly into the stream
 below, filling up the channel, ob-
 structipg navigation and forcing the stream from its banks to
 inundate the surrounding couatry, only to be followed by extreme scarcity of water in the earth and in the streams as the season when it is most needed advances,
 investigations by competent
 experts have resulted in disclos- ing the fact that the country consumes every year more than three times as much wood as is
 being grown in the same length of time, and the commercial
 supply, it is estimated, will be exhausted in less than thirty yeats.
 Recent reports from the For estry Service show that decisive
 action must be taken at once to
 avoid the destruction of the
 manufacturing interest which de.
 pends upon a permanent supply
 of wood. These manufactures
 embrace the makers of lumber
 and building materials, the manu-
 facture of agricultural imple-
 ments, vehicle makers, cooperage
 interests and furniture factories.
 Last year the cotton. milling in-
 dustry of the south and east and
 the different factories throug hout
 the country suffered more than a
 hundred millions, due to floods
 !raceab ble to the destruction of the
 forests. This does not include
 the value of crops and other farm
 property destroyed in the low
 lands, involving the caving of
 banks and destruction of levees.
 These are but few of the
 reasons tha: have given rise to
 the sentiment which is national
 in it's scope demanding the cre-
 ation or forest reserves in all
 parts of the country.
 "These reasons, itseems to me,
 are entirely suffic cient to overcome
 every objection to the movement,
 even though we entirely disregard
 the sad experiences of other
 nations in permitting the entire
 A f IL (