Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-11-20
THE NATIONS RESOURCES.

THE NATIONS RESOURCES.
 Second Conference of Governors in Washington to Consider Subject. Washington, Nov 19.-The much
 talked-of inventory of the nation s
 resources is now practically complet- | ed. To consider the material 1t has 1 brought together the National Con- servation commission has just an- nounced its first full meeting for | Tuesday, December 1, in Washington. At that meeting the first steps will be taken toward putting into tang | ible shape the results of the six | months hard work on taking stock of the country's waters, forests, lands and minerals.
 One week later, after the commits sion has gone over the inventory, it will hold joint meeting in Wash l ington with the governors of the states and territories, or their repre- | sentatives. At this meeting the in ventory will be further discussed and the report which the president has requested the commission to make to him by January |, will be formu- l lated
 With less than six months in which
 to make the inventory, the four branches into which the commission is divided, aided by the cooperation of the government departments,
 have brought together what is prob- ably the most useful collection of facts about the material things on which national industry and progress are based that has ever been as- sembled at one time. Reports pre- senting these facts and pointing out their significance have been prepar- ed These reports, summarized and indexed, will be submitted to the commission at it's meetinng.
 All through the summer general interest in the work and object of the Conservation commission has been
 growing. The public is now well
 posted on subject of which only a few specialists had knowledge at the time of the conference of gov ernors and experts at the white house in May
 | of the conference home with them to their own people, and have kept Ithingg moving ever since by appoint ing state commissioners to study To- cal problems, by writing and speak | ing upon the subject of conservation, and by keeping in close and help | full touch with the national com mission. They are ready to take
 part in the approaching joint meet ing. The bare announcement that resulted in a numberffiff fdffi ffififh
 it had been set for December 8
 resulted in number of acceptances
 before the formal invitation of the
 commission had even got into the mails.
 When the conservation movement
 was started, specific information
 about the actual state of our re-
 sources was partly wanting partly in-
 accessible. Certain facts were broadly
 known. It was at least unquestion-
 able that our resources had been
 wastefully used, and that some Of
 them, notably the mines, were sure
 in time to be completely exhausted,
 while others, for example the forests,
 would still be kept perpetually use
 ful by right management. The first
 work was to get the facts, to show
 exactly what the, situation was and
 how it could be improved by meas
 ures that would work. Without an
 inventory of the resources which
 would show the present condition Of
 the resources and the way to develop
 them to the best advantage, conser-
 yation was in danger of staying up in
 the air.
 But the work is now practically
 done. The facts are there, in dollars
 and cents, tons of coal, board feet of
 timber, acre-feet and horsepower of
 water, acres of land. And the possible
 reform measures have been weighed.
 The final report to the president will
 be the necessary supplement to the
 addresses at the white house con
 ference. The note of these addresses
 was a note of warning. The report
 is expected to show that the warn
 ing must be needed If the exhaustion of natural resources is not. one day,
 to impoverish the nation, and 1t will
 also undoubtedly bring out how the countrys resources can be developed so as to list the longest possible time
 and serve the greatest good of the
 people.