Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-07-16
COMMISSION Is BUSY
Actual Work on Conse wilton
of Natural Resources
Begun
INVENTORY is BEING MADE
Department Heads Co operating in the
Movement-Great Amount of Mater
ial Already Available for Report
Now Being compied-PubIicity
Plans Adopted.

Especial Washington Correspondence
| Washington, July 16.-Actual work
on the first inventory of the natural
/ resources of the United States has be-
1 gun. Under the direction of the Ma
tional Conservation Commission 1t
will be carried on vigorously turnout
t the summer. This is necessary in or
der to enable the commission to make
the report which President Roosevelt
has requested of it for January first
next.
A meeting of the chiefs of bureaus
of the executive department has been
held, and the heads of the various di-
visions concerned with the countrys
natural resources have offered their
| hearty cooperation in the great task
which the commission has undertake
| en- So now. within only a few days
over a month from the date the Ma
tional Conservative Commission was
named by the president, active work is
|
eminent which can furnish material
availa BILE for the commissions report
/ A great amount of this material is
already available in the government
departments; other important parts of
it. however, will be collected thru spe-
cial channels. Among these will be
| the state conservation commissions,
| which the governors are appointing,
and some of the great national organ
izations which were represented at
the White House conference and which
have entered with spirit into the
general conservation movement. In
other words. the machinery for making
the first inventory ever attempted OF
the resources of the nation has been
| set in motion and is running smooth
lily
| Clifford Pinchot, chairman Of the
commission, has changed his plans and
will shortly return to Washington to
continue personal supervision of the
work BY early fall the commission
expects to have in hand sufficient ma
terial to begin the study of the stock
middle of October 1t hopes to have the
STedC pdll VI ILLS IIldlSLIdi III udAds
This will be necessary in order that
the full commission, which holds is
first meeting Tuesday, December 1, in
Washington. may at once take up the
study of the facts which the sum
mer's work has brought together One
week later the commission will hold
joint meeting in Washington with the
governors of the states, or their rep
resentatives, with a view of securing
further and closer cooperation with
the various state commissions.
The commission has devised a new
and interesting method by which to
collect this material. A schedule of in
quiries embracing the whole subject Of
Observation-Disclosures forests, lands,
and minerals-has been arranged and
sent to each bureau chief with a re-
quest for suggestions and criticisms.
This has resulted in obtaining the ex-
pert advice of the men at the head of
the different bureaus who will have
immediate charge of the collection of
the mAAsrial. President Roosevelt, who
is keeping in very close touch with
the commission, has approved this
method and has written to each chief
of bureau a letter commencing the en-
thusiastic cooperation shown by the
bureau chiefs and emphasizing his be-
lief in the great Importance of the
work the national conservation COM
mission has in hand.
Among the government bureaus
which will furnish a large part of the
important information the commission
is seeking are the bureau of corpora
tions of the department of commerce
and labor, under Commissioner Her
bert Knox Smith; the bureau of the
census under Director North; the for
est service, under the direct super
vision of the chairman of the commits
sion, and Overton w. Price. secretary
of the forest section of the commits
sion; the reclamation service, under
Director Newell; the geological survey,
under Director Smith; the corps Of en-
gineers Of the army, under it's new
chief, General William L. Marshall,
and almost every bureau under the
department of agriculture.
Cooperation among all the agencies
now engaged in this inventory taking
is conspicuous feature. Taking the
membership of the national commits
sion and the several memberships Of
the state commissions together, the
number of persons engaged and in
terested in the work is very large. One
of the most important requirements is,
therefore, to make sure that every step
of the work is known to all who are
sharing in 1t, so that there may be the
utmost amount Of coordination and
concentration, no misdrected energy
and no duplication. Accordingly. bull
letins Of progress and information ara
issued to the officers Of the commits
/ sions, the state commissions and 9TH
ers, and voluminous correspondence
is kept up. In this way the work, COM
pick and scattered as it is, is effect
lively centralized and simplified.
The GrinneIl News Letter.
Special to Times-Republican.
Grinnell, July 16.-N1r. and Mrs. >R.
A. Barr were prevented from starting
on their western trip as planned, by
the sudden illness Of Mr.. Barr wha
was removed to the hospital yesterday
morning for treatment and nursing.