The San Francisco call., 1908-12-10
Would Conserve Resources
and Develop Waterways
PROTEST AGAINST
PRESENT WASTE
Senator Flint Submits Report
Showing How Resources
Are Squandered

WASHINGTON, Dec. g. Governor
John A Johnson OF Minnesota in an
address today before the joint confer
ence Of the national conservation COM
mission and the governors of different
states brought an enthusiastic message
Of accord from the great middle west
in the schemes OF conservation and de-
clared that the paramount problem Of
the hour was the development of in
land waterways.
Much of the time at todays session
Of the commission was devoted TO re-
ports on water, forest, land and mineral
resources, these being in the form OF
an inventory of resources, work
in which the commission has been Wig
orously engaged since the White House
conference last March.
The report of the commission was
presented by former Governor Blan-
the appointment of a permanent con-
servation commission Our national
efficiency, he said, depended upon the
national resources. and private owner
ship OF them should be regarded as a
public trust. The responsibility for the
preservation of the forests. he pointed
out. rested upon the cooperation Of the
state and nation.
Senator Newlands of Nevada spoke of
the Importance of the conservation
commissions work and the need for its
permanency, with suitable appropria-
tions, and upon his motion, seconded
by Senator Smoot of Utah, a committee
will be appointed TO present the ques-
tion TO congress.
POINTS OUT GREAT WASTE
Senator Flint of California presented
the report of the mineral section of the
IN ba
Flint made an address In explanation
He predicted the supplies of high grade
iron ores would be consumed by the
middle of the present century; high
grade available coal by the middle Of
the present century; copper, lead. zinc
and precious metals by the end of the
present century, and phosphate rock, so
essential TO soil fertility, within %
years at the present rate of use and
waste. He decried wastes of natural
resources, charged that enough natural
gas to light all the cities OF the United
States of more than 1000 people is es-
Gaping into the atmosphere, and that
approximately $1,000 900 a day was be-
ing wasted In coal mining and other
mineral products.
The chief waste in oil supplies, the
senator said, was in the extensive use
for fuel as for locomotives. for which
purpose coal might be substituted, leav-
ing the principal use for petroleum in
isolated districts where there are no
available substitutes.
FIRE LOSSES ARE HEAVY
The mineral production of the United
States, according to the report, exceeds
81. .000, 900, 600 in value every year and
supplies 65 per cent Of the freight
traffic Of the country. The waste in the
mining and treatment of mineral sub
stances during a year is equivalent to
more than $300.00O,000.
The greatest source Of waste Of
structural materials and of money
values, the report says, is that due to
fires and is one which can be most
readily reduced by the substitution of
fire resisting building materials for the
inflamma BILE construction now so prev
alent The fire losses amounted to
over s456,4S5.90O in 1907. or about so
per cent OF the total value of the new
building construction in that year.
At a reasonable estimate, according
to the report, three-fourths of the fire
losses. or a total of s234,192,956 a year,
may be reasonably looked for as a
saving at such time as building con-
struction In the United States shall be-
come as good or better than that now
found IN Euronean countries