The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-12-08

and either wash away or cover in the
valleys the rich fertile soil which ii
took tens of thousands of years for
nature to form, and it is lost forever.
and until the forests grow again it
cannot be replaced. The sand and
stones from the mountain sides are
washed loose and come rolling down 10
cover the arabic lands. and in conse-
quence throughout this part of China
many formerly rich districts are now
sandy wastes, useless for human Gull
tivation and even for pasture. The
cities have been, of course. seriously
affected, for the streams have grad
ually ceased to be navigable. There is
testimony that even within the men,
DRY of men now living there has been
a serious diminution of the rainfall of
northeastern China. The level of the
Sungari river, in northern Manchuria,
has been sensibly lowered during the
last fifty years. at least partly as the
result of the indiscriminate cutting of
the forests forming its watershed. AL
most all the rivers of northern China
have become uncomfortable and very
dangerous TO the dwellers along their
banks as direct result of the destruc-
ton of the forests. The journey from
Pekin to Jehol shows in melancholy
fashion how the soil has been washed
away from whole valleys, so that they
have been converted into deserts.
In northern China this disastrous
process has gone on so long and has
proceeded so far that no complete
remedy could be applied. There are
certain mountains in China from
which the soil is gone so utterly that
only the slow action of the ages could
again restore it, although of course
much could be done to prevent the
still farther eastward extension of the
Monaghan desert If the Chinese gov
ernment would act at once. The ac-
companying cuts from photographs
show the inconceivable desolation of
the barren mountains in which GER
tain of these rivers rise-mountains,
be it remembered, which formerly
supported dense forests of larches
and frs, now unable to produce any
wood and because of their condition
Il source of danger to the whole coun-
try. The photographs also show the
same rivers after they have passed
through the mountains, the beds hav-
ing become broad and sandy because
Of the deforestation of the mountains.
One of the photographs shows a cara
van passing through valley. For
merly. when the mountains were for
ested, it was thickly peopled by pros
porous peasants Now the floods have
, carried destruction all over the land
and the valley is stony desert. An
other photograph shows mountain
road covered with the stones and
| rocks that are brought down in the
rainy season from the mountains
which have already been deforested
by human hands. Another shows a
pebbly river bed in southern Man
churia where what was once a great
stream has dried up owing to the de-
forestation in the mountains. Only
some scrub wood is left, which will
disappear within half century. Yet
another shows the effect of one Of the
washouts, destroying an arabic noun
/ tain side. these washouts being due to
| the removal of all vegetation, yet in
/ this photograph the foreground shows
]
: in places.
What has thus happened in northern
China, what has happened in central
! Asia, in Palestine, in north Africa
in parts of the Mediterranean coun
tries of Europe, will surely happen in
! our country if we do not exercise that
; wise forethought which should be one
| Of the chief marks of any people call
ing itself civilized. Nothing should be
permitted to stand in the way of the
preservation of the forests, and it Is
criminal to permit individuals to pur
chase little gain for themselves
through the destruction of forests
when this destruction is fatal to the
well being of the whole country in the
future.
Inland Waterways.
Action should be begun forthwith
during the present session of congress
for the improvement of our inland wa
/ terways-action which will result il
giving us not only navigable bu
navigated rivers. We have spent
hundreds of millions of dollars upor
these waterways, yet the traffic OF
nearly all of them is steadily declin
| ing This condition is the direct re
suit of the absence of any compre
hensive and farseeing plan of water
way improvement. Obviously we can
not continue thus to expend the rev
enues of the government without re
turn. 1t is poor business to spen(
money for inland navigation unless W,
get it.
Inquiry into the condition of tn,
Mississippi and it's principal tributa
ries reveals very many instances of tn,
utter waste caused by the methods
which have hitherto obtained for tn,
so called Improvement of naviga
ton. A striking instance is supplied
by the Improvement" of the Ohio
which, begun in 1924. was continued
under single plan for half a century
In 1875 new plan was adopted ant
followed for quarter of a century
In 1902 still a different plan was adopt
ed and has since been pursued at
rate which only promises a navigabl
river in from twenty to hundre,
years longer.
Such shortsighted, vacillating an,
futile methods are accompanied by de
creasing water borne commerce ant
increasing traffic congestion on land
by increasing floods and by the vast