Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-24
Fourteen Reserves Included in
The Operations for the
Past Year.
ESTIMATES MADE FOR 1909.
Plans for Constructive Operations Em-
brace siany Improvements i'll the
designated Areas.
81 {
Z tspscia; 10 The aNe,vs. =

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Washington, Dec 24-Utah has q
| natural Interest in that part of the re-
port of the SECRETARY OF agriculture
which Isl devoted to permanent Inn
provernents on tho governments ma
tional forests. Such work as the con-
struction Of miles of road and trail,
telephone lines drift and pasture fences,
ranger houses and barns, has opened
up and Improved many square miles of
territory in the td national forests In
the state. and for these and similar
purposes sst ,542.6B was spent during
the last fiscal year
One hundred seven and one fourth
miles of trail ard "a VI miles OF road We're
built 265,s miles OF telephone were
strung, and the forest ranges were
Improved by the construction OF lie
miles of drift fence and II miles of pas
ture fence. During! the year "a houses,
to be used for ranger quarters, and four
barns, for rangers horses. We're built,
SIX bridges Were constructed, 27 water
ing places on the range were improved,
and various miscellaneous improve
inents made. Many additional improve
r.
tho permanent Improvement work on
all the national forests, the secretary
of agriculture has the following to
say in his annual report:
PERMANENT IMPROVEMENT.
THE agricultural appropriation act
of 1908 included an item OF 100000,
which was made available for pernla-
S1lent improveine work on the nations
al forests The object OF this work is
ITO help open up the forests to more
use and provide means for their better.
and more economical protection
through the supply of means of COM
munication and Interpretations, we'll
located field quarters, fire lines, fences
to assist in the handling of stock, and
watering places. These improvements
arc essentially investments of capital
which add greatly to the value and
usefulness OF the forests.
The work completed during the year
Included 3,400 miles of trails, $500 miles
of telephone line, 100 miles OF wagon
road, 40. miles Of fire line, $50 bridges.
$50 cabins ana barns aatnd 600 miles OF
pasture and drift fences. In addition
to the sum provided by the special
improvement fund, over 100000 from
tho general fund of the service was
turned from current expenses to defray
the cost OF this WORK. but much OF the
work planned and urgently needed
could not be carried out because there
was nothing with which to pay for it.
CONSTRUCTIVE PLANS.
Detailed estimates covering a total
of $2,o00,oo0 for permanent improve
2ments, which it was desired to COM
plete in 1909. were submitted to the
Congress. They showed for the entire
amount exactly what it was proposed
2 to undertake on each national forest,
and at what cost The amount provid-
ed by the appropriation was Se0O,00O
For 1910 estimates will again be sum
mitted for permanent improvements,
the cost OF which aggregate S974,9s1,
These estimates are the result of spe-
}cific and fully itemized plans, which are
on file in the forest service. They are
4 in no sense a request for q lump sum,
the spending of which remains to be
planned in detail after appropriation is
made. 1t is OF urgent Importance that
this work should be provided for.
Though the construction Of perma-
nent improvements entails the need of
provision for their maintenance, the
added efficiency Of the forests as eco
nomic resources secured through these
improvements richly repays the cost
With the national forests as with any
other resources, their returns depend
on the extent to which development
takes place through judicfous OUTLAWS of
capital. If the land is not to remain
wilderness it must be made service
able to the needs OF civilized man by
constructive expenditures, e.