Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1908-09-07
TAKES STOCK OF RESOURCES
Uncle Sam Ascertaining Extent Of
National Wealth.
MOVEMENT NoNPART1sAN ONE
Work of Compilation in the Hands
of Henry Gannett, Assistant
DirectOr of Cuban
Censea.
From the Chicago News.
(From a Staff Correspondent.)

WASHINGTON, Sept 6.-(SpeciaD The
first returns to the National Conservation
commission show that Uncle Sam is max
ing fine headway with his inventory of
natural resources. 1t is perhaps a bigger
job than he at first suspected, but indica-
tons are that he is going to get through 1t
in good time. Very likely it has cut short
the vacation plans of some of his best
helpers, but there has been no complaint.
His corps of investigators, statisticiaas, ex-
perts and scientists have buclIled down
closely to work all summer.
Inquiries have been going out from this
and that government office by the thou
sand. They have gone to special agents in
the field, to the government stations here
ard there to bureaus of statistics all over
the country, to county clerks, to township
assessors, to manufacturers, to lumber
dealers, to railroad and steamboat COM
panies and to farmers. The chiefs of the
government bureaus have been wanting to
know about lands-farm lands, timber
lands mineral lands; about crops and crop
production; about swamp ard overflow
lands; about irrigation; about navigation
how far the use of our inland waterways
has decreased and the reason for the de-
crease; the cost of water traffic COM
pared with railroad rates; the use Of water
power and its possibilities; about all
phases of the forests and of timber and
lumber; about how much of minerals we
have left and the probable duration of the
mineral supply and about live stock and
game and fish.
Inventory of Natural Wealth.
This is only the most hurried kind of
general sum up of the Schedule of In
quiries" of the National Conservation com
mission. Just what it really is can be
seen only by studying a copy OF this most
unusual document. the schedule, on which
Uncle Sam is basing the first inventory he
ever attempted to make of his natural
wealth. 1t can be obtained by writing a
letter to Thomas r. Shipp secretary of the
National Conservation commission, Forest
service, Washington. ID. c. The ConserYa-
ton commission also gets out Bulletins
of Progress" which show just how rapidly
the conservation movement, started at the
White House conference Of governors, is
going forward. These also may be obtained
from the secretary.
Since the governors and the great ma
/ tional organizations have shown SO great
/ an interest in the conservation of re-
sources the movement has spread all over
| the United States. New State Conserya-
| tion commissions are reported to the Ma
tional Conservation commission. at the
rate of three or four a week and large
| national organizations are rapidly COM
| ing forward with conservation commit
/ tees of their own. The conservation
! movement bureaus rapidly pushing
work on the inventory Of resources in
order that a preliminary report may be
made to the National Conservation com
mission at its meeting in Washington
/ Tuesday, December l. One week later,
Tuesday. December s, the governors of
the states and territories, or their rep
resentatives, will meet in Washington
with the commission. Already, although
the invitation has not yet been issued,
the governors OF some twelve OF fifteen
states and territories have announced
their intention 10 be present at the meet
ing. Among these are Governor Frear
of Hawaii and Governor Hoggatt OF
Alaska.
NOnpartisan Movement.
That the conservation movement is alb
solutely nonpartisan is shown in the
vigorous declarations In the platforms OF
both leading political parties in favor Of
conservation of natural resources. Mr..
Bryan, who spoke at the governors con-