The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1908-11-27
SECOND conf RiNCi OF GOVERNORS N
WASHINGTON.

rial it has brought together the Ma
tional Conservation Commission has
inst announced its first full meeting
for Tuesday, December l., in Wash
ington. At that meeting the first
steps will be taken toward putting
into tangible shape the result of the
six months hard work on taking
stock Of the country's waters, forests,
lands, and minerals.
One week later, after the Commits
sion has gone over the inventory, it
will hold a joint meeting in Wash
ington with the Governors of the
States and Territories, or their rep
resentatives. AT this meeting the
inventory will be further discussed
and the report which theI President
has requested the Commission to
make to him by January |, will be
formulated.
With less than six months in which
to make the inventory, the four
branches into which the Commission
is divided, aided by the cooperation
Of the Government departments,
have brought together what is prob
ably the most useful collection Of
facts about the material things on
which national industry and progress
are based that has ever been assem-
bled at one time. Reports present
ing these facts and pointing out
their significance have been pre-
pared. These reports summarized
and indexed, will be submitted to
the Commission at its coming meet
ing.
All through the summer general
interest in the work and object Of
the Conservation Commission has
been growing, The public is now
well posted on a subject on which
only a few specialists had knowl-
edge at the time of the Conference
Of Governors and experts at the
White House, in May:
The Governors carried the spirit
Of the conference home with them
to their own people, and have kept
things moving ovsr since by appoint
'.s oCaoe CORNERSTONE TO study To-
cal problems, by writing and speak
ing upon the subject Of conserva-
ton, and by keeping in close and
helpful touch with the National
Commission. They are ready to
take part in the approaching joint
meeting. The bare announcement
that it had been set for December s
resulted in a number of a~cceptances
before the formal invitations of the
Commission had ever gotten into the
mails.
When the conservation movement
was started, specific information
about the actual state OF our resour-
ces was partly wanting, partly mac,
cessible. Certain facts we're broadly
known. 1t was at leasty unquestion-
able that our resources had been
wastefully used, and that some of
them, notably the mines, we're sure
in time to be completely exhausted,
while others, for example,the forests,
could be kept p~erpetually useful by
management. The first work
was to get the facts, to show exactly
what the situation was and how it
could be improved by measures that
work. Without an inventory
If the resources which would show
he present condition Of the resour-
,es and the way to develop them to
he best advantage, conservation
vas in danger Of staying up in the
.ir.
But the work is now practically
lone. The facts are there, in dollars
md cents, tons Of coal, board feet of
timber, acre feet and horse, power of
water, acres of land. And the pos
ible reform measures have been
Weighed. The final report to the
will be the necessary sup
element to the addressed at the
White House Conference. The note
{ these addresses was a note of warn
ng. The report is expected to show
hat the warning must be needed if
he exhaustion Of natural resources
) not, one day, to impoverish the I
ann it will also undoubtedly !
ring out how the country's resour- ,
can b. developed SO as to last !
le longest possible time and serve !