Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-07-19
SER VICE
HEADQUARTERS IN
THE FIELD
Plan to Expedite and Make
More Effective Work of Ad-
miniStering National Re-
serves,

In order to expedite and render
more effective and economical the
work of administering the National
Forests field headquarters are to be
esta hlished by the Forest service in
tho West. and the clerical force need
ed to complete the organization will
be mainly drawn from the force now
employed in tho Washington office.
The change will take place no later
than January |, 1902, and viii proba
bly, begin by october l of the pres
ent year.
At present the National Forests are
groupcd under six districts with head
quarters as follows: District /, Mis-
soula. Montana; District ,, Denver,
Colorado; District 3, Albuquerque
New Mexico; District 4, salt Lake
city. Utah; District 8. san Francisco.
California, and District 6. Portland.
oregon. These headquarters viii re-
main unchanged under the new plan
of administration. Each district VIII
be in charge OF am assistant forester
who will lea directly with the sup
eryisors of the forests of his district
only questions of special Importance
viii be submitted to the Washington
office for action. In this way, regu-
lar business OF the forests will be
! much expedited, while the men who
have charge of the business will be
in almost constant touch with the
users of the forests. The men to take
charge of The several districts have
not as vet been selected, but they
will be chosen from those in the reg
ular service force who ave most ex-
perience in the work of the national
forests.
The growth of business on National
Forests, resulting from the use OF
| their resources by the public, has
been steady and rapid ever since the
policy of wide use supplanted the
Motley of restricted use at the time
when the management of the National
Forests was placed under the forest
service. One OF the big problems Of
administration has been to get into
close touch with the users of the
National Forests, and this has already
peer partially solved by various ex-
Incidents, such as delegating to local
forest officers the authority to trans
act a large part of the National For
est business. In this way the public
and the service have been constantly
brought closer together. A second
step in the same direction was the
recent transfer Of headquarters for
supplies from Washington. d. c., to
ogden. Utah. A third step was the
placing of a branch of the office OF
engineering, which has charge OF
permanent improvements on the for
ests, also at ogden. which is centrally
located. The contemplated change Is
therefore, merely the completion OF a
plan which has already been partially
carried out.
Probably one-third of the clerical
force now in Washington, mainly ste
%nographers and typewritcrs, Will go
West to complete the organization
required in each field district. IT is
expected that a sufficient number of
clerks in the Washington office will
desire assignments to the field head
quarters, so tina it will not be nee
essary to send to the field those who
do not wish to go, and no new APP
pointments will be necessary. In max
ing selection for the new posts the
individual preferencfie of the clerks
will be consulted so far as the work
permits.
The change will not affect the form
of organization of the forest service
in Washington. The offices will be
retained as at present, but with a
smaller force. All Of the investiga-
tive work done by the service, except
that directly connected with the ad-
ministration of the National Forests.
will continue to be directed from
Washington.