The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-06-19

| 600 acres, at a cost not exceeding
$70,000000, before the close of 1911.
THE construction and improvement
of the deep waterways required to
provide better and cheaper transporta-
ton facilities is, l believe, a 100 per
cent. investment, from the fact that
two-thirds of the bulky freight could
be shipped by water routes, at cost
to the shipper of not more than one
sixth of the present rail rates. The
importance of this becomes apparent
when it is remembered that the food
question is becoming a world problem
THE state of New York is expend-
ing $10,000,000 to enlarge the Erie
canal, and $1O0,O00,O00 is the amount
required to improve the Missouri river
from point about 40 miles west of
Yellowstone Park to where it meets
the Mississippi river, 2,547 miles. Then
there is the projected waterway from
Lake Michigan to the Gulf of Mexico
and scores of others necessary to
cheap and better transportation facil-
tiles. Millions of dollars will be saved
annually to the people of the United
States by the completion of these
works.
The maintenance of the greatest
water way in the world, composed of
the Great Lakes, on which the govern
ment of the United States has expend-
ed more than $9000O,OO0 for harbors
and connecting channels, presents an
argument in favor if the scheme to de-
velop thousands of miles of territory
in the Missouri and other valleys. The
other projects outlined in the forego-
ing are of equal if not greater import
ance, and with proper backing they
can be carried out successfully.
mo one questions the statement that
good roads have high money value
to the farmers of the nation, and il
may be said that his alone is suffi-
cient to justify the cost of their con-
as rapidly as practicable un-
der an efficient, economical and eouit- |
able system of highway improvement. !
The big points in favor Of this expend- I
iture is the economy Of time and force
in transportation between farm and /!
market enabling the growers to take /
advantage of fluctuations in buying
and selling, as well as enchancing the
value Of real estate.
1T is estimated that the average
annual loss from poor roads is rs |
cents an acre. while the estimated aver
age increase resulting from improving
all the public roads is SO. The losses |
in five years would aggregate $2,432 |
for every section of land, or more than |
enough to improve two miles of pub |
lie highway. The necessity of good |
reads is obvious, as it would enchance /
The yal-e of each section of land |
about S5.760, or more than double the /
estimated cost of two miles of improv- /
ed highway, which constitutes the /
quota for $40 acres Of land.
The value of our forests was never
better appreciated than today. Within
he arid and semi-arid portions Of the
western states nearly 24,000,O00 acres
are covered with woodland, OF value
'or fuel, fence posts and other pur-
poses essential to the success of the
'armers. There are also $4,000 900
acres covered with heavy forests hay
ng commercial value for timber and
ogs for saw mills, also hundreds of
thousands of acres of timber lands in
Jther parts of the United States. Re
orestation and conservation of the
1ast resources are necessary to pro-
'ide future generations with timber
md lumber supplies. The government
S eXpendiug large amounts of money
very year to protect it's forests from
Tres, yet expert lumbermen say that
more standing timber is destroyed by
lanes annually than is converted into
aerchantable lumber by saw mills"
Mr.. Hooker said it is likely that his
esolution will be presented to the
arious interests of the irrigatiin con-
ress for discussion and will afterward
e Incorporated in a memorial to the
limited States congress. 1t is also
urposed to have a large delegation,
omposed of representatives of every
tate and territory in the Union, push
he measure for adoption. The work
f enlisting the support of the people
lterested in the various projects will
e taken up Immediately after the
lose of the irrigation congress with
he view TO concerted action.
mn