The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-02-20
|ROOsEvELT PLANS
|W0RLO's MEETING
ON RESOURCES
FOREIGN NATIONS HAVE URGED
MOVEMENT TO PRESERVE RICH
Es-coNFERENce WILL BE
HELD AT THE HAGUE.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20.-President
Roosevelt expects TO invite all the
civilized nations OF the world TO par
ticipate In a great conference for ing
conservation of natural resources al
The Hague next autumn. His action
ID based partly on the request OF the
delegates or Mexico and Canada, who
are attending the conservation con
ference here, but principally on MS
own initiative. The state department
will send out the invitations TO the
foreign nations at once. The FORM oi
Invitation has been drawn up by Secre'
tary of State Bacon. in consultation
with President Roosevelt and GiHord
Pinchot. The foreign nations have
intimated thG: they would attend such
a meeting. They have urged the pres
ident TO proceed with tue plan 10 con-
serve the resources OF all nations
The nations who entered so cordial
ly into the spirit OF the enterprise are
not named at this time. but II Is GER
tain that Great Britain Is one OF them,
and probably France and Germany are
among those from which more or less
enthusiastic responses have been re-
ceived. Ostensibly the action original
/ ed. however, IN the recommendation
lately made to the president by the
Canadian and Mexican commissioners
! who are attending the present North
. American conservation conference IN
Warrington.
Wants Foreign Ideas.
The matter was talked over AZ
| luncheon at the White House yester-
day At which the president eatertain-
ed the Canadian aud Mexican visitors
az guests OF honor. Secretary OF State
1 Bacon and Senator knox also were
present
The president believes that the ma.
lions OF the world can gain good deal
by conference and cooperation III re-
! gard to the conservation of natural re-
sources. and he believes that the Unit.
ed states can learn a good deal from
what has been done already by some
OF the nations OF Europe. lie makes
Il clear. however. that the matter OF
the tariff, which might easily be con-
sidered by some persons as related TO
any International movement for con
servatilon, will not be one OF the sub.
jects for discussion AT the proposed
Hague conference.
The president last year recommend
ed that the tariff on wood pulp be
removed on the ostenslble ground that
the free admission OF this material
into the United States would mean
the saving OF our national store OF pulp
wood. 1t has been suggested by some
persons that the corollary or this prop
osition Is that the forests OF Canada
and other countries would, under THIS
plan, suffer the depletion which II Is
n IT, q Lit a
and that this Is hardly consistent with
the idea OF international cooperation
In conservation affairs.
Cooperation Wanted.
The president said in his speech at
the White House TO the Canadian and
Mexican delegates, however. that In
ternational cooperation was wanted
because no nation should seek to build
itself up at the expense OF another,
Nothing would be gained by so doing,
ne said. The president has said moth
ing recently about free wood pulp, and
II IL presumed that he regards interna-
tional conservation of natural resour-
ces as q greater question
The presidents idea is that the
Hague conference would be held
next September. and that all nations
which participated In The Hague arbi-
tration conference and perhaps some
others could be invited TO send dele
gates. There were As nations repre-
scented ut the arbitration conference.
A general program would be drawn up
by the state department furnishing
subjects OF discussion. but this pro-
gram will be completed only after ex
tended diplomatic correspondence with
q view to obtaining the wishes OF the
participating nations. II Is proposed
60 start q movement, through the COM
ing worlds conference, toward obtain
ing q grand inventory OF all the nat
ural resources OF the world. so that
the human race may have as accurate
an account of stock as possible; to