The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1909-01-23

fire laws wei enforced Is the enact
ment of tax laws which will permit
the perpetuation Of existing forests by
use.
Lands.
With our increasing population the
time IS not far distant when the prob
lem Of supplying our people with food
will become pressing. The possible
additions to our. arabic area are not
great, and 1t win become necessary to
obtain much larger crops from the
land, as Is now done in more densely
settled countries. To do this we need
better farm practice and better strains
of wheat, corn and other crop plants,
with reduction in losses from soil
erosion and from insects, animals and
other enemies of agriculture. The
United States department of agricul-
ture is doing excellent work in these
directions, and 1t should be literally
supported.
The remaining public lands should
be classified and the arabic lands
disposed Of to homemakers. In their
interest tho timber and stone act and
the Communication clause Of the home
stead act should be repealed, and the
desert land law should be modified in
accordance with the recommendations
Of the public lands commission.
The use of the public grazing lands
should be regulated in such ways as
to improve and conserve their value.
Rights to the surface Of the public
land should be separated from rights
to forests upon it and to minerals be-
meath it, and these should be subject
to separate disposal.
The coal, oil, gas and phosphate
rights still remaining with the govern
ment should be withdrawn from entry
and leased under conditions favorable
for economic development.
Minerals. .-.s
The accompanying reports show that
the consumption Of nearly all Of our
| mineral products is increasing more
rapidly than our population. Our min
eral waste is about one-sixth Of our
product, or nearly $1,OO0,000 for each
working day in the year. The loss of
structural materials through fire Is
about another million day. The loss
of life in the mines Is appalling. The
larger part of these losses Of life and
property can be avoided.
Our mineral resources are limited in
quantity and cannot be increased or
reproduced. With the rapidly increas-
ing rate Of consumption the supply will
be exhausted while yet the nation is In
it's infancy unless better methods are
devised or substitutes are found. Fur
Their investigation is urgently needed
in order to improve methods and to de.
velop and apply substitutes.
It is Of the utmost Importance that a
| bureau Of mines be established In &C.
cordance with the pending bill to re.
duce the loss of life in mines and the
! waste of mineral resources and to in
| vestigate the methods and substitutes
for prolonging the duration of our min.
eral supplies. Both the need and the
public demand for such bureau are
rapidly becoming more urgent. It
should cooperate with the states in
supplying data to serve as a basis for
state mine regulations. The establish
ment Of this bureau will mean merely
the transfer from other bureaus of
work which it Is agreed should be
transferred and slightly enlarged and
reorganized for these purposes.
Conclusions.
The joint conference already men
toned adopted two resolutions to
which I call your special attention.
The first was intended to promote CO.
operation between the states and the
nation upon all of the great questions
here discussed. 1t is as follows:
Resolved, That joint committee be
appointed by the chairman, to consist of
six members Of state conservation COM
missions and three members of the ma
tional conservation commission, whose
duty it shall be to prepare and present to
the state and national commissions and
through them to the governors and the
president q plan for united action by all
organizations concerned with the con-
servation Of natural resources. (On mo-
ton Of Governor Noel of Mississippi the
chairman and secretary of the conference
were added to and constituted part OF
this committee)
The second resolution Of the joint
conference to which refer calls upon
the congress to provide the means for
such cooperation. The principle of the
community Of interest among all our
people In the great natural resources
runs through the report Of the national
conservation commission and the pro-
ceedings of the joint conference. These
resources, which form the common ba-
sis Of our welfare, can be wisely devel-
oped, rightly used and prudently con-
served only by the common action of
all the people, acting through their rep
resentatives in state and nation: hence
the fundamental necessity for co-opera
ton. Without it we shall accomplish
but little, and that little badly. The
resolution follows:
We also especially urge on the congress
Of the United States the high desirability
of maintaining national commission on
the conservation Of the resources Of the
country, empowered to cooperate with
state commissions to the end that every
sovereign commonwealth. and every Sec
ton Of the country may attain the high
degree Of prosperity and the sureness of
perpetuity naturally arising In the album
dant resources and the vigor, intelligence
and patriotism Of our people.
-~ In this recommendation most heart
lily concur, and urge that an appro-
priation Of at least $4,000 be made to
cover the expenses Of the national con-
servation commission for necessary
rent, assistance and travelling exnenses.