Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-01-23
REPORT OF NATIONAL CONSERVATION COMMISSION

forces working for the conservation Of
natural resources. By this action the
conservation movement enters the field
Of definite constructive work, for
which its labors In ascertaining the
country's present status and future
outlook were simply preparatory.
Very respectfully,
CLIFFORD PINCHoT.
Chairman.
Report Of the National Conservation
Commission.
The duty Of man to man, on which
the integrity of nations must rest, is
no higher than the duty of each gen.
Grafton to the next, and the obligation
of the nation to each actual citizen Is
no more sacred than the obligation to
the citizen to be. who in turn must
bear the nations duties and RESPONSE
bilities.
In this country, blessed with natural
resources in unsurpassed profusion,
the sense Of responsibility to the future
has been slow to awaken. In the
growth Of the country and gradual de-
velopment of the natural resources
there have been three noteworthy
stages. The first stage was that of in
divfdual enterprise for personal and
family benefit. 1t led to the conquest
Of the wilderness.
The next stage was that Of collective
enterprise. either for the benefit, Of
! communities or for the profit of indi-
viduals forming the communities. 1t
led to the development Of cities and
states and too often to the growth of
great monopolies.
The third stage is the one we are
| now entering. Within 1t the enterprise
| Is collective and largely cooperative
and should be directed toward the lar.
ger benefit of communities, states and
the people generally.
In the first stage the resources re.
ceived little thought. In the second
they were wastefully used. In the
stage which we are entering wise and
beneficial uses are essential, and the
checking of waste Is absolutely de.
| handed.
The waste which most urgently re.
quires checking varies widely in char.
acter and amount The most repre-
hensible waste is that of destruction
as in forest fires; uncontrolled flow OF
gas and oil, soil wash and abandon.
ment of coal in the mines. This is at.
| tributable. for the most part, to igno.
| rance, Indifference or false notions OF
| economy. to rectify which Is the bust.
ness Of the people collectively.
Nearly as reprehensible is the waste
arising from misuse, as in the con
! sumption CT fuel in furnaces and en-.
gines of low efficiency, the loss of wa
ter in floods, the employment Of i'll
| adapted structural materials, the grow
| ing of i'll chosen crops and the perpetu
| alton of inferior stocks of plants and
| animals, all of which may be rene
! died.
Reprehensible in less degree Is the
! waste arising from nonuse Since the
utilization of any one resource is nee.
essarily progressive and dependent on
social and industrial conditions and the
concurrent development of other re
sources, nonuse is sometimes unavoid
able. 1t becomes reprehensible when
it affects the common welfare and en-
tails future injury. Then 1t should be
rectitied in the general interest.
Natural resources are of no avail
without men and women to develop
them, and only strong and sound
Ill ,t,ix
nently great. We cannot too soon en-
ter on the duty of conserving our CHIEF
source of strength by the prevention OF
|, disease and the prolongation of life
/ Waste reduced and resources saved
are the first, but not the last, object
Of conservation. The material re
sources have an additional value wheI
their preservation adds to the beauty
/ and habitability of the land. Ours is &
pleasant land in which to dwell. T(
I; increase its beauty and augment its
! fitness cannot but multiply our pleas
/ ure in it and strengthen the bonds OF
1 our attachment.
Minerals.
h The mineral production Of the Unit
ed States for 1907 exceeded 100000,
600 and contributed Go per cent Of the
total freight traffic of the country. The
waste in the extraction and treatment
of mineral products during the sam,
year was equivalent to more thar
S3OO,OOO,OOO.
The production for 1907 included
395, 100000 tons Of bituminous and So,
100000 tons Of anthracite coal, 166,
100000 barrels of petroleum, 45,000,00t
tons of high grade and 100000 tons
Of low grade iron ore, 100000 tons OF
phosphate rock and 500, 100000 pound.
of copper. The values of other min
eral products during the same year in
cluded clay products, $162. 900
stone, 100000; cement, $56,00O,0 900
natural gas, $5O,O0o,OOO; gold. $4,000,
OC0; silver, $37,O00,0O0; lead, $4,000,
coo. and zinc, $26,0O0,00O.
The available and easily accessible,
supplies of coal In the United States