Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-29

authorized to grant or lease power sites
to private concerns to be developed
under general government control and
supervision. If congress fails to act
upon this recommendation the presi-
dent says he knows of no way in which
the withdrawn lands can much longer
be withheld from claims filed under
the general land laws.
Mr. Taft placed himself in opposition
to the suggestion that settlers should
be allowed a longer term than ten
years in which to repay the govern
ment for water secured through gov
ernment irrigation projects. He says a
longer term would not conduce to
thrift and would delay work on addi-
tional projects which should be under
taken.
"The truth is." he said, my administra-
tion is pledged to follow out the policies Of
Mr.. Roosevelt in this regard and while that
pledge does not involve in any Obliga-
tiOn to carry them out unless l have
gressional authority to do so. it does require
that L take every step to exert legitimate
influence upon congress to enact the Iegisla-
tion which shall best subserye the purpose
Indicated"
Entire Ground Not Covered
Mr.. Taft said: Il am going to take
up today the conservation of our ma
tional resources. This has been given a
very wide scope. l do not propose to
cover the whole ground today | shall
confine my attention to those parts Of
the policy which are certainly within
the jurisdiction of the national govern
ment, and which especially concern the
country west of the Missouri river.
Il refer first to the preservation OF
the national forests; second. TO the
reclamation of the arid and semi-arid
lands by irrigation; third to the dis
position of water power sites upon
public lands with proper restrictions
upon the use, both in respect to the
compensation, it's extent in point of
time, and the adjustment of rates to
be charged to the public by the bene-
ficiary of the grant; fourth, to the dis
position of coal, oil and phosphate
lands owned by the government with
such restrictions as will permit their
development for private profit, and yet
viii prevent monopoly and extortion
in the sale of the product.
The national forests, as reserved by
executive order, contain about 167, ,000,-
900 acres of land in the United States
proper. All of this land is now under
the direct control of the forestry bu-
reau, and is being preserved from fire
and other destruction, and is being
modern methods of treating forests
under the supervision of Mr. Pinchot.
the chief forester and head of the bu-
reau of forestry in the department of
agriculture.
Enormous Damage by Fire
"It appears that the government tim
ber land is only about one-fourth of
the timber lands owned by private in
dividuals, and that only per cent of
timber land owned by private individ-
uals is properly looked after, accord
ing to modern methods of forestry.
The destruction by fire of forests is
estimated to be $50,0OJ,OOO a year. 1t
would seem, therefore. Imperative that
the states should exercise their juris-
diction over these forests to which I
have referred. and which are held by
private individuals and require some
system of fire protection and the adop-
tion of the best methods of forestry.
"It would seem that the states have
a right to do this because of the gen.
eral interest which the general public
has in the forests and its equalizing OF
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