The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-11-08
IT PROMOTES LAND VALUES
Continued from PAGE 1.

friend of the conservation policy must
have replaced with more intelligent with
drawals as soon as ne could acquire the
data on which to base them. I speak OF
Withdrawals because there were a number
of them. My first withdrawal order was
dated May 4. 1903, and the last, which in
cluded and of the lands formerly with
drawn June TO- 1909, but each of these
orders contained the language all exist
ing claims, filings and entries are tenn
pOTaTily suspended
No Filing Made.
LAS a matter of fact, there was not
single filing made on power site during
the interim. On the other hand, the res
toration to entry OF over million
acres of land not needed to protect the
power sites allayed widespread discomfort,
and thus avoided unnecessarily making
enemies for the conservation policy. In
view Of the fact that we are dependent on
congress for the legislation needed per-
manently to protect the power sites, 1t
must be obvious that it is highly impor-
tant for this department to handle the
matter with tact and make as lew enemies
as possible. Since June 10 have made
twenty-five additional Withdrawals in en-
tirely new territory
In the light of your explanation. Mr..
Secretary, it seems extraordinary that
your course should have been so widely
misunderstood and so extensively mis-
represented. To what do you ascT1oe the
MISUNDERSTANDING
q
contributed to that end, some of which
am not at liberty to discuss. cannot
| hold some representatives Of the press
entirely hlam eless, and candor eompels me
| self Il is probably inevitable that at
/ the beginning of an administration the
new members of the cabinet Will fail TO
/ appreciate the advisability-1 might even
/ saw the importance-of making perfectly
clear to the representatives of the press
| their purpose in the various steps they
may deem it necessary to take To en-
ploy the vernacular, they are now on the
/ press take the facts into consideration
and deal leniently with them, misunder-
/ standings are bound to occur. On the
other hand, / cannot escape the belief
/ that certain correspondents, possibly be-
/ cause of the papers they represent, rather
! welcome an opportunity to write sensa-
tional dispatches, many Of which involved
grave injustice to this administration
Deserves Consideration.
'sThe executive departments are highly
\ complex Institutions, involving an i'm
mense variety of interests over vast
area Of territory, and II seems to me that
the new cabinet officer, endeaVoring to
ifamiliarize himself with the policies of
his predecessor and the purposes OF his
chief to feel out the personnel OF his de-
partment and to master the lnnumerable
problems of administration. is deserving
correspondents whose business it is to mar
rate his progress for the benefit of an
interested public"
mfr Secretary, do your orders Of with
draWal protect power sites within the for
est reservations?" was the next question
asked.
They do not. Through the director OF
the geological survey. l offered to In
clude power sites on the forest reserva-
tiOns. but the offer was declined on the
ground that the forest service would take
care of such sites itself"
Does the law prohibit entry on power
sites within forest reservations?"
1.-The law does not prohibit entries on
power sites anywhere" replied the secre-
tary. "The only obstacle TO entries on
power sites Is the temporary order OF
withdrawal issued by the secretary of the
interior. pending action by congress. The
/ law specifically provides that lands In
forest reserves valuable for minerals shall
be subject to location and entry under the
general mining laws"
Are there such mineral lands also valu-
able as power sites within the forest
reservations?'
THAT question I can't answer def
initely. The maps of the geological sur
vey show numerous streams within the
reservations, many of which, doubtless
develop water power. Whether or not
there afe power sites along these streams
which are subject to entry as mineral
claims 1 do not know