The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1909-01-26
INVENTORY or
COUNTRY'S RESOURCES
Commission Tells How The,
Should Be Conserved.

In forwarding To the president the
report OF the national conserystio
commission clifford Pinchot. chairman
OF the commission. SAYS the entry az
the conservation movement into ms.
field OF definite constructive work Is
accomplished by the authorization ~ a
joint committee ON cooperation. Ia De.
composed Of six members Of the state.
conservation commissions and three
members Of the national conservation
commission. with its chairman and
secretary. This committee is 20 devils.
ways and means Tor effective co-onera.
tion between all forces working Tor the
conservation Of national resources
Mr.. Pinchot takes occasion 10 rcccc-
nize the work ~ the secretary OF The
commission. Thomas Il. Shlpp. and the
secretaries II the four sections Of wa
tcrs. forests lands ana minerals.
MeSSrs. W J. Niece. ovcrfon "
Price. George W. Wo,slrur aul
Holmes. respectively. without whose
services. to-cthcr with the government
experts. the making - the national in-
ventory would have been impossible.
The fve secretaries sign the report
with him.
The report Of the commission Is de
voted mainly % an inventory ~ the
icountry'S resources In minerals. lands
forests and waters. closing with sec
uon On Hativnai efficiency"
The mineral production ~ thc Unit
Ell States Tor i9ns exceeded So.cOOuOo-
eoo and contributed ~, Ter cent or the
Total freight traffic OF he country.
The waste i'm the extraction aud treat
ment of mineral products during the
same wear WAS equivalent L. riare
than S@unoooN0 The available ,ud
easily accessible supplies II coal in the
United states aggregate approximately
l.frpoHrooVoo tons. At the present
increasing rate ~ production this sup
ply wiz be So depleted as 10 approach
exhaustion before the middle OF the
next century The high grade iron
ores ithe only iron ores available for
use under existing conditiousl cannot
be expected 20 last beyond the middle
OF the present century The same is
true % the petroleum supply. The sup
ply ~ stone. clay. cement. line. sand.
and salt Is ample. while the stock ~
tho precious metals and OF conner.
lead. zinc. sulphur. asphalt. graphite.
quicksilver. mica aud the rare metals
cannot well be estimated. but IS clear
ly cyhau~tihie within one 10 three cen
turtles unless unexpected deposits are
found
The consumption Of nearly all our
mineral products IS increasing FAR
more rapidly than our population. A
stray CLEAN % light Ia the otherwise
gloomy mineral situation Is seen i'm
tho fact that while the production ~
coal IS Increasing enormously. the
waste and Joss I'm Mining are diminish
Ing. There IS urgent need OF greater
safety to The miner. The loss OF iife
threu.h mine accidents Is appalling
Stress Is laid on the assertion that
fourufths II the country's fire losses.
or an average q 81. 100000 day. could
bc prevented n the precautions taken
In Europe were adopted here
Speaking 81 the nations cultivabic
area. the report declares that there has
been slight increase IN the average
yield Of our great staple farm prod.
4
age nor the YELL per acre has KEEP,
pace with our increase In population.
within century we suair ps0i,aa1,
have 20 feed three times as many
| people - now. and the main bulk Of
our food supply must be grown on our
own soil. We have now nearly COCO
oOo farms. averaging iiG acres each
but oaly little more than two-hfths
OF the area u coutincnt1 United States
Is under cultivation. The United
States can grow the farm products
needed by population more than three
times ~ great AZ our country now con
tains. but we must greatly increase
the yield per acre.
The greatest unnecessary waste Of
our soil is preventable erosion. Second
only 10 this Is the waste nonuSe and
misuse OF fertilizer derived from ami
mails and men Other great causes Of
loss are due to Injurious mammals.
plant diseases and insects Most OF
these farm losses are prcventable.
The present public land laws as n
whole do not subserve the best inter
ests OF the people Title 20 the surface
OF the remaining nonmineral public
lands should be granted only 10 acuia
homemakers.
Next TO our need OF food aud water
comes our need OF timber. declares The
report. The preservation by use under
the methods OF practical forestry of
all public forest lands either In state
or federal ownership Is essential To
the permanent public welfare. Encc-
tive and Immediate cooperation by pri-
waite enterprise. state ownership and
| federal ownership Is needed IL the pub |
lie interest is 10 be subserved BY rea-
sonablc THRIFT we can produce con |
slant timber supply beyond our present
need and with IL conserve the useful |
ness Of our streams for irrigation. wa |
/ ter supply. navigation aud power.
or tho 70Cco COOS O0.OpO cubic feet |
/ OF water annually flo~ing into tile sea |
! less than ! per cent is restrained ard !
utilized for municipality aud commu- !
nifty supply; less than per cent (or |
some 10 per cent OF that In the arid |
and semiarld rcgionsl is used for irri- |
| cation; perhaps per cent is used for /
navigation and less than per cent for |
power.
The freshets are attended by de-
structive soil erosion. The soil matter |
annually carried into lower rivers aud |
A great many people have kidney and |
bladder trouble, mainly due to neglect |
OF the occasional pains In the back, slight |