The Daily Missoulian., 1909-02-14

ment for the permanent public owner
ship of the remaining areas of tim
bered land in the public domain has
received general support throughout
the west and especially from the agri-
cultural interests.
A Great Company.
1t is as though the people Of the
United States had formed a gigantic
land and timber company, a share in
this company being the birthright OF
every citizen. The administration of
the affairs of this national timber COM
pany is entrusted to the federal gov
ernment as a board of directors rep
resenting the shareholders It's aim is
to so manage the common property as
to best serve the interests of the great
est number of the shareholders in the
long run. During the last II years ma
tional forests have created in the west
reaching a total area of 165000,0O0
acres. The state of Montana alone
contains over 20,00O,000 acres of ma
tional forests, and here in the Bitter
Root valley you are completely sur
rounded by them. Under the adninis-
tration of the federal government it
Is proposed to develop and utilize the
resources of this great property of the
people to the fullest extent possible,
provided that their present use shall
in no way impair their future value
and usefulness. That is the single pur-
pose of all the restrictions imposed.
The cutting of timber is prohibited
only in certain restricted localities
where the present scanty forest cover
must be left intanct to protect the
water sources within these areas. Else
where the matured timber is for sale
under such regulations simply as will
insure future growth of trees on the
cutover areas and a renewal of the
forest both for the protection of water
sheds and the production of future
supplies Of wood. We aim to put the
stock ranges at the use of the ranch
ers and stock growers in the districts
adjoining the national forests to the
fullest extent that is possible as long
as their future productiveness Is not
endangered by overgrazing. 1t is the
policy of the government. as the board
of directors of the National Timber
company, to put all classes of land
within the national forests to their
most productive use, The lands which
are distinctly and genuinely agricul-
tural in character are to be opened
to the homesteader, except where their
reservation for administrative purposes
Is necessary. This law is making
available for settlement many farms
scattered throughout the mountains,
nffav, u, 80
along the bottoms Of he streams, which
are especially adapted to orcharding
and other intensive methods of agri-
culture. The one stern condition reg
ulating all of these uses of the peoples
resources, In accordance with the doe
trine Of conservation, is that nothing
shall be done to impair the ,,erInanence
and continuous value of those re-
sources to the people for all time to
come.
To Work Improvement.
The government, however, will not
be content simply to preserve the
property of the nation represented in
the national forests in its present con-
dition. There are many ways in which
this property can be improved and
made of greater value to it's owners,
and work in these directions is being
pushed as rapidly as possible with the
funds that are available. Many areas
which have been denuded of their for
ests by excessive cutting or by fire
will be planted with forest trees by
artificial means. Many other areas
where climatic conditions have pre-
vented the natural establishment OF
forests will also be planted through a
painstaking study of the methods ap-
plicabJe to the local conditions in each