The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1909-01-28

ly call your attention to some of the
larger features of the situation dis
closed by the report and to the action
thereby clearly demanded for the gen
eral good.
The report says:
Within recent months It has been rec
ognized and demanded by the people. |
through many thousand delegates from |
all states assembled in convention In diff |
ferent sections of the country. that the |
waterways should and must be improved |
promptly and effectively as means Of
maintaining national prosperity.
The first requisite for waterway Inn
provement Is the control of the waters In
such manner as to reduce floods and reg
ulate the regimen of the navigable riv-
ers. The second requisite is development
OF terminals and connections In such man
ner as to regulate commerce.
Accordingly l urge that the broad
plan for the development Of our water
ways, recommended by the inland wa
terways commission, be put In effect
without delay. 1t provides for com
prehensive system of waterway i'm
Prov ent extending to all the uses of
the waters and benefits to be derived
from their control, including naviga-
tion, the development of power, the ex-
tension of irrigation, the drainage of
swamp and overflow lands, the pre-.
vention OF soil wash and the purldca-
tion of streams for water supply. II
proposes to carry out the work by CO.
ordinating agencies In the federal de-
, partments through the medium Of an
. administrative commission or board,
| L., ha gta
and other organizations and individual
citizens.
, The work OF waterway development
, should be undertaken without delay.
. Meritorious projects In known con-
= formity with the general outlines Of
D any comprehensive plan should pro-
p ceed at once. The cost of the whole
/ work should be met by direct appro-
. priatlon II possible, but If necessary
4 by the issue OF bonds In small denoml-
G nations.
= II Is especially important that the
/. developmeut of water power should he
!. guarded with the utmost care both by
( the national government and by the
states in order to protect the people
against the upgrowth Of monopoly and
ID. to insure to them a fair share I'm the
\. benefits which will follow the develop
=, ment Of this great asset, which belongs
: to the people and should be controlled
"a by them.
u, Forests.
= urge that provision be made FOR
, both protection and more rapid devel-
= opment of the national forests. Other
;, wise, either the increasing use Of these
forests by the people must be checked
. or their protection against fire must
- be dangerously weakened. II we com.
. pare the actual fire damage on similar
- areas on private and national forest
, lands during the past year, the govern
- ment fire patrol saved commercial tim
Der worth as much as the total cost OF
caring for all national forests at the
present rate for about ten years
y especially commend to the congress
~ the facts presented by the commission
~ as TO the relation between forests and
~ stream now IN rs bearing upon the iW
y, portpuce Of the forest lands In nation
!. al ownership. without an understand
= ing Of this intimate relation the con
=, servation OF both these natural re
sources must largely fail.
The time has fully arrived for recog
" nizng in the law the responsibility &,
- ~ the community, the state aud the ma
W ton which rests upon the private own
y ers of private lands The OWNERSHIP
~, of forest land is a public trust The
- man who would so handle his forest
y, as to cause erosion aud to injurC
~ stream flow must be not only educated
,s ~ but he must be controlled.
II The repor' Of the national conserva
tion commission says:
Forests In private ownership cannot b'
H. conserved unless they are protected from
"A fire We need good fire laws, well en-
~ forced Fire control is impossible with
~ out an adequate force of men whose colt
II duty is fire patrol during the dangerous
lf season.
ID hold as first among the tasks be
d. fore the states and the nation in theil
o. respective shares in forest conserva
o ton the organization of efficient fire
II patrols and the enactment of good fire
q. laws on the part Of the states.
" The report says further:
n Present tax laws prevent reforestatior
% OF cut over land and the perpetuation OF
- existing forests by use. An annual taS
N upon the land itself. exclusive Of the tim
)r ber, and a tax upon the timber when cut
~ is well adapted to actual conditions oi
= forest investment and is practicable ant
vi certain. 1t is far better that forest LAND
In should pay a moderate tax permanently
o than that II should pay excessive rev
:, enue temporarily and then cease to YIELD
- at all.
n Second only In Importance to good
n fire laws well enforced is the enact
IL ment of tax laws which VIII permit
D. the perpetuation OF existing forests by
H. use.
)r Lands.
N With our increasing population the
81 time is not far distant when the prob,
lem of supplying our people with food
Ii will become pressing. The possible
10 additions TO our arabic area are not