The Forrest City times., 1909-12-03
BALL|NGER TELLS
 IF YEARS WORK
Report Of the Secretary of the In.
 teri0r Received.
PROBLEM OF PUBLIC LANDS
Development Through Private Enter prise Under National Supervision and Control Desired-Reciama-
 ton Service Discussed.

l Washington. Nov. .The annual re nor1 to the president of Richard A. Ballinger, secretary of the interior. was made public today, and makes interesting reading The report GOV CTS q portion of the time under the ad. ministration Of James R. Garfield, and MT. Ballinger gives him credit for his earnest and efficient services. Secretary Ballinger comments on the old public land statutes, and con tinues:
 The liberal and rapid disposition of the public lands under these statutes and the lax methods of administration which for long time prevailed nat urally provoked the feeling that the public domain was legitimate prey for the interruptions and that il was no crime to violate or circumyent the land laws. It is to be regretted that We, as nation, were so tardy 10 real ize the importance of preventing so large measure Of our natural re soufeas passing into the hands of land pirates and specuIators, with no view to development looking to the national welfare
 Must Continue Prosecutions.
 II may be safely said that millions of acres of timber and other lands have been unlaWfully obtained, and it is also true that actions 10 recover such lands have in most instances long since been barred by the statute of limitations. The principal awakening ro our wasteful course came under your predecessors administration The bold and vigorous prosecutions of land frauds, through Secretaries Hitchcock and Garfield, have restored salutai'y respect for the law, and the public mind has rapidly grasped the impor- tance of safeguarding the further dis position of our natural resources in the public lands in the interest of the public good as against private greed. Notwithstanding this, it is necessary to continue with utmost vigor, through all available sources. the securing of information of violations of the public land laws and to follow such viola tions with rigid prosecutions.
 Use Private Enterprise.
 On this present policy of conserv ing the natural resources of the pub lie domain, while development is the keynote, the best thought of the day is not that development shall be by na- tional agencies. but that wise utiliza- ton shall be secured through private enterprise under national supervision and control. Therefore, if material progress is to be made in securing the best use of our remaining public lands, congress must be called upon to enact remedial legislation"
 Mir Ballnger then gives in detail his recommendations for the classifi- cation of public lands, and the fea- lures of a measure which he advises for the direction of the disposal of wa terpower sites.
 The Reclamation Service.
 Concerning the reclamation service, the report says in part:
 Tn view of the importance of speedy completion of existing projects and their proper extension, and of the necessity in 1912 of an adjustment be tween the states by which the major portion of the funds arising from the sale Of public lands within each state and territory shall have been ex- pended so far as practicable within such state or territory, and in view of the importance of making a bene ficial use of waters already ap- propriated or capable of appropria- tion to which rights may be lost for nonuse, l believe an urgent ap peal should be made to congress to authorize the issuance of certificates of indebtedness, or of bonds against the reclamation fund, to an aggregate of not exceeding $30.000,000 or so much thereof as may be needed"
 Energetic reorganization of the h. dian bureau is in progress, says Mir. Ballinger, and he recommends that the Indian warehouses at New York. Chicago, Omaha, St Louis and San Francisco be closed as soon as pos sible. A more advanced policy re- specting the maintenance, improve ment and operation of the Yellow stone and Yosemite national parks is urged on the government.