Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-01-22


conservation of national resources.
Mr.. Pinchot takes occasion to recog-
nize the work of the secretary of the
commission, Thomas B. Ship, and the
secretaries of the four sections of wa
ters. forests, lands and minerals,
Messrs. w j. MCGEE, Overton W.
Price, George w. Woodruff and j. A.
Holmes. respectively. without whose
services. together with the government:
experts. the making of the national in.
ventory' would have been impossible |
The five secretaries sign the report
with him.
The report of the commission is de-
voted mainly to an inventory of the
country's resources in minerals, lands,
forests and waters. closing with sec
ton on national efficiency
The mineral production Of the Unit
ed States for 1907 exceeded S2.OOOO0O.-
600 and contributed Go per cent of the
total freight traffic Of the country.
The waste in the extraction and treat
ment of mineral products during the
same year was equivalent to more
than $300,000000 The available and
easily accessible supplies of coal in the
United States aggregate approximately
/ 4O0,000.000,000 tons. At the present
increasing rate of production this sup
ply will be SO depleted as to approach
exhaustion before the middle of the
next century. The high grade iron
ores (the only iron ores available for
use under existing conditiOns) cannot
be expected to last beyond the middle
Of the present century. The same is
true OF the petroleum supply. The sup
ply of stone, clay. cement. lime, sand
and salt is ample. while the stock of
the precious metals and of copper,
lead, zinc. sulphur. asphalt, graphite,
quicksilver, mica and the rare metals
cannot we'll be estimated, but is clear
ly eXhaustible within one TO three CEN
turtles unless unexpected deposits are
found.
The consumption of nearly all our
mineral products is increasing far
more rapidly than our popula ton. A
stray CLEAN of light in the otherwise
gloomy mineral situation Is seen in
the fact that while the production of
coal Is increasing enormously, the
| waste and loss in mining are diminish
| ing. There is urgent need of greater
safety to the miner. The loss of life
through mine accidents is appalling.
Stress Is laid on the assertion that
| four-fifths of the country's fire losses,
or an average of S10O0,000 day, could
be prevented if the precautions taken
in Europe were adopted here.
Speaking of the nations. cultivable
area. the report declares that there has
| been a slight increase in the average
yield of our great staple farm prod
ucts, but neither the increase in acre
age nor the yield per acre has kept
pace with our increase in population.
Within a century we shall probably
have to feed three times as many
tpeople as now, and. the main bulk of
our food supply must be grown on ollr
own soil. We have now nearly 6,000.-
600 farms, averaging 146 acres each,
but only little more than two-fifths
of the area of continental United States
is under cultivation The United
States can grow the farm products
needed by population more than three
times as great as 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 to this Is the waste. nonuse and
misuse Of fertilizer derived from ami
! mails and men. Other great causes of
loss are due to injurious ms mmals.
plant diseases and insects. Most Of
these farm losses are preventable.
The present public land laws as a
whole do not subserve the best inter
ests Of the people Title to the surface
Of. the remaining nonmineral public
lands should be granted only to actual
homemakers.
Next to our need of food and 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. Effec-
tive and immediate cooperation by pri-
vate enterprise, state ownership and
federal ownership is needed If the pub
lie interest is to be subserved. BY rea-
sonable thrift we can produce a con-
Istant timber supply beyond our present
need and with 1t conserve the useful
mess Of our streams for irrigation, wa
ter supply, navigation and power.
OF the 10000, 0OO, 600, 600 cubic feet
Of water annually flowing into the sea
less than 1 per cent is restrained and
utilized for municipality and commu-
nifty supply; less than 2 per cent Cor
some 10 per cent of that in the arid
and semiarid regions) is used for irri-
CATION; perhaps per cent is used for
navigation and less than 8 per cent for
power.
The freshets are attended by de
structive soil erosion. The soil matter
annually carried into lower rivers and
harbors or into the sea is computed at
7S0, 100000 tons. Soil wash reduces by
10 to 90 per cent the productivity OF
upland farms and increases channel
cutting and bar building in the rivers