The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1909-01-28

agencies IN the 1e0era1 departments Z
through the medium Of IN administrative
commission or board, acting In
ton with the states and other orgaIixa-s
The work of waterway development
Msritoriops projects il known confor-
comprehensive plan should proceed at
once: The cost OF the whole work
g naos,S,a be s, met i bg direct a B ,ps alton 4
bonds in small denominations.
It is especially Important that the de-
guarded with the utmost care. both BY
states, n order e. protect the people
to insure to them a fair share. in the BEN
eflts which will follow the developments
people and saia should aisSs be se eontro on,shf 81 4 them sns
Forests.
I urge that provision be made for both
protection and more rapid development OF
the national forests. 0therwiss: either
people must be checked or their protec-
ton against fire must be. dangerously
damage on similar areas on private and
national forest lands during the past
year. the goyernment nre patrol
total cost Of caring for all national for
ests at the present rate Tor about 10 years.
the facts prssented BY the commission as
to the relation between forests and
stream dow in Its bearing upon the Inn
ownership. without an understanding Of
this intimate relation the conservation of
both these natural resources must large
The time has fully arrived for r~ecogniz-
ing in the law the responsibility to the
which rest. upon the private owners Of
private lands. The ownership of forest
land is a public trust. The man who
erosion and to injure stream flow must
be not only educated, but he must be
controlled.
The report of the National Conservation
commission says:
Forests In private ownership can not be
fire. We need good IRE laws Wen in
forced. Fire control Is impossible with
out an adequate force OF men whose sole
season.
I hold as first among the tasks before
spective shares in forest Conservation the
organization of efficient fire patrols and
the enactment of good fire avs on the
part of the states.
The report says further:
Present tax laws prevent reforessatson
OF ef,s e ! so, Land an ana ,,t the p an snnua' ta q
upon the land itself, exclusive Of the tim
Der, and a tax upon the timber when cut
| certain. It is far better thai forest land
should pay q moderate tax per man raly
i SiAC%AA SAAAS ~ oAASNAN - UA
enue temporarily and then cease to yield
| at all.
laws, well lnforceSs, Is the enactment of
! tax laws which will permit the perpetual
ton Of existing forests by use.
Lands.
With our increasing population the time
is not far distant when the problem Of
come pressing. The possible additions to
become necessary to obtain much larger
| crops from the land, as is now done in
more densely settled countries To do
better strains of wheat, corn, and other
crop plants, with a reduction in losses
| from soil erosion and from insects. ami
! The United States department Of agrtcul-
ture. is doing excellent work in these d.
! r~ections and it should be literally sup
I ported.
The remaining public lands SHOULD be
eias IS han,a and m,t the ar ar thl LANDS disposed SEQ
! timber and stone act and the commuta-
tlon clause of the homestead act should
should be modified In accordance with
the recommendations of the Public Lands
commission.
should be regulated In such ways as to
improve and conserve their value.
should be separated from rights to for
est5 upon it and to minerals beneath it,
and these should be subject to separate
disposal.
The coal. oil, gas and phosphate rights
still remaining with the government
lIeased IN Conditions lsot favo orafy a for
economic development.
Minerals.
The accompanying reports show that
the consumption of nearly all of our min
eral products is increasing more rapidly
than our population. Our mineral waste
nearly sl,oea,ooo for each working day in
the year. The loss of structural materials
through fire is about another million a
palling. The larger part OF these losses OF
life and property can be avoided.
our mineral resources are limited in
produces. With the rapidly increasing
rate Of the supply will be
infancy, unless better methods are de-
vised or substitutes are found. Further
investigation is urgently needed in order
to improve methods and to develop and
apply substances.
1t is of the utmost Importance that a
bureau of mines be established in accord
ance with the pending bill to reduce the
loss of life in mines and the waste OF
mineral resources and to investigate the
methods and substitutes for prolonging
the duration. of our mineral supplies.
Both the need and the public demand for
urgent. 1t should cooperate with the
states in supplying data to serve as a
basis for state mine regulations. The es-
adjustment of this bureau will mean
merely the transfer from other bureaus
ri work which IL is agreed should be
transferred and slightly enlarged and re-
organized for these purposes.
Conoi.aSoSsa
me joint conference already mentioned
adopted two resolutions to which l call
your special attention. The first was IN
tended to promote cooperation between
the states and the nation upon all of the
great questions here discussed. 1t Is as
follows:
"Reso,yea. a joint committee be
appointed by the chairman, to consist of
six member of state conservation com
missions and three members of the Ma
iona Conservation commission, whose
duty 1t shall be to prepare and present to
the state and national commissions, and
through them to h governors and the
president, a plan for united action by all
4 organizations concerned with the conser-
walton of natural resources COR motion
of Governor Noel, of Mississippi, the
chairman and secretary of the confer
ence Were added to and constituted a
part of this com1nittee1.
The second resolution of the Joint con-
ference to which 1 refer calls upon the
~congress to proyide the means for such
cooperation. The principle Of the com
munity Of Interest among all our people
in the great natural resources runs
through the report Of the National Con.
servation commission and the proceedings
of the joint conference. These resources
which form tha 5comrnon haSfa ne M,