Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1909-01-23

petuation of existing forests by use.
An annual tax upon the land itself,
exclusive of the timber, and a tax
upon the timber when cut is well
adapted to actual conditions of for
investment and is practicable and
certain. 1t is far better that forest
land should pay a moderate tax per-
manently than that it should pay an
excessive revenue temporarily and
then cease to yield at all.
Second only in Importance to good
fire laws well enforced is the enact
ment Of tax laws which will permit
the perpetuation of existing forests
by use.
LANDS.
With our increasing population the
time is not far distant when the prob
lem of supplying our people with
food will become pressing. The pos
sible additions to our arabic area are
not great, and it will become neces-
sary to obtain much larger crops
from the land, as is now done in
more densely settled countries. To
do this, we need better farm practice
and better strains of wheat, corn,
and ether crop plants, with a reduc-
ton in losses from soil erosion and
from insects, animals, and other enc
mics of agriculture. The United
States department of agriculture is
doing excellent work in these direc-
lions and it should be literally sup
ported.
The remaining public lands should
be classified and the arabic lands dis
posed Of to home makers, In their
interest the timber and stone act and
the Communication clause of the home
stead act should be repealed, and the
desert-land law should be modified in
accordance with the recommends
lions of the public lands commission.
The use of the public grazing
: lands should be regulated in such
ways as to improve and conserve
: their value.
Rights to the surface of the public
! land should be separated from rights
to forests upon it and to mineral be-
meath 1t, and these should be sub
ject to separate disposal.
The coal, oil, gas, and phosphate
rights still remaining with the gov
: eminent should be withdrawn from
l entry and leased under conditions
; favorable for economic development.
MINERALS.
The reports show that the con-
' sumption of nearly all of our min
: eral products is increasing more rap
g idly than our population. Our min
: eral waste is about one-sixth of our
. product. or nearly ~$1,000,000 for
\ each working day in the year. The
! loss of structural materials through
fire is about another million a day
The loss of life and property can be
+ avoided.
n Our mineral resources are limited
8 in quantity and can not be increased
4 or reproduced. With the rapidly in
q creasing rate of consumption the sup
I ply will be exhausted while yet thu
: nation is in its infancy, unless bette
] methods are devised or substitute
are found. Further investigation Il
q urgently needed in order to improv,
l methods and to devlop and appl.
. substitutes.
i 1t is Of the utmost Importance tina
e a bureau Of mines be established Il
: accordance with the pending bill t
reduce the loss of life in mines an,
the waste of mineral an,
j. to investigate the methods and sub
d stitutes for prolonging the duratio
of our mineral supplies. Both tn
need and the public demand for sue
a bureau are rapidly becoming NOR
: urgent. 1t should cooperate with tn
states in supplying data to serve a
a basis for state mine regulation
" The establishment of this bureau wi
mean merely the transfer from othe
bureaus Of work which 1t Is agree
should be transferred and slight
:, enlarged and recognized for thes
purposes.
nj CONCLUSIONS.
err The joint conference already mer
Of toned adopted two resolutions t
which | call your special attention
The first was intended to promote CT
n operation between the states and tn
n nation upon all of the great quei
IN tions here discussed. 1t is as TO
r. lows:
n Resolved, That a joint committt
p. be appointed by the chairman,
n consist of six members of state CO.