The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-09-29

Congress has come fully to recognize
the necessity for pursuing forestry
reform by making liberal approprIa-
tons for that purpose. The forest
lands Of the United States ought to he
surveyed and carefully preserved ana
its jurisdiction in respect To them
clearly defined
For the State.
''The regulation of forests in pri-
vate ownership within state boundar-
les is not plainly within the scope OF
federal jurisdiction, and it should be
undertaken by the states. l do nor
think that the states have taken up
they ough. and have not improved the
opportunity which was given them by
way of example by the forestry bu-
reau of the United States. The ques-
ton whether the federal government,
with the purpose of equalizing the
flow of water in navigable streams ana
to promote navigation during the en-
tire year. may enter upon a plan or
regulating existing forests and re-
foresting certain denuded territory in
the states. | need not now discuss. The
subject would involve a wider discuss
ion than I have time to give ii.
The plan Of the government to re-
claim the arid and semi arid lands
manifested in the reclamation act, has
been carried out most rapidly by the
bureau charged with it's execution.
had the honor the other day i'm Colo
RADIO of opening the most ambitious of
these projects, at least. the most dir
ficult of them-the Gunnison tunnel
which is to bring water into a valley
in Colorado known as the uncompha-
gbre valley, with some 10000 acres
/ and to put 1t in condition to grow
fruit and cereals.
"There are some thirty projects
which have been entered upon by the
reclamation bureau and / belive that
all of them are to be commended for
their excellent adoption to the pur>
pose for which they We're erected and
for the speed with which the work has
been done. 1t is said. however. that
! in the planning of a number of these
improvements the enthusiasm of the
projectors has carried them to a
point where they begin to feel en-
with which to complete the projects.
and begin tn show that the strict lin
itations of the reclamation act We're
not closely observed by those en-
gagged in executing them. that the prof.
ects were too many and more than
could be completed in a reasonable
time after. their beginning. because OF
lack of funds. The reclamation acs
provides for the expenditure of the
funds made up by the sale of public
lands and reimbursed from time TO
; time by the instaiiments to be paid
BY the settlers who take up the irri-
gated land, and also provides that M
part of n project Is to be contracted
for and begun until the money for tho
completion of that part of the projec,
contracted for shall be I'm the reclaim
alton fund. Now Ii appears that II
will take s10.000,000 or more. which Is
not available in the reclamation funo
at present. fully to complete the prof.
Gets and it also appears that n grea,
number of persons. by reason of tn.
beginning af the projects. have been
led into the making of settlements. the
expenditure of time and labor with the
hope and upon the reliance that such
reclamation enterprises will be car
ried through in a reasonable time.
Credit to Engineers.
Il think that there is no doubt that
il was the intention of congress that
projects should not be multiplied in
such a way that they could not be
completed within a reasonable time
with the reclamation funds provided
by the sale of public lands. and il
would probably have been wiser to
adhere strictly 20 The limItaIion thus
construed. even though the lanuage Of
the act, by dividing up the projects
into parts in terms, seemed In hermit
the beginning of n.ara projects than
there was likely To pe money enough
To complete within Il reasonable time"
The pressure was doubtless very great
and the reclamation service yielded to
the pressure within the letter of the
law and now find themselves in the
situation described The work has
been we'll done and reflects credit upon
the engineers who have had charge
of it,
To Reliev. Situation.
But something must be done to re-
liese the present situation. which is
one of disappointed hopes to many set
tiers upon the arid lands. who counted
upon an early completion of the prof.
ects undertaken, and invested their
r.>nev and spent their time and seem