Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-01-20
INTERESTING FACTS AND FIG. URES IN CONNECTION WITH
 NATIONAL FORESTS

WASHINGTON, January l7-List ing receipts and expenditures and ex, plaining them in plain English such as railroad president reports to his board of directors, Clifford Pinehot, for ester, has just made a retrospect of the work of the United States forest service for the fiscal year 1908
 For the administration and protection of the ls2 national forests in seventeen states and territories and Alaska, the government spent $2,526,09s.02, or about one and one half cents an acre. Permanent improvements, including the construction of 3,400 miles of trails, 100 miles of wagon roads, 3,200 miles of telephone lines, $50 cabins and barns, 600 miles of pasture and drift fences, 250 bridges, and 40 miles of fire lines cost $592, ,l6O.19. Telephone wire to build approximately 400 miles of ad- ditional lines was shipped to the for ests, but with the funds available before the close of the year the work of con struction could not be completed. Some
 
 forests in the United States.
 Although many needed Improvements could not be undertaken, the benefits of what has been accomplished are seen in the more convenient and economical manner in which the forest officers are enabled to carry on their work and in the opening up to forest users of terri tory hitherto inaccessible. The remain. ing S207 ,S40.i0 of the total of s3,4l6, l07.6l disbursed on account of work of the forest service was used in forest investigations costing S235,s55,li, and in diffusion of forest information and federal cooperation.
 The forest service is one of the branches of the government where ev- erything is not outgo. Last year the receipts from sales of timber, grazing fees, and permits for special uses of forest resources amounted to $l,s42,' 2sl.S7, an increase of $27l ,222.43 over the 1907 figures. The per acre receipts from the national forests were little more than one cent, less thin five mills under the per acre cost of administra- tion and protection of the forests.
 The amount paid the states and ter ritories, to be expended for roads and public schools from the yesr s receipts, amounted to $447,063.79. Chiefly be- cause of increasing the revenue to the states from 10 per cent in 1907 to p per cent last year, there was total increase of $294,03l.62 in the amounts payable to the states.
 In addition, the national forests yield ed heavily to the public in free use. There were 3O,714 permits granted for the free use of timber by settlers, schools and churches, during the year, against l7 ,399 in 1907. The number of board feet used in this way by the pub lie amounted to l3l,5s2,000 valued at $l6S, ,72000, compared to 63,OOO,OOO feet, valued at $75,000 in 1907
 The aggregate of free use of the for ests for grazing can not be exactly known, since no permit is required to be taken out, and there is therefore no record preserved. It added perhaps 10 per cent to the amount of stock car ried by the forests Settlers living on or adjacent to the forests, and prospee tors, campers, and travellers in them are allowed to graze free up to ten head of milk cows, work animals, or horses in use, and purchasers of timber and stockmen on the forests are given the same privilege for the horses needed in their work. In Arizona and New Mexico milk goats to the number of thirty may be grazed free in place of milk cows.
 Of free special-use permits there were issued during the year 1,76s, as against a total of l,47l previously granted Of the latter 963 were in force during the year.
 The grazing receipts for 1908 were $962, ,S2y.40, and were paid by the hold CTS of l9,s45 permits to graze l,3S2,22l cattle, horses, and hogs, and of 4,2s2 permits to graze 7,0S7,1l1 sheep and goats Receipts of SS49,02724 from timber sales were paid by approximate  ly 5,lS9 purchasers, who cut the equiv alent of 392, ,792 ,000 board feet of tim Der. The receipts from special uses amounted to $30,425.23 and were paid by 2,O65 permittees.
 The years receipts represent profit able use of the forests by some 3O,O00 individuals or concerns, in addition to more than 30,000 getting free use of timber and other resources. About one fourth of all the timber cut from the national forests was under free-use per mits.
 The purpose of this free-use privi' lege is to make the forests contribute most effectively to the public welfare. The timber given to individuals is giv- en for the development of the country through settlement.
 The total receipts from timber sales each year since the national forests have been under the administration of the forest service have been as follows: 1905, $60,136.62; 1906, $245,o13.40; 1907, $66S,sl3. 12; 1908, $s49,027.24.