East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-06-04


Washington, ID. C.-Inventories oi
and territory are proposed In a plan
just announced by the joint commit
tee on conservation in this city. The
joint committee is national headquar-
ters for the conservation movement,
and has offices in the Wyatt build
ing All of the 48 big national organi-
cations now working with the joint
committee through their conservation
committees are to be asked to help,
each in its own special field.
The plan contemplates the practi-
cal application by the states and ma
tional organizations Of the conserva-
ton principles declared by the gov
ernors and presidents of the great ma
tional organizations in their notable
conference at the White House
year ago. Letters explaining the plan
have been sent out to the chairman of
the official conservation commissions
appointed, and letters to the natona,
organizations will FOLLOW. The list
of conservation commissions is con-
stantly grwlng and the plan Is eXpetc-
ed soon TO be in operation in practi
cally every state. Some Of the ma
tional organizations cooperating
with the joint committee are the Ma
tlonal Board Of Trade, the National
Association OF Manufacturers, the
American Federation of Labor the
National Council OF Commerce, the
big lumber organizations and others
representing all the great national
resources OF the country.
Plan Proposed by Governors
The plan for cooperation by the
state and national organizations was
proposed by the governors and the re-
representatives. of national organizations |
themselves. Details have been worked
out by the joint committee on con- |
servation, which they established at |
their second conference in this city |
last December Meeting with the |
governors In that conference were /
state conservation commissions, con-
servatoion committees and representa-
tives Of national organizations, and |
the national conservation commits
sion. Both President Roosevelt and
President-elect Taft took part.
The joint committee has been at
work on this plan since March. when
it took up the work of the national
conservation commission, which was
prohibited from continuing its work
under the government by the Tawney
amendment to the sundry civil act
On account of the varied natural re-
sources. much difficulty was met in
devising plan which would serve
state equally we'll The result was a
general plan applying to the whole
country rather than to any state Or
section or to any one class Of resourc-
es. The joint committee suggests ear
ly meetings of the state conservation
commissions to take up, first the
most pressing conservation problems
in the respective states. For instance,
in Louisiana il Is the terrific waste of
natural gas, which the state conserva-
ton commission is already trying to
stop. In Oregon n pressing question
has been water power, which is also
n leading issue just now in Michigan
and Wisconsin. In many states 1t Is
the forest question. The question Of
the conservation Of water power takes
a front rank in a great many states,
and it is becoming more and more of
general issue.
Would Classify Resources
In suggesting inventories of state
resources the plan calls for definite
statements as to what we have,
where it is, what we use and waste,
and what we need to do" The Joint
committee suggets to the state COM
missions that the natural resources be
classed so far as practicable under five
general heards: G) water resources,
CD forest resources, (3) land resour-
ces. and (4) mineral resources and
considered in relation to (5) public
health. The statement Of conditions
as to state resources are to comprise
not only natural and commercial re-
lations, such as quantity, distribution
rate of production, cost and profit of
operation, transportation and estimat- i
ed duration of supply of those re- @
sources, but also legal relations with
regard to them, with the text Of revel-
want laws.
The state commissions are called
upon not only for statement of local
needs to cover current Industrial and
economic relations, but also for
specific suggestions as to legislative
or administrative action required. This
latter suggestion is regarded by the II
Joint commission as Of great import. 2