The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-02-20
ROOSEVELT PLANS
WORLDS MEETING
ON RESOURCES
FOREIGN NATIONS HAVE URGED
MOVEMENT TO PRESERVE RE-
Es-coNFERENcE WILL
BE HELD AT THE HAGUE.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20.-President
Roosevelt expects 10 invite all the
civilized nations OF the world 10 par
ticipate In a great conference for the
conservation OF natural resources AT
The Hague next autumn. His action
is back partly on the request or the
delegates OF Mexico and Canada, who
are attending the conservation con-
terence here. but principally on MS
own initiative. The state department
will send out the invitations To the
foreign nations at once. The form or
invitation has been drawn up by Secre-
tary OF State Bacon, In consultation
with President Roosevelt and Ginord
Pinchot The forengn nations nave
intimated that they would attend such
a meeting. They have urged the pres
ident To proceed with the plan to con-
serve the resources OF all nations.
The nations who entered SO cordial
" into the spirit Of the enterprise are
not named at this time. but 1t Is GER
tain that Great Britain is one OF them,
and probably France and Germany are
among those from which more or less
enthusiastic responses have been re-
ceived Ostensibly the action original
ed, however, In the recommendation
lately made to the president by the
Canadian and Mexican commissioners
who are attending the present North
American conservation conference III
Washington.
Wants Foreign Ideas.
The matter was talked over at
luncheon at the White House yester-
day at which the president entertain
ed the Canadian and Mexican visitors
as guests OF honor Secretary of State
Bacon and Senator Knox also were
present.
The president believes that the ma
tons OF the world can gain good deal
BY conference and cooperation In re-
gard To- the conservation of natural re-
sources, and he believes that the Unit
cd States can learn good deal from
what has been done already by some
of the nations OF Europe. He makes
Il clear, however, that the matter OF
the tariff. which might easily be con-
sidered by some persons as related TO
any international movement for con
seryatilon, will not be one OF the sub
iects for discussion at the proposed
Hague conference.
The president last year recommend
ed that the tariff on wood pulp be
removed on the ostensible ground that
The free admission OF this material
into the United States would mean
The saving OF our national store OF pulp
wood IL has been suggested by some
persons that the corollary OF this prop
osition Is that the forests OF Canada
and other countries would, under this
plan, suffer the depletion which IL Is
proposed TO avoid in the United States.
and that this is hardly consistent with
the idea OF international cooperation
in conservation AFFAIRS.
Cooperation Wanted.
The president said in his speech az
the White House TO the Canadian and
Mexican delegates. however. that in
ternational cooperation was wanted
because no nation should seek TO build
itself up at the expense OF another,
Nothing would be gained by so doing,
he said The president has said moth
ing recently about free wood pulp. and
it Is presumed that he regards interna-
tional conservation Of natural resour-
ces as greater question.
| The presidents idea is that the
| Hague conference would be held
next September, and that all nations
which participated in The Hague arbi-
| tration conference and perhaps some
others could be invited to send dele
gates. There were 40 nations repre-.
| sented at the arbitration conference.
A general program would be drawn up
by the state department furnishing
subjects of discussion, but this pro
gram will be completed only after ex-
tended diplomatic correspondence with
view to obtaining the wishes of the
participating nations. 1t is proposed
TO start a movement. through the COM
ing worlds conference, toward obtain
ing a grand inventory OF all the nat
nral resources of the world so that
the human race may have as accurate
an account OF stock as possible; to