The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-08
Representative Weeks Advocates
 Reservation Of Eastern Forests

washington, Dec. 7.--RepresentAtfve !. W. Weeks, of Massachusetts. . lead ing advocate of forest reservations Tn the Eastern portion of the country. who is the author of the Weeks For sstry bill. passed by the House of Rep. resentatives at the last session, ana again introduced by him at the specaa' session just passed, said:
 II very gladly avail myself Of the opportunity of outlining the. provisions of my measure, and giving some iaea If the prospects for It's enactment into law at this session of Congress.
 IssThe matter of forest reservations ID The East has been before Congress TOT many years. It has the endorsement oi men of science. of commercial and CIV fc associationS, navigation and power 1nterests. arriculturists. economists and oehers who. seeiuE the menace tnvoiv- "a in present conditions. have. ear nestly and pointedly shown that the onlv affective remedy for present con- ditious was the acquisition by the gov ernment of the forest cover at the head waters of our important New Engian1 and Southern streams This being shown so clearly. means that It ts time 1o act. and the result was that the Sil, introduced by me at the last ses- aIon. passed the House afterya . favora. Die report thereon by the Asricuitural
 .Why then, was 1t not enacted into aaw. the Congressman was askedf
 Not Considered by Senate.
 "The bill passed the House on March 1st. at the very close or the ses- sion, and reached the Senate too la.s for it to receive the Senate's consfuera- fion. The attitude of the Senate has always been in favor of these Eastern reservations, for the Senate has pass ed practically unanimously. two piils at previous sessions. to establish tnese reseryations, and would. in my opinion have acted favorably on my measure had there been time"
 Continuing. Mir. Weeks saio; Iee' that there are excellent prospects lol ~ The measure the coming season. It is one that the country is demanding: us necessity has been clearly proved py many years of painstaking fnvestiga- tion. and having passed at various sessions both the Senate and the mousse though not at the same session, De- lieve 1t can be again passed when promptly introduced and vigorously followed up. I plan to take 1t up on the opening day of the coming session and if It's friends and advocates will closely follow 1t along it's Legislative course, 1t should be able to reach a vote in both the Senate and the House at an early date.
 Taking np, at your request. the es- eentiai features of the bill proposed by me, It's general scope is indicated in its title; it Is called a bill to enable any State to co-cperate with any other State or States. or with the United States. for the protection e the water sheds of navigable streams. and to ap- point q commission for the acquisition of lands for the purpose of conserving the navigabiltty of navigable streams. The bill is general in It's terms. as you see, as regards the area to be acquir- cd. for while the Appalachian and White Mountain areas are the ones most urgently needed. there are other watersheds In the East requiring. oi that win later require. similar protec' tion. and with the eleven million dol lars proposed to bs spent over Q per bin, q very subsfantiai4area would bs tIaus acquired wherever most urgentl, needed. The bill provides. too. for ar annual appropriation Of S200.000 to bs epent in fire protection. in such Statc, as have dre laws. and an effective frs warden system, allotted to such States in proportion to the amount expended by that State for the same purpose during the same fiscal year. This ap. propriation would be in the hands oi the Secretary of Agriculture. and would enable him to work out an effective co. operative plan between the States and the government. which would cut down the tremendous annual fire loss in oui forests. and it can be said in passing that while some of thf States are do. ing this necessary State duty, the ma 3ority of the States are totally disra- garding this duty.f and are totally in.