The Prescott daily news., 1909-01-22

without delay. It provides for com- prehensive system of waterway i'm provement extending to all the uses of the waters and benefits to be derived from their control, including naviga- tion, the development of power, the ex- tension of irrigation, the drainage of swamp and overflow lands, the pre- vention of soil wash and the purifica- tion of streams for water supply. It proposes to carry out the work by CO., ordinating agencies in the federal de- partments through the medium of an administrative commission or board, acting in cooperation with the states and other organizations and individual citizens.
 The work of waterway development should be undertaken without delay. Meritorious projects in known con- formity with the general outlines of any comprehensive plan should pro- ceed at once. The cost of the whole work should be met by direct apprO- priation if possible, but if necessary by the issue of bonds in small denomi- nations.
 It is especially important that the development of water power should be guarded with the utmost care both by the national government and by the states in order to protect the people against the upgrowth of monopoly and to insure to them fair share in the benefits which will follow the develop ment of this great asset, which belongs to the people and should be controlled by them.
 Forests.
 urge that provision be made for both protection and more rapid devel- opment of the national forests. Other wise either the increasing use of these forests by the people must be checked or their protection against fire must be dangerously weakened. If we con- areas on private and national forest lands during the past year, the govern ment fire patrol saved commercial tim Der worth as much as the total cost of caring for all national forests at the present rate for about ten years.
 I especially commend to the congress the facts presented by the commission as to the relation between forests and stream flow fin its bearing upon the i'm portance of the forest lands in nation al ownership. Without an understand ing of this intimate relation the con
 .l trtpp sources must largely fail.
 The time has fully arrived for recog- nizing in the law the responsibility to the community, the state and the na- ton which rests upon the private own CTS of private lands. The ownership of forest land is public trust. The man who would so handle his forest as to cause erosion and to injure stream flow must be not only educated, but he must be controlled.
 The report of the national conserva- tion commission says:
 Forests in private ownership cannot be conserved unless they are protected from fire We need good fire laws, we'll en- forced Fire control Is impossible with out an adequate force of men whose sole duty is fire patrol during the dangerous season.
 I hold as first among the tasks be- fore the states and the nation in their respective shares in forest conserva- ton the organization of efficient fire patrols and the enactment of good fire laws on the part of the states.
 The report says further:
 Present tax laws prevent reforestation of cut over land and the perpetuation or existing forests by use. An annual tax upon the land itself, exclusive of the tim ber and a tax upon the timber when cut is well adapted to actual conditions Of forest investment and is practicable and certain. It Is far better that forest land should pay a moderate tax permanently than that 1t should pay an excessive rev enue temporarily and then cease to yield at all.
 Second only in importance to good fire laws we'll enforced is the enact ment of tax laws which will permit the perpetuation of existing forests by use.