The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-12-06

partment into statistics and prices
| shows that on the average since 1891
farm products have increased in value
~ per cent. while the things which
the farmer buys for use have increas-
ed but IL per cent. an indication that
present conditions are favorable to the
farming community.
Forest Service.
have already referred to the forests
Of the United States and their extent
and have urged. as do again. the re.
moval OF the Limitation upon the power
Of the executive to reserve other tracts
Of land in six western states in which
withdrawal for this purpose is now
forbidden. The secretary OF agrieHh
ture gives a very full description of the
disastrous fires that occurred during
the last summer in the national for
ests. A drought more intense than any
recorded i'm the history of the west had
introduced a condition into the forests
which made fires almost inevitable,
and locomotive sparks, negligent camp
ers and in some cases incendiaries fur
nished the needed immediate cause.
At one time the fires were so extend
ed that they covered Il range of n hum
dred miles. and the secretary estimates
that standing timber of the value Of
SD 100000 was destroyed. Seventy-six
persons in the employ OF the forest
service We're killed and many more in
jured. and / regret to say that there
is no provision in the law by which the
expenses for their hospital treatment
or OF their interment could be met out
of public funds.
The Red Cross contributed thou
sand dollars. and the remainder of the
necessary expenses was made up by
private contribution. chiefly from the
force of the forest service and its Off
Gals.
recommend that suitable legislation
be adopted to enable the secretary Of
agriculture to meet the moral obliga-
lions OF the government in this re-
spect.
The specific fund for fighting fires
was only about S135OOO. but there ex
listed discretion In the secretary in
case Of an emergency to apply other
! funds in his control to this purpose,
and he did so to the extent Of nearly a
million Of dollars, which will involve
the presentation Of deficiency esti-
mate for the current fiscal year OF
| over 100000. The damage done was
not, therefore. due to the lack OF an
| appropriation by congress available to
meet the emergency. but the difficulty
! of fighting 1t lay in the remote points
where the fires began and where 1t
was impossible with the roads and
trails as they now exist promptly to
reach them. Proper protection neces-
states. as the secretary points out.
| the expenditure Of a good deal more
money in the development Of roads
and trails in the forests, the establish
ment Of lookout stations and tele-
phone connection between them and
| places where assistance can be Sc
cured.
The amount OF reforestation shown
| in the report Of the forest service
| only about 1900 acres as compared
with the 15OOOO,OOO acres Of national
| forests-seems small, and l am glad
| to note that in this regard the secre-
| tary of agriculture and the chief of
| the forest service are looking forward
| to far greater activity in the use of
available government land for this
purpose.
| Progress has been made in learning
by experiment the best methods Of re-
! foresting. Congress is appealed to
now by the secretary of agriculture
to make the appropriations needed for
charging the usefulness of the forest
service in this regard. l hope that
congress will approve and adopt the
estimate Of the secretary for this pur-
pose.