Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-09-08
CONSERVATION A DUTY,
DECLARES PRESIDENT TAFT
Members of National Congress at St. Paul Find
Him Thoroughly in Accord with Their
Ideas---His Speech.

nt4i I'll tcE HLI-ES " L-AC HACJC|t7s 81 mat
the projects, worthy and feasible, might
be promptly completed, and the settlers
might be relieved from their present in
convenience and hardship. In authorizing
the issue of these projects, congress lin
tied the application Of their proceeds to
those projects which board Of army en-
gineers, to be appointed by the president,
should examine and determine to be
feasible and worthy Of completion. The
board has been appointed and soon will
make its report.
Suggestions have been made that the
United States ought to aid in the drain
age of swamp lands belonging to the
states or private owners, because, if
drained they would be exceedingly val
liable f. agriculture and contribute to
the general welfare by extending the
area of cultivation. I deprecate the agi-
tation in favor of such legislation. 1t is
inviting the general government into
contribution from its treasury toward en-
terprises that should be conducted either
by private capital or at the instance of
the state. In these days there is a dispo-
sition to look too much to the federal
government for everything. I am liberal
in the construction of the Constitution
with reference to federal power; but l
am firmly convinced that the only safe
course for us to pursue is to hold fast
to the limitations Of the Constitution and
to regard as sacred the powers of the
states. We have made wonderful prog
ress and at the same time have pre-
served with judicial eXactnesS the re-
strictiOns of the Constitution. There is
an easy way in which the Constitution
can be violated by congress without
judicial inhibition, to-wit, by appropria-
lions from the national treasury for IN
constitutional purposes. It will be a sorry
day for this country if the time ever
dow +oJ
shall be habitualIy disregarded in this
manner.
Mineral Lands.
BY mineral lands I mean those lands
bearing metals, or what are called metal
Iiferous minerals. The rules of owner
ship and disposition of these lands were
first fixed by custom in the west and
then were embodied in the law, and they
have worked, on the whole, so fairly and
well that 1 do not think 1t is wise to
attempt to change or better them.
Forest Lands.
Nothing can be more important in the
matter of conservation than the treatment
of our forest lands. 1t was probably the
ruthless destruction Of forests in the
older states that first called attention to
a halt in the waste of our resources. This
was recognized by congress by an act
authorizing the executive to reserve from
entry and set aside public timber lands
as national forests Speaking generally,
there has been reserved of the existing
forests about seventy per cent. of all
the timber lands of the government.
Within these forests Including &c, 000, 900
acres in two forests in Alaska) are 1872,
900 900 of acres, of which 166,0O0,000 of
acres are in the United States proper and
include within their boundaries some
thing like 22.0OO,0OO of acres that belong
to the state or to private individuals We
have then, excluding Alaska forests
total of about 100000 acres of forests
belonging to the government which is
being treated in accord with the princi-
pies of scientific forestry.
The government timber in this coun-
try amounts to only one-fourth of all the
timber the rest being in private own
ership. Only three per cent. of that which
is in private ownership is looked after
properly and treated according to mod
ern rules of forestry. The usual de-
structive waste and neglect continues in
the remainder of the forests owned by
private persons and corporations It is
estimated that fire alone destroys $50000,
900 worth of timber a year. The
management of forests not on public
land is beyond the jurisdiction of the fed
eral government. If anything can be done
by law it must be done by the state leg
constitutional power to require the
forcement of regulations in the general
public interest. as to fire and other
causes of waste in the management, of
forests owned by private individuals and
corporations.
I have shown sufficiently the conditions
as to federal forestry TO indicate that no
further legislation is needed at the mo-
ment except an increase in the fire pro-
lection to national forests and an act
vesting the executive with full power to
make forest reservations in every state
where government land is timber-covered,
or where the land is needed for forestry
purposes.
Coal Lands.
The next subject and one most fmpor-
tant for our consideration, is the DISPOSE
ton of the coal lands in the United
States and in Alaska. First as to those
in the United States. At the beginning
of this administration they were classi-
fed coal lands amounting to SAG, 600
acres, and there were withdrawn from
entry for purposes of classification IT,
$4,000 acres. Since that time thare have
been withdrawn by my order from entry
for classification 7764S,OO0 acres, making
total withdrawal of 95,515, 600 acres.
Meantime, of the acres thus withdrawn,
II, 81 900 have been classified and found
not to contain coal, and have been re-
stored to agri Iltural entry, and 1856 900
acres have been classified as coal lands;
while 79.7SS, 600 acres remain withdrawn
from entry and await classification. In
addition 1876, coo acres have been classi-
fed as coal lands without prior withdraw
al, thus increasing the classified coal
lands to 10 900 acres.
Under the laws providing for the dispo-
sition of coal lands, the minimum price
at which lands are permitted to be sold
is $40 an acre; but the secretary of the
interior has the power TO fix maximum
price and sell at that price. BY the first
regulations governing appraisal. ap>
proved April s, 1901 the minimum was So
as provided by law. and the maximum
was $780, and the highest price actually
placed upon any land sold was So. I'm
der the new regulations adopted April 10,
1909, the maximum price was increased to
$500, except in regions where there are
large mines, where no maximum limit is
fixed and the price is determined by the
estimated tons of coal to the acre The
highest price fixed for any land under
this regulation has been $685. The an
praisal value of the lands classified as
coal lands and valued under the new and
old regulations is shown TO be as follows:
4S03,s1 acres, valued under the old regu-
lations at $77644,S29 an average of SIS an
acre; and 5,S64,702 acress classified and
valued under the new regulation at s394.-
203242 or a total of 10, I6S. 623 acres. val
ued at S471S4751
For the year ending March 81. 1909. 227
coal entries were made embracing an
area of 1881 acres. which sold for $685..
o204O For the year. ending March 81.
ISIo, there were 1I6 entries, embracing an