Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-07
Interested In Cheap Fuel.

1He prairie states are moro interest
ed than any other in the question Of
cheap fuel. We 10 not depend upon
Alaska for our future supply There is
abundant coal on the Pacifc coast
nearer to our seaports and commercial
centers. While we lament the exhaus-
ton of our coal supply we maintain
tariff that compels us to draw upon it
continuously. 1t would be well to cast
out this beam before we worry too
much over the conservation mote.
The iron deposits of Minnesota. the
most wonderful in the world, are today
not only furnishing industry in the ma
ton with it's raw material. but are pill
ing up school fund at home that is
the envy of other states and adding
tents of the states treasury. Minnesota
is considering the reduction of her gen.
eral tax levy by one-half. Would 1t be
better II these lands were today held
idle and unproductive by the federal
government or worked only on leases
whose proceeds went into the federal
treasury and enabled Congress to
squander a few more millions in an
nual appropriations?
Against some forestry theories the
west enters an even stronger plea
What the United States needs Is neither
reckless destruction nor an embargo
upon our splendid western common
wealths by locking up a considerable
OI tnclT available area mere
were. by the last report of the forestry
service over 194. 100000 acres Withdrawn
from use in our forest reserves June
30. 1909. OF this. nearly So per cent
over $4,000. 900 acres, or $4,000 square
miles. lies in six western states. That
is an area six-sevenths the size of Ger
many or France. II Is 80 per cent of
the size of the Incorporated and un-
reserved land in those six states.
Vast Areas Conveyed.
1.-THE forest reserve and the lands con-
veyed by congressional grants to private
interests in Oregon amount to some 90
600 square miles. More than half the
area of this great state has been with
drawn by action OF the government in
one way or another from cultivation
and the enjoyment and profit OF the
people OF the state. Over one-third OF
Idaho and % per cent of Washington
are forest reserves. Colorado Is almost
as badly of: and not more than 30
per cent of its forest reserves Is COW
cred with merchandise timber, while
about 40 per cent has no timber at all.
On the Olympic peninsula are lands re-
ported to be withdrawn to conserve our
water supply where the annual rain
fall amounts to something like seven
to ten feet. According to the Official re-
port. the cost of administering the for
est service in 1909 was a little short
of 5000, 600, and the receipts were $780,
COO The deficit in current account alone
was over 81 100000. The total disbursements
were over 81 400, 900, and the actual deficit
81, 100000.
Has 1000 Employees
THE forestry reserve has over 1000 en-
ployes. In 1899 they planted GIL acres
and sowed LIPS acres more. The west
believes I'm forest preservation. But IL
believes practically and not theoretically.
1t realizes that a good thing may cost
too much. and is not ignorant of the ex-
travagant financial tendency Of every
federal department and bureau II wants
all good agricultural land open to the
settler. wherever it may be situated. 1t
wants timber resources conservatively
utilized and not wasted or destroyed.
''In connection with forestry interests,
there is just now much question of the
conservation of water power sites. The
demand Is that federal lands forming
such sites should be withdrawn and
leased for the profit and at the pleasure
of the federal government. Against
this the whole west rightly protests
The water power differs frfom the coal
deposit in that IL Is not destroyed by
use II will do its undimiuished work as
long as the rains fall and the SHOWS
melt Not the resource but the use OF
IL is a proper subject for conservation
and regulation. To withdraw these
sources of potential wealth from present
utilization Is to take just so much from
the Industrial capital of the states in