New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-13
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

|, vision authorizing the employment of busi-
ness experts to go over the methods of the
several departments and revise the prac-
tees. many of which date back almost to
the foundation of the government Atten-
ton was called recently in this column TO
the great saving effected by the Secretary
of the Treasury through the assistance OF
a firm of Chicago business experts, most
of whose services were rendered without
compensation. Only small section of the
Treasury Department was investigated by
these experts. and yet material saving
has been effected. Secretary MacNeagh Is
convinced that the greatest good would re-
suit from the employment of these experts
to revise the methods throughout the ex-
ecutive DEPARTING, is, and the President is
extremely anxious that funds be provided
to permit the work to be done.
ECUADOR AND PERU.-Desofte the
beligerent tone of the dispatches from
Ecuador and Peru, some of which predict
war almost Immediately, there is little anx-
iety on that score among those familiar
with the physical conditions In the first
named country It is declared that these
conditions make war almost impossible :;
that even the United States could not in
wade Ecuador In less than year and then
at a cost of many millions of dollars,
and il is regarded as highly improbable that
Peru will undertake any such protracted
and expensive campaign. The war talk rs
attributed to political conditions and the
factional demand of the people, who have
no conception of what war would mean.
ARMY ENGINEERS.-A provision in the
AZ -
fcers in the army engineer corps robs the
predicted strike of the reclamation en-
gineers of all its terrors. There has been
much talk to the effect that were Director
Newell of the reclamation service removed
10 do which seems TO be the intention of Sec
rotary Ballinger, the engineers throughout
the service would strike" Not a great
deal of Importance is attached to these
threats, but if they should be carried out
teh administration, with the enactment Of
the pending legislation, would be in posi-
ton 10 place army engineer officers in
charge of the reclamation work, with, 1t is
believed. great benefit to the work. A fur
Their benefit of the legislation would be that
II would enable the President at any time
to detail army engineers TO inspect and su
pervise the work of the reclamation engi-
by the government. The high credit al
ready won by the engineer corps in connec
tion with the Panama Canal makes il seem
to the administration the more desirable
TO use officers of the corps to inspect the
important engineering work of the reclame
ton service.
FORESTRY DISORGANIZED- is as
cd hxzn Hnio lc Of !, |,
a state OF consdera BILE Reorganization ex-
lists in that service. and that for practically
three years the broader problems of con-
servation have taken precedence of the
practical administration of the Forest Ser
vice. These men insist that abundant credit
should be given to Clifford Pinchot as the
pioneer in the forest conservation move
ment. but they intimate that Mr.. Pinchot
was more successful in the preliminary
propaganda than in the more tedious and
exacting work Of executive administration,
and that recently he had been SO absorbed in
the promotion of the general conservation
movement that he had little time for the
purely executive work which formerly en-
gagged his attention. His subordinates il is
asserted, have resorted to the expedient of
including vast areas of range lands in the
forest reserves. deferringN as long as posi-
bic the elimination of the land not suitable
for forest purposes, and have sought TO
make creditable financial showing by
renting as sheep ranges the lands SO in
cluded. 1t is asserted that sheep pasturage
is fatal to reforestatior, and that only an
anxiety to Offset extravagant methods of
administration, by enhanced pecuniary re-
ce!ptS could ever induce a genuine forester
TO admit sheep to the national forests
G. G. H.