Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-03-16
CONSERVATION UP
TO The STATES,
BALLlNGER SAYS
Their Obligation Greater Than
the General Governments,
He Tells Convention.

ST. PAUL, Mimi, March 16.-As
ardent an advocate of wise conserva-
ton as the most radical was the way
IN which Secretary Ballinger, of the
Interior Department, in a speech to-
day before the State conservation con-
vention, expressed his policy in regard
to the public land question. but"
he added, lit must be wise conserya-
ton to appeal to me-"
Secretary Ballinger declared himself
out of sympathy with those radicals
who fear that all natural our are
being used up without m considers
ton for future generations.
Our country he said, lis the
richest of all in natural resources. Its
soil, its minerals, its coal, its iron, its
granite, its limestone, its water power
and its climate possess unreasonable
wealth, and, if properly utilized, con-
tain sufficient resource to care for all
probable increase in the population OF
our country in the years to come.
1T seems to me- he continued, that
WI should not try to impose the whole
burden of conservation on the general
government, but leave it to the States
ans to the municipalities to work out.
except in so far as national inter-
ference is necessary to protect ma
tional interests; and | want to be
understood as opposed to the theory
that, because the State has not exer-
cised to the full it's powers in the mat
ter of reforms, ipso facto the national
government must exercise them.
But we must not forget" he as
serted, THAT we are not through with
the policy of development, of building
up new communities and settlements,
even in far-off Alaska. We have not
reached that period where we a say
the remainder of our public lands shall
be auctioned off to the highest bidder
to increase the e of the ma
tional treasury. They must still be used
as Inducements to increase thrifty
settlements and provide new homes to
landless settlers n to promote com
merce and Industrial pursuits in the
most remote regions of the West"
Mr.. Ballinger declared that the pres
ent laws and methods of disposal of de-
posits of coal, phosphates, oil and
natural gas are utterly impractical,
eitherl from the standpoint of the
locator or that of the government, land
no adequate method exists" he added.
for controlling or supervising hydro
electric power produced from power
plants installed on government water
power sites. No man or set Of men can
comply with the present law and
finance a coal mine On the public
domain on GAO acres of land, except
under extremely favorable conditions.
The absurdity of the law In itself in
vited fraud and indirect methods of
evadjng its provisions. 1t is hoped
Congress will furnish the interior de-
partment with the necessary machinery
to guard safely and properly the public
interests in their ultimate disposition
Preceding Mr.. Baiiinger's address
Archbishop Ireland and Clinton r.
Woodruff, of Philadelphia, made ad-
dresses. Governor Eberhart announced
that the convention was to be a perma-
nent annual fixture in Minnesota.
MIR. Woodruff told the delegates that
the East was in hearty accord with the
West in the matter of conservation OF
the resources of the country.