Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-01-14

water-power sites through all the pub
Iceland States. Tho opinion is neld
tina the transfer of sovereignty from
h Federal government to the terrl-
tcrial governments as they become
States, included the water power i'll
the rivers except so far as that owned
by riparian proprietors. do not think
it necessary to go into q discussion OF
this somewhat mooted question OF law.
1t seems to me sufficient to say that the
man who owns and controls the land
along the stream from which the power
is to be converted and transmitted
owns land which is Indispensable to the
conversion and use of that power. l
cannot conceive how the power in
streams flowing through public lands
can be made available at all except by
using the land itself as the site for the
construction of he plant by Whlch the
power is generated and converted and
securing a right of way thereover for
transmission lines. Under these con-
ditions, if the government owns the
adjacent l~and-indeed, If the govern
ment is the riparian owner-it may con-
troll the use of the water power by I'M
posing proper conditions IN the dis
position of the land necessary in the
creation and utilization of the water
lower.
The development in electrical APP
pliances for the conversion of the water
power into electricity to be transmit
ted long distances has progressed 50
far that it is no longer problematical,
but it is a certain inference that in the
future the power of the water falling
in the treams to a large extent Will
take the place of natural fuels. In the.
disposition of the domain already
granted many w-ater-power sites have
come under absolute ownership, n
may drift into one ownership, so that
all the water power under private own
ership shall be a monopoly. If, how
ever, the 'water-power sites now owned
by the governInent-and there are
enough of them-shall be disposed of
to private persons for the investment
of their capital in such a way as to
prevent their union for purposes of
| monopoly with other water-power
| sites, and under conditions hat shall
limit the right of use to not exceeding
thirty years. with renewal privileges,
| and some equitable means for fixing
terms of rental and with proper means
for determining a reasonable graduated
rental, it would seem entirely possible
to prevent the absorption of these most
useful lands by a power monopoly. AS
long as the government retains con-
troll and can prevent their improper
! union with other plants, competition
must be maintained and prices kept
reasonable.
The Preservation of Soil.
nL.L|E
In considering the conservation of The
natural Of the country, the
feature that transcends all others, in
cluding woods, waters. minerals, is the
soil of the country. 1T is incumbent
upon the government to foster by all
available means the OF the
country that produce the food of the
people. To this end the conservation
OF the soils of the country should be
cared for with all means at the gov
ernment's disposal. Their productive
powers should have the attention of
our scientists that we may conserve the
new soils, improve the old soils, drain
wet soils, ditch swamp soils, leyee river
overflow soils, grow trees on hin soils,
pasture hillside soils, rotate crops on
all soils, discover methods for crop
ping dry-land soils, find grasses and
legumes for all soils. feed sruins and
mill feeds on the farms Who're they
originate, thai the soils FROM which
they come may be enriched.
A Worlg of the utmost Importance TO
inform and instruct the public on this
chief branch of the conservation OF
our is being carried on sue