The Colorado statesman., 1910-04-09
IMPORTANT TO coLoRADo-lN.
CREASE FROM FOREST RE-
SERVES $4,000 OR MORE.
SCHOOLS AND ROADS
FoRTY-TWo OUT OF 60 COLORADO
COUNTIES ARE IN THE MA
TIoNAL FOREST ZONE.

/
amendment to the agricultural appro
priation bill to increase from 25 per
cent to 35 per cent the moneys to be
paid to the states and territories, out
of the receipts of their respective for
est reserves, to be expended for roads
and schools, under the direction OF the
legislatures, in the counties in which
the reserves are located.
This amendment passed the Senate
and the bill is now in conference. The
senator has strong hopes that it will
be agreed to.
This is quite an important item so
far as Colorado is concerned.
In 1907 the amount received by Col
orado from grazing permits, sale of
timber, etc, from its forest reserves
was $15, ,791. .67-under the law at that
time the state received but 10 per
cent. of the receipts. In 1908 the
amount was increased by law to 25
per cent, and Colorado received $780,
g55.67 in 1908, and $59,761.2S in 1909.
If Senator Guggenheims amendment
Increasing the amounts from 20 per
cent. to 35 per cent. is finally adopted,
1t will mean an increase over the pres
ent amounts received of 40 per cent,
or almost s25,00O a year more.
The amounts paid to the states and
territories from the receipts of their
forest reserves for the years 1907, 1908
and 1909, were as follows: 1907 90
per cent? $153.032.19; 1908 (25 per
cent? s447,O63.79; 1909 (25 per cent?
S444, $1,000.
Under Senator Guggenheim's amend
ment it would be figured on last years
receipts, $622, ,130, or s177,751 more
than the amount paid this year.
On June seth, there were included
within the forest reserves of the
United States, after deducting not only
lands actually alienated through the
Issuance of patent or final certificate,
but also claims entered or pending, in
sofar as they were known to the For
est Service through notification from
the general land office, 145,541,222
acres, or about 227,40S square miles;
an area larger than the entire New
England states, New York, New Jer-
sey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland
and Ohio combined-the total area OF
these states being but 214,6S3 square
miles.
OF the total area of forest reserves
IN the United States, all but 2,774
square miles thereof lies west OF the.
1O4th principal meridian.
OF the entire area of Colorado over
231h per cent. is within national forest
boundaries: in California almost 28 per
cent; in Arizona, 81 per cent; Idaho,
81 per cent; Montana, % per cent;
Nevada, per cent; New Mexico, IA
per cent; Oregon, almost 27 per cent;
TN Utah, IA per cent; in washington,
2S per cent, and in Wyoming, 14h
per cent.
Out of sixty counties in the state OF
Colorado, forty-two of them lie partly
or wholly within the national forests.
All of the eighteen counties not within
the reserves are plains counties, and
never had any timber on them; the
cultivation of their soil being entirely
dependent upon irrigation or by dry
farming methods.
The counties lying wholly without
the national forests in Colorado con-
tain 81 per cent. of the land surface
of the state and A per cent. OF its
population
While 1t is true that the lands in
cluded in forest reservations are not
taxable by the state for any purpose,
the progress of settlement is impeded
in these sections; meas of communi-
cation are often hampered; the bur-
dens of the state and of the counties
are increased, without any ample re-
he ant-itE
not paying taxes, not being occupied,
nor permitted to be used by the peo-
pie.
The amendment increasing the
amount to be paid out of the proceeds
of forest reserves from 25 per cent. to
| az per cent. would seem like very
Inadequate return for the withdrawal
from use and settlement, but on the
other hand it will be of great benefit
10 the people of the state in that 1t Is
expended in the building OF roads
which should endure for ages, and for
the building of schools and for school
purposes. AS good roads has become
the slogan, this Is means to build
through Colorado's mountains hlgh-
ways which should be as much trav-
eled in a few years hence by travellers
who come to see the american Alps"
MS are their counterparts in Europe.
SCHOOLS and roads have been this
nations greatest civilizers," said Sen
ator Guggenheim, speaking of this bill.
.Without these conservators of intel
ligence and communication we might
still be trading wampum and eating
raw fish and buffalo meat, and the
conservation of our resources would be
hut an idle dream. Every school
house and every road in this country
is an asset that cannot be measured
| 4. doIlara and every means that can