Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-06

which ought not to be disposed of as
agricultural lands, tracts amounting to
about 100000 acres. The withdrawals
were hastily made and included great
| deal OF land that was not useful for
power sites. They were intended to in
clude the power sites on twenty-nine
rivers in nine states. Since that time
3,475,442 acres have been restored for
settlement of the original 100000, be-
cause they do not contain power sites;
and meantime there have been newly
withdrawn 1,245892 acres on vacant
public land and 21,007 acres on entered
public land, or total of 1,456,S99 acres.
These Withdrawals made from time to
time cover all the power sites included
in the first Withdrawals, and many
more, on 1876 rivers and in eleven states.
The disposition of these power sites in
wolves one of the most difficult ques-
tions presented In carrying out prac-
tical conservation. The forest service.
under power found in the statute, has
leased a number of these power sites
in forest reserves by reVocable leases,
but no such power exists with respect
to power sites that are not located
within forest reserves, and the rev.
ocable system of leasing is, of course,
not satisfactory one for the purpose
of inviting the capital needed to put In
proper plants for the transmutation of
power.
"The subject is one that calls for new
legislation. 1t has been thought that
there was danger of combination to
obtain possession Of all the power
sites and to unite them under one con-
troll. Whatever the evidence of this,
or lack of it, at present we have had
enough experience to know that COM
bination would be profitable, and the
control of a great number OF power
sites would enable the holders or own
ers to raise the price Of power at will
within certain sections; and the tempta-
ton would promptly attract investors,
and the danger of monopoly would not
be q remote one.
"However this may be, it is the plain
duty of the government to see to 1t
that in the utilization and development
of all this immense amount of water
power, conditions shall be imposed that
will prevent monopoly, and will pre-
vent extortionate charges, which are
the accompaniment of monopoly"
Tomorrow's program is headed by an
address by Theodore Roosevelt, and in
cludes addresses by Francis j. Heney
of California, President Fowler of the
national irrigation congress, and for
mer Governor Pardee of California.
Senator KnNte Nelson made the fol-
lowing address before the conference
today:
TALKS OF PUBLIC LAND ACTS
Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota prefaced
a careful review Of public land acts by the
statement that the natural resources Of the
country should be conserved by the individual,
the state and the nation-the farmer his soil,
the state its lands, its forests and its waters,
and the federal government the resources OF
its mines its forests and its lands with their
appurtenances.
He then sketched the situation at the close
of the Revolution, when the money-poor, land
rich government sought to dispose CT it's lands.
The well meant laws enacted, however, re-
suited in small gain to the country and big
profit to speculators who did not hesitate at
shady methods to increase their wealth.
1.-THE law allowing lands to be secured at
private entry wrs repealed in 1889 and the law
allowing public sales was repealed In 1S91'
he said. 1.-THE pre-emption law was also re-
pealed the same year. These laws had
proved to be more valuable to the land grabber
and the speculator than to the actual settler
and home builder.
CONSERVE TIMBER AND STONE
I'm 1878 congress passed the so-called timber
and stone act, origlnall.' devoted to four west
ern states, but by act OF 1892 extended to all
public land states Much valuable land, suit
able for agricultural purposes, has been en-
tered under the law and enormous quantities
Of our most valuable timber lands have been
secured by fraudulent methods by the great
timber spectators under its provisions. These
spectators have. directly or Indirectly em-
ployed scores and hundreds of men and women
to enter valuable timber lands, worth from
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