The Mena weekly star., 1910-01-20

of It is being treated SclentHcdig "no 1 with view to the maintenance Of the forests. The part played by the forests | in the equalization of the supply Of water | on watersheds is a matter of discussion | and dispute but the general benefit 10 pc | derived by the public from the extension | of forest lands on watersheds and the | promotion Of the growth of trees m | places that are now denuded and that | once had great fiourishing forests, goes without saying. The control to be ever | csed over private owners in their treat
 ment of the forests which they own is a natter for state and not national regu- | ation. because there is nothing m tne | constitution that authorizes the feueraI i government to exercise any control oNei l forests within state. unless the ioress1 are owned In q proprietary Eway by the | federal government.
 Improvement of River.
 I come now to the improvement Of the' inland waterways. He would be pilha' indeed. who did not realize that the peo- pie of the far west and especially those of the Mississippi valley, have been aroused to the need there is Tor tne liii- provement of our inland waterways The Mississippi river, with the Missouri on the one hand and the Ohio on the other. would seem to offer great nat ural means of interstate transportation and traffic. How far. if properly improved they would relieve the railroads or sup plement them in respect to the buikier and cheaper commodities is q matter or conjecture. No enterprise ought to De undertaken the cost of which is not det- initely ascertained and the beneht and advantage of which are not known ana assured by competent engineers and other authority. When, however, project Of definite character for the improvement of waterway has been developed so that the plans have been drawn, the cost definitely estimated and the trafhc which will be accommodated is reason ably probable I think it is the duty of congress to undertake the project and make provision therefor in the proper ap- propriation bill.
 One of the projects which answers the description l have given is that of intro- ducing dams into the Ohio river from Pittsburg to Cairo, so as to maintain at all seasons of the year. by slack water, a depth of nine feet. Upward of seven of these dams have already been con- structed and six are under construction, while the total required is 5a. The re- maining cost is known to be $63, 000000.
 It seems to me that In the development of our inland waterways it would be wise to begin with this particular project and carry it through as rapidly as may ibe. l assume from reliable information that it can be constructed economically in ten years. l recommend. therefore. that the public lands. in river and har- bor bills, make provision for continuing contracts to complete this improvement, and l shall recommend in the future, if 1t be necessary, that bonds be issued to carry 1t through.
 What has been said of the Ohio river
 is true fin less complete way of the im- provement of the upper Mississippi from St. Paul to St. Louis to a constant depth of six feet. and of the Missouri, from Kansas City to St. Louis to a constant depth of six feet and from St. Louis to Cairo of a depth of eight feet. These projects have been pronounced practical by competent boards of army engineers, their cost has been estimated and there is business which will follow the i'm provement.
 As these improvements are being made, and the traffic encouraged by them shows itself of sufficient importance. the im- provemeut of the Mississippi beyond Cairo down to the gulf, which is now going on with the maintenance of a depth of nine feet everywhere. may be changed to another and greater depth if the neces- sity for it shall appear to arise out of the traffic which can be delivered on the river at Cairo.
 Cheap Rail Rate Necessary. I am informed that the investigation | by the waterways commission in Europe shows that the existence of waterway l by no means assures traffic unless there | Is traffic adapted to water carriage at | cheap rates at one end or the other ol the stream. It also appears in Europe | that the depth of the streams is rarely | more than six feet. and never more thal l nine But 1t Is certain that enormou | quantities of merchandise are transportei | over the rivers and canals in German. | and France and Englaud, and it is als | certain that the existence of such meth ! eds of traffic materially affects the rate | which the railroads charge, and it is tn l best regulator of those rates that w | have. not even excepting the govern 1 mental regulation through the interstat ! commerce commission. For this reason | I hope that this congress will take sucl | steps that it may be called the inaugu l rator of the new system of inland water l ways For reasons which it Is not nee essary here to state, congress has seei | fit to order an investigation into the in
 terior department and the forest seryic
 of the agricultural department. The re
 suits of that investigation are not needc to determine the value of, and the ne cessity for, the new legislation which
 have recommended in respect to the pub
 lic lands and in respect to reclamation
 earnestly urge that the measures be tax | en up and disposed of promptly withou
 awaiting the investigation which has beel
 determined upon.
 WILLIAM H. TAFT.