Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1910-01-19

any corruption on the part OF the
reclamation service. 1t only indl-
Gates an over Jealous desire to ex.
tend the benefit of reclamation to as
many acres and as many states as
possible. | recommend, therefore,
that authority be given to issue, not
exceeding s30,000000 OF bonds from
time to time, as the secretary OF the
interior shall find it necessary, the
proceeds to be applied to the compile
ton of the projects already begun
and their proper extension, and the
bonds running ten years or more, to
be taken up by the proceeds of re-
turns to the reclamation fund, which
returns, as the years go on, will in
crease rapidly in amount.
There is no doubt at all that ii
these bonds were to be allowed to
run ten years, the proceeds from the
public lands, together with the rem
tails for water furnished through the
completed enterprises, would quickly
create a sinking fund large enough
to retire the bonds within the time
specified. | hope that, while the
statute shall provide that these
bonds are to be paid out of the
reclamation fund, it will be drawn
in such a way as to secure interest
at the lowest rate and that the credit
of the United States will be pledged
for their redemption.
"The forest reserves of the U. s.,
some 100000, 600 acres in extent, are
under the control of the department
of agriculture, with authority ade-
quate to preserve them and to extend
their growth so far as that may be
practicable The Importance of the
maintenance of our forests cannot be
exaggerated The possibility of a
scientific treatment of forests in or
der that they shall be made to yield
large return in timber without
really reducing, the supply has been
demonstrated in other countries and
we should work toward the standard
set by them as far as their methods
are applicable to our conditions.
Upwards of 400,000,000 acres of
forest land in this country are in prl-
vate ownership, but only 3 per cent
of it is being treated scientifically
and 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 to be derived by
the public from the extension of for
est lands on watersheds and the pro-
places that are now denuded and
that once had great fourishing for
ests, goes without saying. The con
troll to be exercised over private own
ers in their treatment of the forests
which they own is a matter for state
and not national regulation, be-
cause there is nothing in the constr
| tuition that authorizes the federal
government to exercise any control
over forests within a state. unless
the forests are owned in prophet
! airy way by the federal government.
Inland Waterways.
Il come now to the improvement of
the inland waterways. He would be
blind, indeed. who did not realize
that the people of the entire west,
and especially those of the Misss1s-
sippi valley, have been aroused to
the need there is for Improvement OF
our inland waterways. The Missis-
! sippi river, with the Missouri on the
| one hand and the Ohio on the other,
| would seem to offer a great natural
means of interstate TRANSFORMATION
ant traffic. How far, if properly I'M
! proved, they would relieve the rail-
| roads or supplement them in respect
/ to the bulkier and cheaper commodi-
| ties is a matter of conjecture. No
| enterprise ought to be undertaken the
cost of which is not definitely as
| certained and the benefit and advan-
! tage of which are not known and
assured by competent engineers and
o-her authority. When, however, a
| project of a definite character for the
Improvement of a waterway has been
developed so that the plans have
been drawn, the cost definitely esti-
mated, and the traffic which will be
accommodated is reasonably probable
| think it is the duty of congress to
undertake the project and make pro-
vision therefor in the proper appro-
priation bill.
One of the projects which answers
the description have given is that OF
introducing 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 8 feet. Up-
ward Of seven of these dams have al
ready been constructed and six are
| under construction, while the total
| required is fifty. The remaining
cost Is known to be $50, 100000.
1t seems to me that in the deyeI-
opment of our inland waterways 1t
| would be wise to begin with this par
tlcular project and carry it through as
j