The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-09-07
north DAK0TANS TAKE PROMINENT PLACES
IN THE NATIONAL CONSERVATION CONGRESS

ested than any other in the question
Of cheap fuel. We do not depend up
on Alaska for. our future supply.
There Is abundant coal on the Pacific
coast nearer to our seaports and COM
mercial centers. While we lament the
exhaustion of our coal supply, We
maintain a tariff that compels us to
draw upon 1t continuously. 1t would
be we'll to cast out this beam before
we worry too much over the cbnser-
vation mote.
The iron deposits of Minnesota,
the most wonderful in the world, are
today not only furnishing industry in
the nation with its raw material but
are piling up q school fund at home
that Is the envy of other states and
adding more and more every year.
Minnesota Is considering the reduc-
tion of her general tax levy by one
half. Would 1t be better IL these
lands were today held idle and unpro-
ductive by the federal government, or
worked only on leases whose proceeds
went into the federal treasury and
enabled congress to squander few
more millions In annual appropria-
tions?
Forestry Folly.
Against some forestry theories the
west enters an even stronger plea.
What the United States needs is
neither reckless destruction nor an
embargo upon our splendid western
commonwealth BY locking up q con-
siderable portion Of their available
area. There were. by tho last report
of the forestry service, over 1874, $780,
900 acres withdrawn from use in our
forests reserves on June 80, 1909. OF
this, nearly fifty-sight per cent, over
112,000.000 acres, or 176,000 square
miles, lies In six western states. That
is an area stx-sevenths the size of
Germany or France. 1t Is eighty per
cent of the size of the unappropriated
and unreserved land in those six
states.
The forest reserves and the lands
conveyed by congressional grants to
private interests: in Oregon amount
to some $4,000 square miles. More
than half the area of this great state
has been withdrawn by action Of the
government in one way or another
from cultivation sand the enjoyment
and profit Of theSpeople of the state.
Over one-third of Idaho and twenty
sevensper cent of Washington are for
est reserves. Colorado is almost as
badly OF; and not more than thirty
per cent Of its forest reserves is COW
cred with merchaptable timber. while
about forty per cent has NO timber at
all. On the Olympic peninsula are
lands reported Ito be withdraw to con-
serve our water supply where the an
nual rainfall amounts to something
like seven to ten feet According to
the official report, the cost of admin
istering the forest service in 1909 was
a little short of $3,00O,000 and
the receipts were eighteen thou
sand. The deficit on current account
alone was over s1,100,000. The total
disbursements were over. $4,400,000,
and the; actual deficit $2.600.00O. The
forestry service has over 1000 en-
ployes. In 1909 they planted GIL acres
and sowed 1925 acres more. The west
believes in forest preservation. But
it believes practically and not theo-
retically. It realizes that good thing
may cost too much, and is not igno-
hohI vi IuO CAG1 10td6oAAS 4A0ASlAA tOAA-
dency of every federal department
and bureau. It wants all good agri-
cultural land open to the settler,
whever 1t may be situated. 1t wants
timber resources conservatively uti-
lized, and not wasted or destroyed.
Water Power Sites.
"In connection with forestry inter
ests there is just now much question
of the conservation Of water power
sites. The demand is that federal
lands forming such sites should be
withdrawn and leased for the profit
and at the pleasure Of the federal gov
ernment. Against this the whole west
rightly protests. The water power
differs from the coal deposit in that
It is not destroyed by use. It will do
it's undiminished work as long as the
rains fall and the SHOWS melt. Not
the resource but the use of it is a
proper subject for conservation and
regulation. To withdraw these sourc-
es Of potential wealth from present
utilization is to take just so much
from the industrial capital Of the
states In which they are situated.
"The attempted federal control Of