The Green Forest tribune., 1910-01-21
URGES CONSERVATION OF
 THE NATIONS RESOURCES
resident Taft Sends Special Message to Con- gress Recommending Prevention of Land Frauds, Control of Water Power, Fos-
 tering of Soils and Kindred Subjects
to legislation to meet conditions or
 emergencies as they arise

emergencies as they arise.
 Properly to Classify Lands.
 One of the most pressing needs in the matter of public land reform is that lands should be classified accord ing to their principal value use. This ought to be done by that or department whose force is best adapted to that work IL should be done by the inter for department through the geological survey. Much of confusion. fraud. and contention which has existed in the present has arisen from the lack of an official and determina tive classifi- cation ot the public lands and their contents.
 Ii is now proposed to dispose of az ricultural lands such. and at the same time to reserve for other disposi- ton the treasure of coal. oil. ashphal- tnm. na tural gas and phosphate con lined therein This may be best ac- cCmplished by separating the right to mine from the title to the surface giving the necessary use of so much of the latter as may be required for the extraction of the deposits. The sur face might he disposed of as agricul- tural land under the general agricul- turai statutes. while the coal or other mineral could be disposed of by lease on q royalty basis. with the provisions reqniring :. certain amount of develop ment each year: and in order to pre- vent the use and ccSSion of said lands with others of similar character so as to constitute a monopoly forbidden by law tho lease should contain suitable provision subiecting to forfeiture the interest of persons participating in such monopoly. Such law should ap- ply tG Alaska as we'll as to the United States.
 Statute Difficult to Frame.
 It is exceedingly difficult to frame statute 10 retain government control over property to be developed by private capital tn such manner to secure the governmental purpose and at the same time not frighten away the investment of the necessary capital Hence. 1t may be necessary by laws that are really only experi- menial tn determine from their prac- tcal operation what is the best method of securing the result aimed at
 The extent Of the value of phosphate is hardly realized. and with the need that there will be for it as the years roiI on and the necessity for fertiliZ- ing the land shall become more acute this will be a product which will prob ably attract the greed of monopolists
 Public Land Along Streams.
 With respect to the public land which lies along the streams offering opportunity to convert water power into transmisshle electricity. another important phase of the public iand question is presented. There are val uable water power sites through all the public land states. The opinion is held that the transfer of sovereign from the federal government to the territorial governments as they become states. included the water power in the rivers except so far as that owned by riparian proprietors. do not think it necessary to go into discussion of this somewhat mooted question of law. It seems to me sufficient to say that the man who owns and controls the land along the stream from which the power is to be converted and trans mitted. owns land which is indispens- able tu the conversion and use of that power. 1 cannot conceive how the power in streams flowing through pub lie lands can be made available at all except by using the land itself the site for the construction of the plant by which the power is generated and converted and securing right of way thercover for transmission lines. Un- der these condition, if the government owns tho adjacent land-indeed, if the government is the riparian owner-it may control the use of the water power by imposing proper conditions on the disposition of the land necessary in the creation and utilization of the water power.
 Value of Water Power.
 The development in electrical appli- ancas for the conversion of the water power into electricity to be transmitted long distances has progressed so far that it is no longer problematical. but it is a certain inference that in the future the power of the water failing ill. the streams to :, large extent will take the place of natural fuels. In the disposition of the domain already granted. many water power sites have come under absolute ownership and may drift into one own ership so that all the water power under priVate ownership shall be a monopoly. If, however, the water power sites now owned ny the goVernment-a there are enough of them shall be disposed of to private persons tor the investment of their capital in such a way as to prevent their union for purposes of monopoly with other water power sites and under conditions that shall limit the right of use to not exceeding thirty years with renewal privileges and some equitable means of fixing terms of rental and with proper means for determining reasonable grad uated rental. it would seem entirely pos sble to prevent the absorption of these most useful lands by power monopoly. As long as the government retains con trol and can prevent their improper union with other plants. competition must be maintained and prices kept reaSona ble.
 Soils Must Be Conserved.
 In considering tue conservation or the natural resources of the country the fea- ture that transCends all others. including woods waters. minerals. is the soil of the country It is incumbent upon the gov ernment to foster by all available means the resources of the country that produce the food of the people To this end the conservation of the soils of the country should be cared for with all means at the governments disposal, Their productive powers should have the attention of our scientists that we may conserve the new soils improve the old soils drain wet soils, ditch swamp soils, levee river over flow soils. grow trees on thin soils pas soils discover. methods for cropping dry land soils. find grasses and legumes for all soils. feed grains and mill feeds on the farms where they originate. that the soils from which they come may be en- riched
 A work of the utmost importance to in- form and instruct the public on this chief branch Of the conservation Of our re- sources IS. being .carried on successfully in the department Of agriculture: but it ought not to escape ptlnlic attention that state action In addition, to that Of the de- pertinent of agrcuiGne (as for instance sip jthe drainage- of swamp lands) is es- seMfal 10 sgDee1r~rreatmen of the soils in the manner above indicated.
 The act by which. in semi-arid parts O.