Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1910-01-21

running ten years or more to De taken
UP by the proceeds of returns to the
reclamation fund, which returns. as
the years go on, will increase rapidly
in amount.
New Law Requisite.
Respecting the comparatively small
| timbered areas on the public domain not
| included in national forests because OF
| their isolation or their special value for
agricultural or mineral purposes. 1t is ap-
| parent from the evils resulting by vir-
| tue of the imperfections of existing laws
| for the disposition OF timber lands that
the acts of June 3, 1873, should be re-
| pealed and law enacted for the dispo-
sition of the timber at public sale, the
! lands after the removal of the timber to
| be subject to appropriation under the
agricultural or mineral land laws.
What have said is really an epitome
| of the recommendations of the secretary
| of the interior in respect to lhe future
| conservation of the public domain in his
| present annual report. He has given
| close attention to the problem of disposi-
| ton of these lands under such conditions
| as to invite the private capital necessary
to their development on the one hand,
| and the maintenance of the restrictions
| necessary to prevent monopoly and abuse
| from absolute ownership on the other.
| These recommendations are incorporated
| in bills he has prepared, and they are at
| the disposition of the congress. earnest
| ly recommend that all the suggestions
| which he has made with respect to these
| lands shall be embodied in statutes and,
| especially, that the Withdrawals already
| made shall be validated so far as neces-
| sary and that doubt as 70 the authority
| of the seer starry of the interior to with
| draw lands for the purpose of submitting
recommendations as to future disposition
| of them where new legislation is needed
shall be made complete and unquestioned
Disposition Of Forest Reserves.
| States, some 100, 900 acres in extent are
! under the control of the department of
| agriculture, with authority adequate 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 possi-
| bility of a scientific treatment of forests
| so that they shall be made to yield a
large return in timber without really re-
| ducing 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.
Improvement Of River.
| I come now to the improvement of the
| inland waterways. He would be blind,
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 for the i'm
| 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 a great nat
| ural means of Interstate transportation
| and traffic. How far. II properly improved
| they would relieve the railroads or sup
| plement them in respect to the bulller
| and cheaper commodities Is a matter of
| conjecture No enterprise ought to be
| undertaken the cost of which is not def
| initely ascertained and the benefit and
| advantage of which are not known and
| assured by competent engineers and other
| authority. When, however, a project of
definite character for the Improvement
| of a waterway has been developed
| that the plans have been drawn, the cost
definitely estimated. and the traffic
| which will be accommodated is reason
ably probable I think 1t is the duty of
congress to undertake the project and
| make provision therefor in the proper ap-
| preparation bill.
One of the projects which answers the
description 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 so. The re-
naming cost is known to be s63. 100000
1t seems to me that in the development
OF our inland waterways 1t would be
wise to begin with this particular project
and carry 1t through as rapidly as may
be. I assume from reliable information
that 1t can be constructed economically
| in ten years. I recommend, therefore,
that the public lands, In river and har-
| Dor bills, make provision for continuing
| contracts ito complete this Improvement.
and l shall recommend in the future, IL
1t be necessary. that bonds be issued to
| carry it through
| What has been said of the Ohio river
is true in a less complete way Of the i'm
| provement of the upper Mississippi from
st. Paul to st. Louis to a constant depeh
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 i'm
provement of the Mississippi beyond
Cairo down to the gulf, which Is now
going on with the maintenance of depth
of nine feet everywhere, may be changed
to another and greater depth IL the neces-
sity for 1t shall appear to arise out of the
| traffic which can be delivered on the river
at Cairo.
Cheap Rail Rate Necessary.
/
by the waterways commission in Europe
shows that the existence of a waterway
lby no means assures traffic unless there
is traffic adapted to water carriage at
cheap rates at one end or the other of
the stream. 1t also appears in Europe
that the depth of the streams is rarely
more than six feet, and never more than
nine. But 1t is certain that enormous
quantities of merchandise are transported
over the rivers and canals In Germany
and France and England. and 1t Is also
certain that the existence of such meth
DDS of traffic materially affects the rates
which the railroads charge, and 1t is the
best regulator of those rates that we
have, not even excepting the govern
mental regulation through the interstate
commerce commission. For this reason
hope that this congress will take such
steps that 1t may be called the inaugu-
rator of the new system of inland water
ways. For reasons which 1t is not nee
essary here to state, congress has seer
fit to order an investigation into the in
terror department and the forest service
, of the agricultural department. The re-