Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-01-17
The Conservation Message.

recommendations contained in Sec
rotary Ballinger's recent report pro-
yiding for a Redistribution of public
LANDS, urges the issuance of S3OOOO.oOO
lin bonds to relieve the distress of set
tiers who have taken up desert lands
which they believe were to be reclaim
ed at once, but which have never been
RECLAIMED, and the Inauguration or an
adequate inland waterways policy
with the immediate completion OF
storage dams now under construction
or proposed on the Ohio, at a cost for
the latter of So, 100000.
President Taft in his closing para
graph notes that Congress has ordered
an Investigation of the Interior De-
partgnent and the forest service of the
Agricultural Department but urges
that the measures recommended should
be taken up and disposed of prompt
|lv without waiting the result of the
investigation which has been deter
mined upon, on the ground that the
result of that investigation is not need
ed to determine the value of and the
Necessity for the new legislation.
The message notes that in 1860 the
public domain consisted of 1856, 911,2SS
acres that we have left .31. 3540S1
acres or 324.557,207 acres less than 80
years ago. The President says that the
old statutes were inadequate, that fraud
Twas frequent and widespread. OF
late years there has developed deep
public concern for the conservation or
such resources as are left. Comment
ing upon this awakening of public in
terest he says, "a vast amount OIL
discussion has appeared in the public
print in generalized form upon this
subject, but there has been little prac-
teal suggestion. 1t has been easy 10
saw that the natural resources in fuel
supply. in forests, in water power and
other public utilities must be saved
from waste, monopoly and other
abuses, and the general public are in
accord with this proposition as they
are with most truisms. The problem,
however is how to save, how to utll-
izc. how to conserve and still develop,
for no sane person can contend that 1t
is for the common good that natures
| blessings are only for the unborn
generations
President Taft then addresses HIM
self to the task of determining how to
save, to utilize, to conserve ana 10
develop. He notes that Secretary Bal
linger has temporarily withdrawn wa
fer mower sites on 102 streams in or
der to safeguard them until Congress
may act. He notes that present sta
tutes are not adapted to carry out the
modern view of the best disposition OF
public lands, under conditions sufficient
to induce private capital to take hold
and at the same time to preserve the
control in the hands of the nation.
He then urges the Reconsideration along
the lines laid down by Secretary Bal
niger, adding that such laws should
apply to Alaska as we'll as to the
United States.
His opinion of the method to be en-
ployed in preserving to the govern
ment the power to control water pow
ers is easily understood. He takes the
ground that the government owning
the land adjacent to water power in
streams is the owner of the riparian
rights, and that by retaining control
of the land it may retain control Of the
water power. He says that many wa
ter-power sites which We're once on
the public domain have already passed |
into private ownership and may
eventually drift into one ownership,
but if the water power sites now own
Of under the proper restrictions there
are still enough of them to prevent
such a monopoly from debating the
price at which hydro electric energy
shall be sold as we'll as preventing
the improper union Of the powers now
held by the government with the pow
ers now held by the individuals. This
would seem to dispose of the state
mcnt that a Water-D0Wer trust has
gained control of the available water
powers of this country. According to
Presidents Taft's view there are still
enough water-power privileges retain
ed by the government to prevent the
alleged trust from gaining control.
The President then passed to con-
sideration of soil conservation, saying
that the
Feature that 'transcends all others,
including woods, waters, minerals,
is the soil of the country. 1t is in