The Washington herald., 1910-09-13
WHAT CONSERVATION MEANS.

Lower Cost of Living Involved in
Control of National Resources.
From the Kansas City Star.
How does conservation. which Is under
discussion at st. Paul this week, affect
the average family?
In a most vital way by affecting the
cost OF living. Lower cost Of street car
and railroad fare. Of freight rates. OF
fuel. Of light. OF houses. Of manufactured
articles generally IS involved in the con-
servation problem.
How2
Because the cost OF all these things de-
Ponds on what use IS made OF natural re-
sources: whether they are economically
or wastefully used. and whether they are
monopolized by great corporations, with
out State control
How. for instance. would the cost Of
fuel be affected by conservation?
In two ways. chiefly. First. through
the use Of water power. and second.
through the development Of Alaskan
coal lands.
What about water power?
Surveys by the government show the
existence Of enormously valuable water
power sources throughout the noun
tatns Of the West and South. Within a
few years these Will be needed for manu-
featuring, for hauling trains and for
lighting Without the active resistance
Of the conserYationists in the Federal
government these sites VIII be all mo-
nopolized by a few great corporations
which had begun fling on them before
President Roosevelt had the lands with
drawn from entry. Water power is
equivalent to fuel Conservation would
save this fuel from falling into the
hands OF a few corporations who would
charge monopolistic prices for II. In
stead, conservation would lease this fuel
TO the users and would give the income
from It 10 the nation.
What Of the Alaskan coal mines?
The Alaskan coal fields are estimated
by the Geological Survey to be larger
than those Of Pennsylvania The ma
ton owns them. The question Is whether
it shall sell them for $40 an acre-a nom
inal pTice-to a great syndicate. or
whether II shall lease them for the bene-
fit Of the whole people. The problem
again is to protect the nation from mo-
nopolisuc prices on coal
How would the prices of manufactured
articles be affected By conservation?
The cost OF fuel enters into the cost
Of manufacturing. To cheaper fuel cost
would be one way. Deposits Of other
metals in common use lie IN government
lands in Alaska and elsewhere. Con-
servation would prevent monopollstIc
prices on these metals. The expense Of
railroad transportation on raw materials
and finished products enters into the
price OF goods. Conservation would
bring the great system of inland water
ways into use and so would reduce the
cost Of transportation. Through such
factors as these conservation would tend
to lower the cost of living
How could the cost of house building
be reduced?
American timber lands have been reck-
lessly depleted by companies that were
anxious for quick profits. The result
has been a growing scarcity Of lumber
and a corresponding increase in price.
Conservation would treat timber as a
crop which is to be judiciously cut and
replanted, and 50 would guard against
waste and scarcity.
What about street car fares?
Conservation OF natural resources IN
wolves the retention by the people Of
their interest in the streets and high
ways. So it includes carefully guarded
franchises with the, lowest possible cost
Of service to the people.
How about railroad fares and freight
rates2
The same principles apply The rail-
road avails itself OF a special privilege
from the public in the right Of condem-
nation. Conservation insists that the
railroad be regulated by the State. The
development Of waterways is another
means of regulating freight rates by con-
servation.
In general. then, what is conservation?
Conservation IS the safeguarding to
the people or their natural resources. In
volving the elimination Of waste and
monopoly. and the largest possible use OF
every possession of society-of mineral
constituents of the soil. Of water-power
sites. Of waterways. OF forests, Of arid
and swamp lands. and OF public high
ways and utiItiey