New-York tribune., 1910-01-15

Respecting the comparativey small TIM
hcred areas on the public domain nor IN
cluded in national forests because or their
isolation or their special value for l. agrl.
cultural or mineral purposes, it is appafe,ht ,l
from the evils resulting by virtue OF ir lhs
imperfectiops of existing laws tor the uis
position of timber lands that the acts OF
June 8, 1873, should be repealed and law
enacted for the. disposition of the timer
at public sale, the lands after the remoVdi
of the timber TO be subject 20 appropriate
uLder the agricultural or inine-al Jana
laws.
BALLINGERs PLANS INDoRsED.
What 7 have said is really an epitome
of the recommendations Of the Secretary
of the Interior in respect TO the future
conservation of the public domain In ms
present annual report He has given close
attention TO the problem OF disposition OF
these lands, under such conditions as 70
their DEVELOPMENT on the one hand, and
the maintenance of the restrictions neces-
sary to prevent monopoly and abuse III from l
absolute ownership, on the other IneSe 1,
recommendations are incorporated in bllls
he has prepared, and they are at the dls-
position Of the Congress earnestiy tn y,bicb TeS7
he has made with respect to these iands
shall be embodied in statutes; and es-
pecially that the Withdrawals already
made shall be validated so far as neces-
sary and that the authority or the sec
retary of the Interior to Withdraw 6aaos da
for the purpose of submitting recommenda-
where new legislation is needed shall be
made complete and unquestioned.
CONTROL OF FORESTS.
some 10000 900 acres in extent, are under
the control of the Department of Agrlcull-
ure, with authority adequate TO presefeve
them and to extend their growth, so far
as that may be practicable. The impors.
tance of the maintenance of our Iorestss
cannot be exaggerated. The posslpiilty "
of
they shall be made to yield large re-
turn in timber. without really reducing In. me
supply, has been dem9nstra,tedt toMarS III G'ree tbe
standard set by them, as far as tneH
methods are applicable to our conditlons.
Upward of 40O,o00.00o acres of forest lano
in this country are in private ownership,
but only per cent of If is being treated
scientifically and with view TO the nam m
the forests in the equalization of the e sup p
ply of water on watersheds is matter OF
discussion and dispute but tne ,h,. genera, feoSn
the extension of forest lands on watersheus
and the promotion of the grown OF treee Isee
in places that are now denuded anu a tllae
without saying The control TO pc eXeI-
cised over private owners IN thelr treat.
nlent of the forests which they own IS a
matter for state and not national regula- g.aa
ton. because there is nothing in the Con
stitution that authorizes the federal gov
ernment to exercise any control over IoI
ests within a state unless the toreslS are
owned in proprietary way by the ieoefai
government
the purpose passed the lower House in
the last Congress, that the national gov
each year out of the receipts from the
forestry business of the government, 10
institute reforestation at the sources OF
certain navigable streams to be Sc
lected by the Geological Survey with
view. to determining the practicap1l4l,t,S
of thus improving and protecting the
Snr- fnS raj M
moderate expenditure for each year for
this purpose for a period of hve or ten
years would be of the utmost benent IN
the development OF our forestry system
WATERWAYS IMPROVEMENTS.
[ come now to the improvement of the
inland waterways. He would be blind, IN
deed, who did not realize that the PEG
pie of the entire West, and especially
those OF the Mississippi Valley, have been
aroused to the need there Is for the I'm I'M
provement of our inland waterways. The
Mississippi River, with the Missouri, on
the one hand. and the Ohio, on the other.
of interstate transportation. and traffic
How far, if properly improved, they would
relieve the railroads or supplement- them
in respect to the bulkier and cheaper com
modities is a matter of conjecture. NO
enterprise ought to be undertaken the
cost of which is not definitely ascertaln1e{d
are not known and assured by competent
engineers and other authority. When
for the improvement of waterway has
been developed so that the plans have been
drawn, the cost is definitely estlmated
and the traffic which will be accommo-
dated. is reasonably probable think 1t is
the duty of Congress TO undertake tne
the e'pro proper era appropriation bill
One of the projects which answer the
description / have given is that OF intro
Pitte.burg 10 Cairo, so as to maintain at all
seasons Of the year, by slack water
depth Of nine feet uPward ard or seven Cd %
and six are under construction, while the
total required is fifty-founr: ood The be remain
ing cost is known to be $63, 600, 600
1t seems to me that in the development
of our inland waterways 1t would be wise
to begin with this particular project END
assume from reliable information that 1t
can be constructed econopically in twelve
years
is true in a less complete way of the i'm
provement Of the upper Mississippi from
Of aa au feet 70 and of the To Mssoari 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 prof.
ects have been pronounced practical by
competent boards Of army engineers; their
cost has been estimated. and there is bust
ness which will follow the improvement.
recommend, therefore, that the present
Congress. in the river. and harbor bill,
make provision for continuing contracts to
complete these improvements
AS these improvements are being made,
and the traffic encouraged by them shows
itself of sufficient Importance, the improve
ment OF the Mississippi beyond Cairo down
to the Gulf, which is now going with
the maintenance of depth of nine feet
everywhere, may be changed TO another
and greater depth if the necessity for it
shall appear to arise out of the traffic
which can be delivered on the river at
Cairo.
I am informed that the investigation by
the waterways commission in Europe
shows that the existence of a waterway
by no means assures traffic unless there
| cheap rates at one end or the other of the
stream. It also appears in Europe that
| the depth of the non-tidal streams is rarely
more than six feet and never more than
| ten But 1t is certain that enormous
| quantities of merchandise are transported
! over the rivers and canals in Germany and
| France and England, and it is also certain
| traffic materially affects the rates which
| the railroads charge, and it is the best
! regulator of those rates that we have, not
! even excepting the governmental regulation
| through the Interstate Commerce Commits
! sion For this reason ] hope that this
| Congress will take such steps that it may
| be called the inaugurator of the new sys-
| TEN of inland waterways.
BALLTNGER-P -PINCHOT INQUIRY
For reasons which 1t is not necessary
! here to state Congress has seen fit TO order
| an investigation into the Interior Depart
ment and the Forest Service of the Agri-
cultural Department. The results of that
| investigation are not needed to determine
| the value of and the necessity for the
| new legislation which ] have recommended
| Yo he 1ia IL,