Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-01-15
many important engineering problems
have been met and solved

many important engineering problems
have been met and solved
One of the difficulties which has
arisen Is that too many projects in
view Of the available funds have been
set on foot. The funds available UNI
der the reclamation statute are made
quate to complete these projects. with
in a reasonable time. And yet the pro-
jects have been begun; settlers have
been invited to take up and in many
instances, have taken up, the public
land within the projects, relying upon
their prompt completion. The failure
to complete the projects for their bene-
fit is, in effect, breach of faith and
leaves them in most distressed con-
dition. | urge that the nation ought
to afford the means to lift them out Of
the very desperate conditions in which
they now are. This condition does
not indicate any excessive waste or
any corruption on the part of the re-
clamation service. 1t only indicates an
over Jealous desire to extend the
benefit of reclamation to as many
areas and as many states
as possible. l recommend, there
fore, that authority be given to issue,
not exceeding s3O0oo,000 of bonds
from time to time, as the secretary of
the interior shall find it necessary,
the proceeds to be applied to the com
pletion of the projects already begun
and their proper extension, and the
bonds running ten years or more, to
be taken up by the proceeds of re-
turns to the reclamation fund, which
returns. as the years go on, will III
crease rapidly in amount.
There is no doubt at all that if these
bonds were to be allowed to run ten
years. the proceeds from the public
lands, together with the rentals for
water furnished through the COM
pleted enterprises, would quickly
create sinking fund large enough to
retire the bonds within the time spec
flied. hope that, while the statute
shall provide that these bonds are to
be paid out of the reclamation fund. It
will be drawn in such way as to Sc
cure interest at the lowest rate and
that the credit of the United States
will be pledged for their redemption.
| urge consideration OF the recon-
mendations of the secretary of the in
terror in his annual report for
amendments of the reclamation act,
proposing other relief for settlers on
these projects
Respecting the comparatively small
timbered areas on the public domain
not included in national forests be
cause of their isolation or their
special value for agricultural or min
eral purposes, it is apparent from the
evils resulting by virtue of the imper-
fections of existing laws for the dis,
position of timber lands that the acts
of June 8, 1878, should be repealed
and a law enacted for the disposition
of the timber at public sale, the lands
after the removal of the timber to be
subject to appropriation under the
agricultural or mineral lands laws.
| Urges Passage of Ballinger Bills.
| What I have said is really an ep.
! tome of the recommendations of the
secretary of the interior in respect tc
the future conservation OF the public
domain in his present annual report
He has given close attention to the
problem of disposition of these lands
under such conditions as to invite the
private capital necessary to their de
velopment on the one hand, and the
maintenance of the restrictions nee
essary to prevent monopoly and abuse
from absolute wnership on the other
These recommendations are incorpo
rated in BILLS he has prepared anc
they are at the disposition of the con
gress. earnestly recommend that al
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 necessary
Forest Preservation.
The forest reserves of the U. S.
some 190,000,000 acres in extent, are
| under the control of the department o
agriculture, with authority adequate Il
| preserve them and to extend thei1
growth so far as that may be prac
| ticable. The Importance of the main
tenance Of our forests cannot be ex
aggerated. The possibility of {
scientific treatment Of forests in orde
that they shall be made to yield ;
large return in timber without reall!
reducing the supply has been demon
+ SLIdLou Ill OlHSl =COuilIilOo eliiu wv
should work toward the standard Sc
by them as far as their methods arr
applicable to our conditions.
/ Upwards Of 400,000,000 acres o
forest land in this country are II
private ownership, but only 8 pc
cent of it is being treated scientificall,
and with view to the maintenance o
the forests. The part played by til
forests in the equalization of the sur
ply of water on watersheds is mai
! ter of discussion and dispute. but tn
/ general benefit to be derived by tn
public from the extension of fores
lands on watersheds and the promo
ton of the growth of trees in place
that are now denuded and that one
had great fourishing forests, goe
without saving. The control to be es
ercised over private owners in thei
treatment of the forests which the
own is a matter for state and not ne
. tional regulation, because there
nothing in the constitution tina
4 authorizes the federal government t
exercise any control over forests will
in a state, unless the forests are owr
ed in proprietary way by the fedora
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