The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-12-06

many more injured. and ] regret to
say that there Is no provision In the
law by which the expenses Tor tnoir
! hospital treatment or OF their inter
mcnt could be met out of public funds.
| The Red Cross contributed thou
/ sand dollars, and the remainder Of the
| necessary expenses was made up by
private contribution. chiefly from the
! force OF the forest oeryice and It's
! employees. | recommend that suitable
legislation be adopted TO enable the
secretary of agriculture q meet the
/ moral obligations of the government
in this respect
The specific fund for lighting fires
! was only about $l350O0, but there cN-
| listed discretion I'm the secr t'rv in
! case of an emergency to apply other
! funds in his control To tnis pupu5e,
| and he did so TO the extent Cf nearly
n million of dollars, which will In
volVe the presentation of a deficiency
| estimate for the current fiscal year of
/ over S900.000. The damage done was
not therefore duo to the lack of an
appropriation by congress available TO
meet the emergency but the difficulty
| OF hghtlne il lay in the remote points
where the fires began and where A
was impossible with the roads and
| trails as they now exist promptly 10
reach them Proper protection ncces,
states, nS the secretary points out
the expenditure Of n good deal more
money in the development OF roads
and trails In the forests. the establish
mcnt of lookout stations, and telc-
phone connection between them and
places where assistance can be Sc
cured
The amount of reforcstatOn shown
I'm the report of the forest service
only ABOUT 1000 acres as compared
with the 100000 OF acres OF nation.
al forests-secms small and | am
glad 10 note that in this regard the
secretary of agriculture and the chief
of the forest service are looking for
ward To far greater activity In the
use OF available government land for
this purpose
Progress has been made In learning
by cNneriment the best methods OF re-
forcsting Congress Is appealed to
now by the secretary Of agriculture
TO make the appropriations needed
for enlarging the usefulness OF the
forest service in this regard. | hope
that congress will. approve and adopt
the estimate OF the secretary for this
purpose
Commerce and Labor.
The secretary of the department OF
commerce and labor has had under his
Immediate supervision the application
OF the merit system Of promotion TO
large number Of employees, and his
discussion OF this method OF promo
tions based on actual experience, |
commend TO the attention OF con-
grcSs
The Census Bureau
The taking OF the census has pro-
ceeded with prompmess and ef
0ciency The secretary believes. and
concur that II will be more thor
ough and accurate than any census
which has heretofore been taken. but
1t is not perfect The motive that
prompts men with a false civic pride
to induce the padding OF census re
turns In order TO increase the popula-
tion Of a particular city has been
strong enough TO lead TO fraud in re-
Spect 10 few cities in this country.
and | have directed the attorney gen
eral to proceed with all the Ngor he
can against those who are respon-
sible for these frauds They have
been discovered and they viii not in
terfere with the accuracy OF the cen
Gus, but It Is Of the highest import
ance that official inquiry of this sort
should not be embarrassed by fraud
ulent conspiracies in some private or
local interest
Bureau of Corporations.
The commissioner of corporations
has just completed the first part Of a
report on the lumber industry In the
United States This part does not
treat Of the question OF trust or
combination I'm tho manufacture OF
lumber n subject 10 be dealt with
later. The commissioner does find,
however. a condition in the ownership
Of the standing tlmDer of the United
States. other than the government
timber. that calls for serious attention
The direct investigation made by the
commissioner covered an area which
contains so per cent OF the privately
owned timber Of the country His re-
port shows that one-half of the timber
in this area is owned by 200 indiyid-
uals and corporations: that If per
cent is owned by three corporations.
and that there Is very extensive inter
ownership oil STOCK as well as Other
circumstances. all pointing to friendly
relations among those who own a ma
jority OF this timber, a relationship
which might lead to a combination for
the maintenance of a price that would
be very detrimental 20 the public In
terest, and would Great the necessity
OF removing all tarin obstacles TO the
free importatlonS OF lumber from 9th
er countries.
Bureau of Fisheries.
] am glad TO note In the secretary's |
report the satisfactory progress which |
is being made in respect TO the pres
ervation Of the seals Of the Prbilon /
Islands Very active steps are being /
taken by the department OF state to /.
secure an arrangement which shall |.
protect the Pribilon herd from the /
losses due to pelagic sealing Mean !
time the governments has secured seal /
pelts Of the bachel5F seals (the kin .
ug Of which does not interfere with .
the maintenance OF the herd.) from I
the sale of which next month IL is /
expected to realize about Sl50,O00, n |
sum largely In excess Of the rental F.
paid by the lessee OF the government 1
under the previous contract