Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-03-03
RESERVES
RECEIVES 4 BLOW
HEPBURN ATTEMPTS TO HAVE
ANNUAL APPROPRIATION
CUT DOWN.
MILLIONS SPENT ON SALARIES
His Amendment Provckes Wrath and
Is Quickly acknowledgements
turai Bill Is Passed by
Senate.

Washington, March 2. = Senator
Hepburn, of Idaho, made a futile at
tempt in the senate to reduce the an
nual expenditures for the maintenance
Of national forest reserves from more
than 100000 to $1,000,0OO, by the in
PRODUCTION of an amendment to the
agricultural bill, and brought down
upon his head the wrath of friends Of
the forest service, who declared he
was trying to kill settled policy of
the government.
The question arose in connection
with the consideration of the agricul-
tural appropriation bill. The amend.
ment was defeated, 10 to so
This amendment comes from an
open, frank and avowed enemy Of the
| forest policy of the United States. -
vehemently declared Senator Root, of
| New York. Upon the proposal of
single enemy of settled policy Of
| the government we are asked to take
| this step. There has been no report
OF a committee in support of it; it
comes without recommendation and |
| protest against it."
Several senators said that thew
thought the forest service was too
costly and that the appropriations
ought to be reduced, but that the
| amendment offered by Nj. Hepburn
went too far Among these senators
were Messrs. Borah, of Idaho, and
Gallinger, of New Hampshire. To
these suggestions Mr.. Hepburn said
that he proposed to follow the amend
ment with another proposition which,
if adopted, would eliminate at least a
third of the forest reserves.
reference was made by Senator
Flint, of California, to the disastrous
forest fires of the past year, and he
declared that the appropriation ought
20 be increased rather than reduced.
Millions for Salaries.
Attention also was directed to the
fact that it costs more than $4,000 900
| to pay salaries and rentals in the city
of Washington for the forest service.
Mr.. Hepburn said the Washington
expense was wasted unless it was pro
posed to fight fires by wireless teleg-
raphy, which he declared would be
| just as feasible as some of the meth
DDS that have been used. He thought
| the S1,O0O,0O0 he proposed to have
expended would be sufficient for the
! building of trails.
! During his general criticism of the
forest service Mr.. Hepburn said that
| in one way and another congress is ap-
propriating almost $S,000,000 annually
for the protection of the forests. He
charged the foresters with using the
reserves for their own benefit. He al
legged that they profit by collecting
bounties for killing wild animals
They create the reserves, prevent
others from hunting, kill the game
| themselves and then collect from the
state. They have private snaps" he
said. Senator Clark, of WyomirG, de
nounced the forestry system in warm
terms, and in doing so, warned the
eastern senators that the time would
come when they would rue the day
that they had procured the establish.
ment of reserves in the White noun.
tains and the southern Appalachians.
Among the various amendments
adopted was one appropriation of
$4,000 to assist in caring for surplus
elk in the Jackson Hole country in
Wyoming.
The agricultural appropriation bill
passed without roll call.