The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-01-05

Office of au0lror.
Before the above reform in our land
laws can be carried into legislative
effect however, it appears wise and
apparently legally necessary to sub.
nit the proposition to the people in
theAfor of constitutional amend.
ment.
THEssTATE DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY.
The original forest area of Mime
sofa is estimated at, over one.half. of
the total land surface of the state, or
approximately 2s,000,000 acres, of
which perhaps 100000 represented
pine and eyergreens:, About one-half
of the original forest yet,remains,
though materially depleted by fires
and cuttings. Part of this is hard
wood, though the greater portion is
pine and pulpwood, chiefly located on
the northern wooded plateau of the
state, where it is of inestimable serv-
ice in protecting the sources of our
streams.
It would seem as though the neces-
sity of placing the public forest under
scientific and businesslike4 administra-
ton were so plain to the general pub
lie and to the members of this legis-
lature that argument should be I'm.
necessary. The state. has just expert
enced another chapter of horrors in
connection with the Rainy River val
ley forest fires, which should be suffi-
cient to demonstrate the necessity of
improved. forest administration. But
the Hinckley, Chisholm and Baudette
fires, with their losses aggregating
millions of dollars worth of property
and many human lives, tell only a part
of the sad story. To this we must
add losses by trespass and depreda-
ton and loss by neglect of growing
forests, as well as loss of opportuni-
ties for refOrestatiOn. 1t is estimated
that the aggregate forest resources of
Minnesota are worth 100000, 900,
which is the strongest possible argu-
ment for adequate methods of protec-
tion,. development and administration.
The forest, problems of our state
have been sadly neglected. For pro-
lection against forest fires Minnesota
spends less than one-fourth of what is
required for effective results and in
the way of practical forest admins
tration conducts only a few scattered
experiments, with nothing like com.
prehensive, scientific and businesslike
system of forestry.
Department OF
GEOLOGY AND MINES
After mining and shipping to the
furnaces 254,0OO,O00 tons of iron ore
the worlds record of production, Min
nesota has now definitely located a
body of ore, amounting to 1,347, $4,000
tons, which is one-third of the avail
able and merchantable ore of the Unit
ed States and upon which taxes are
paid into the state treasury. And yet
Minnesota has no state department OF
mines, and not even, in operation at
this time, the usual geological survey
found in most of the states of the
Union.
Our educational institutions, notably
the public schools, university and agri
cultural college, lead the world in
wealth anu income from these mines
It has long been apparent that mineral
resources which promise our schools
and university a future income OF
more than $500, 100000 require detailed
expert administration. Other North
western and Mississippi Valley states,
such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois,
Iowa and Missouri, which together
possess, and control for educational
purposes but small portion of our
wealth, all conduct permanent geologi.
cal surveys and some of these states,
as we'll as many Eastern and Western
states, have separate departments OF
mines and Minnesota should do the
same. The expense of such admins.
tration will be returned in revenue to
the state many fold.
STATE, DEPARTMENT OF
GAME. AND FISH.
Nature has richly endowed the state
of Minnesota with game and fish. 1t
is one of our natural resources, in the
conservation of which the state has
been.moste fortunate.
The total disbursements of the de-
partment for the year 1910 amount to
$95,407.17. Out of 5O4 prosecutions
there have been only thirty-two &C.
quittals and the sum total of fines for
the year 1910 amounts to $S,62445.
- A suggestion is made in the report
of the commission which believe
worthy of particular consideration
namely, that some method be institut
ed whereby it may determine the
amount of game killed in the state