Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-12-16

ana the nrunoftN now hoiu of AHD
na ~. q, i y Precisely this policy q q
Be pnt intn eneol. There u no real
conflict be3peon th9 nation and the
states uuon the subject.
ifn Renoral all OF the streams
which are susceptible OF water power
development ere aiao of great im-
pOrtahce for domestic use, for irfiga-
ton and Cor navigation. All OF thani
depend 20 coma degree upon pruiec-
ton and AID % some kind and from
some source for enc or more OF these
nHea Increasingly that source tends
10 be the nation aud not the states.
Some OF tho individual states arO
developing effective policies OF wator
Conservation, bat n n the federal gov
erhment after oil which r. called upon
20 make the chief expenditures for
the development OF avlsation amt
around the sources and along the wa
tersheds OF both navigahlo and nom
naylgohle streams"
The secretary emphasizes the rec
concentration mude In his annual re-
port last year for the need On n COM
pTehensive land classification and OF
admlnistraflon based thereon. The
existing statutes, no says, attempt To-
recognize IN very general and In
cnces between the different classes Of
agricultural lands stir remaining Ia
the public domain. Tho present syF-
tenn In not flexible enough To recOg-
nize the differences, he declares; ana
greater difficulties are found In the
present laws or lnok of laws with re-
GARD to other parts Of the public do
nain. especially our timber lands. our
Rra2ing landA, our water power and
reservoir sites and our lands contains
Ing coal, oil. gas. asphalt, potash, MT
trntes and phoHphatea."
Secretary Fisher recommends tho
adoption OF constructive legislation
with respect 10 water power Develop
ment aud the control and the COM
prehenalve application OF the Leasing
system to tho development OF our
public coal, oil, gas, asphalt, nitrate,
potash and phosphate lands. with ap-
propriate provision for the protection
of prOspectora during a reasonable
capitalization period preliminary TO
the leasing, Of the land" He points
10 the fact that In tho Appalachian
mountains tho national forest reserve
commisslon r. now buying lands upon
which timber can be raised but not
good for agricultural purposes. for
conserving tho waters at the heads OF
navigable streams.
1T IL incxcuaable," nc declares, ito
permit public lands of this character
to he acquired now by private inter-
estS, when we arc spending public
moneys 10 buy just such lands olhe-
where and may have TO Tepurchase
in the future the very lands from
which the government In now part
Ing" There are public lands In the
west In similar situation to those
row boing bought 10 the east, he adds,
and these "sh Olild DO retained by tho
aovernFneTit IN order that tho kiraArna
whose headwaters they protect may
be made aH useful an possible. ] am
informed that there exist areas OF
public lRnds on the headwaters OF
streams IN the west, and particularly
In the arid southwest, which should
be withdrawn from entry because II
their acquisition by private interests
In permitted the usunl destructive eff
fects will follow II Is not proposed
To include lands whose value for other
purposes IN greater than their value
L. the community for stream protecs
ton
As 10 homestead law legislation, the
secretary says he Is stlll OF the same
opinion, In spite Of somewhat die
terent law passed last une, that "thc
homestead settler should he excused
from the necessity OF residing upon
his land during the first two years
AFTER entry provided he substituted
for residence during that period tho
Improvement and cultivation OF n sub,
atantial portion of the ground" The
law passed, he Snys, n being admin
istered to encourage Ms much rs pos
sible the bona flde settler.
The whole development OF Alaska.
he reports, is waiting largely upon tho
passage of suitable legislation for tho
IflavolOpmont OF Its transportation ia
lcilitles aud OF It's coal lnnds.
AZ to the reclamation service, he
says the problems confronting that
bureau ARE rapidly becoming those
OF administration rather than snSi-
neering. Financial and teehnIcfl
questions OF building shrink into In
Significance compared with the more
difficult human problem Of dealing
With thousahds OF settlers aud Of IN
ducing them "a take action along lInei
which Will Load % their GREATEST indi'
vldual success"