El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-10-07

!
Dor improvement, and will for a long
time continue to make large annual
appropriations for the same purpose,
it has already inaugurated a policy
which strikes at the very heart of the
problem of permanent development
and maintenance of nayigable water
ways. and which in time will bring
about a remarkable decrease IN the
annual expenditures for dredging and
other methods Of temporary waterway
Improvement on interior rivers with
the exception of the Mississippi
This policy is of creating national
forests-first by retaining forest
| lands already in the possession of the
| government; second, by purchasing
forest lands on the watersheds of nav
| igable streams and so regulating
! these lands as to improve and main
tain the navigability of the streams.
! This government long ago recognized
the advisability Of retaining forest
lands which it already owned, both as
| an aid to navigation and for other
! uses. 1t has now in western and
| northwestern states, and in Florida,
| 40 national forests covering a total
7 these, public lands have been reserved
in Porto Rico and Alaska totalling &c.
j s14,S00 acres.
pay $4,000 For Forest.
| But it was not until barely a month
| ago that the government, on Sept. s,
! 1912, made its first purchase of forest
/ land to be converted into a national
1 forest Acting under the authority
! given him by the Weeks law, passed
/ in March, 1911, the secretary of agri-
/ culture on that date, with the ap-
urOval of the national forest reser-
/ walton commission, signed a check for
! $55,000 in payment for g. 113 acres of
| land in western North Carolina known
L h. I'LL ~
! is to be the beginning of the Appa-
lachian national forests
The Weeks law enacted That the
consent of the congress of the United
States is hereby given to each of the
several states OF the union to enter
into any agreement or compact, not
in conflict with the law of the United
| States, with any other state OF states
for the purpose Of conserving the for
ests and the water supply of the
states entering into such agreement
or compact" The law appropriated
FOR 1910 $1,000, 600, and for five years
thereafter 100000 annually, for use
in the examination and requirement OF
lands located on the headwaters Of
nayigable streams or those which are
being or may be developed for navi-
gable purposes"
Work of Commission.
The law created the national forest
reservation commission. consisting OF
the secretary of war, the secretary of
the interior, the secretary Of agricul-
ture, two members of the senate to be
appointed by the vice president and
two members of the house of repre-
sentatives to be selected by the speak
err The congressional members are:
Senator Jacob II. Ga1linger, of New
Hampshire, chairman; senator John
Walter Smith, of Maryland: represen-
tative Willis c. Hawley. of Oregon,
and representative Gordon Lee, Of
Georgia. 1t is the duty Of the com
mission to pass upon and fix the price
of lands which are recommended for
purchase by the bureau of forestry,
of the department OF agriculture The
secretary of agriculture is authorized
to sign TIE checks
Aside from providing that the ap-
proDriatiOns be applied to the water
sheds of naYigable streams within
states whose legislatures have con-
scented 70 the acquisition Of such lands
by the United States. the law does
not restrict purchases by particular
regions. The states which have passed
the necessary legislations and in
which purchases are being considered
are: Maine. New Hampshire, Maryland,
Virginia, West Virginia, North Caro-
lima, Tennessee. South Carolina and
Georgia.
Six Millions Available.
The source OF streams having origin
in the Rocky mountains or mountains |
nearer to the Pacific coast are already !
tional forests, which this government /
has wisely reserved But the Appala- /!
chan mountains. which include the I
White mountains, are to a remarkable !
extent without such protection. Be !
cause of the SteepneSS and altitude of 4
these mountains and of the scantiness !
Of forest cover. rivers which origin 4
ate in them stand in a class by them /
selves in their need for the protection /
authorized by the Weeks laws.
commission has begun and plans to
continue an aggressive purchasing
campaign for lands in these areas. The (
1910 and 1911 appropriations. except /
for the $4,000 paid for the North |
Carolina land, have been allowed to
lapse. Six million dollars will be
available for purchase Of land between
July 1, 1912, and 1915. the Weeks law
having been amended at the session
or congress Just closed, so as not to !
require that the annual appropriation !
be used in the year it is made
With this and with whatever fur
ther appropriations it may secure |
from congress. the commission plans !
to purchase wide areas in the White !
mountains and in the Appalachians to I
form what will be known as the Appa-
lachian national forests As is the I
case in the great national forests OF
the west all the areas purchased to
form this great forest will not be i'm
rirdiately contiguous. OF the gross
area OF the national forests of the
west. approximately IS percent has
been alienated to states and individ-
uals. The commission will require. |
however, that the areas of the Appa-
lachian forest be sufficiently near to-
gether and of such size individually as
to permit of their economic and sue
cessful administration for the purpose
recognized.
Options on 2SS, 352 Acres.
Besides the Mt. Mitchell tract in |
North Carolina, the commission has
approved to date 2sS, 352 acres on
which it holds options. 1t has fixed
the price of this land at 81 100000. The
areas lie in North Carolina !
Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia and New
In North Carolina the to-
tai area approved is $685. acres. This
lies in what is known as the Mt
Mitchell and Nantahala districts The |
Mt. Mitchell district includes parts OF
Mcdowell, Buncombe, Yancey and
Mitchell counties. The Nantahala dis
trict lies in Clay Macon. Swain. Ora
ham and Cherokee counties. The area
in. Tennessee is 59.213 acres
and is wholly in the Smoky mountain
district which takes in parts of Mon
roe, Blount, Sewer and Cooke coun-
ties.
In Virginia the lands approved lie
in three districts: the Massanutten