The Washington herald., 1912-02-03

tween the state and the national sov
ernment It has seemed wise that the
control should be concentrated IN one
government or the other as the active
participant In supervising It's use by prt
vate enterprise. In most cases Wnere
the government owns what are called
ater-power sites along nonnavigaole
streams, which are really riparian iots'
without which the power In the stream
cannot be used. We have q situation as
to ownership that may be described aa
follows: The Federal government has
land without which the power in the
Y stream cannot be transmitted into cleo
i triclty and applied ct . distance. while
It Is claimed that the State, under the
law Of waters as II prevails In many OF
our Western States, controls the use Of
| the water and gives the beneficial use
TO the first and continuous user, In or
der TO secure proper care BY the state
governments over these sources OF power
II has been proposed that the government
shall deed the water-power site TO the
State on condition that the site and AL
the plant upon It shall revert 10 the
government unless the State parts win
the site only by lease, the terms Of
which II enforces and which requires q
revaluation Of the rental every ten years.
| the full term to last not more than nifty
years. A failure Of the state to make
and enforce such leases would enable
the government by an action OF forfeit
ure to recover the power sites and an
plants that might be erected thereon
and this power Of penallxing those who
succeed to the control would fur
nish q motive to compel the observance
OF the policy of the government.
Bureau Of National Parks.
'I earnestly recommend the establish
ment Of q bureau Of national parks,
Such Legislation 5 essential to the prop
er management OF those woudrous man.
ifestations Of nature. so startling and 30
beautiful that every one recognizes the
obligations Of the government TO pre-
serve them for the sdlfcation and recre-
alton OF the people. The Yellowstone
Park, the Yosemite, the Grand Canyon
of the Colorado. the Glacier National
Park, and the Mount Rainier National
Park and others furnish appropriate In
stances. In only one case have We made
anything like adequate preparation Tor
the use Of park by the public. That case
is the Yellowstone National Park. Every
consideration Of patriotism and the love
of nature and OF beauty and Of art re-
quires Us to expend money enough to
bring all these natural wonders within
easy reach Of our people.
Probe Living Cost.
For some years past the high and
steadily increasing cost Of living has
been a matter of such grave public con-
cern that deem II Of great public in
terest that an international conference
be proposed at this time for the purpose
of preparing plans, to be submitted to
the various governments, for an inter-
national inquiry into the high cost Of
living, its extent causes. effects, and
possible remedies. ! therefore recon-
mend that. to enable the President to
invite foreign governments to such q
conference. to be held At Washington
or elsewhere. the Congress provide an
appropriation, not to exceed $4,000. to
defray the expenses OF preparation and
Of participation by the United States.
THE numerous investigations on the
subject, oficial or other. already made
In various countries (such as Austria,
Belgium Canada, Denmark. France,
Germany. Great Britain. italy. the
Netherlands. and the United States) have
themselves strongly demonstrated the
need of further study Of worldwide
scope. Those who have conducted these
Investigations have found that the phe-
nomenon Of rising prices is almost II
not quite general throughout the world:
but they are bafied in the attempt to
trace the causes by the impossibIlity OF
making any accurate international COM
parsons. This Is because, IN spite Of the
number of investigations already made,
we are still without adequate data and
because as yet no two countries estimate
their price levels on the same basis or
by the same methods.
Labor Problem IL vital.
The extraordinary growth Of industry
in the past two decades and its revolu-
tionsry changes have raised new and
vital questions as to the relations be-
tween employers and wage-earners which
have become matters OF pressing public
concern. These questions have been
somewhat obscured by the profound
changes in the relations between COM
peting producers and producers ss q
class and consumers-in other words, by
the changes which, among other results,
have given rise to what is commonly
called the trust problem. The large
scale production Characteristic Of modern
industry, however, involves the one set
Of relations no less than the other. Any
interruption to the normal and peace
fol relations between employer and wage
Garner involves public discomfort, and
in many cases public disaster. Such in
terruptions become, therefore. quite as
much q matter OF public concern a. re-
straint Of trade or monopoly.
Industrial relations concern the public
for a double reason We are directly
interested In the maintenance OF peace
full and stable industrial conditions for
the sake Of our own comfort and we'll
being; but society is equally interested,
In its sovereign civic capacity. In seeing
that our institutions are effectively main
tanning justice and fair dealing between
any classes Of citizens whose economic
interests may seem to clash. Railway
strikes on such q scale as has recently
been witnessed In France and In Eng
Land, q strike Of coal-mine workers such
as we have more than once witnessed In
this country, and such a wholesale re-
lInQuishing Of q public service as that
Of the street cleaners recently In New
York. illustrate the serious danger to
public well-being and the inadequacy Of
the existing social machinery either to
prevent such occurrences or to adjust
them on any equitable and permanent
basis after they have arisen.
MIsbranding Imported Goods.
MY attention has been called to the In
justice which il done in this country by
the sale OF articles in the trade purport-
ing TO be made In Ireland, when they are
not SO made, and II 10 suggested that the
justice Of the enactment Of Q Law which.
50 far as the jurisdiction Of the Federal