Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-12-16

held by the nation. 1t is precisely this
policy OF practical cooperation which
should be put into effect. There is
10 real conflict between the nation and
the states upon the subject.
Domestic Use of Streams.
I'm general, all OF tho streams which
are susceptible of water power devel-
opment are also of great Importance
for domestic use, for irrigation and for
navigation. All of them depend to
some degree upon protection and aid
of some kind and from some source
for one or more Of these uses. In
Creasingly that source tends to be the
nation and not the states.
some of the individual states are
developing effective policies of water
conservation, but 1t is the federal gov
eminent after all which is called upon
to make the chief expenditures for
the development of navigation. and for
the protection of the forest cover
around the sources and along the
watersheds of both navigable and non
navigable streams"
The secretary emphasizes the recon-
lamentations made in his annual report
| last year for the need of a compre-
hensive land classification and of adj
| ADMINISTRATION based thereon. The ex-
listing statutes, he says. attempt 10
recognize In a very general and inef-
fective way the fundamental differ
ences between the different classes Of
| agricultural lands still remaining in
/ the public domain. The present sys-
tenn is not flexible enough to recog-
4 Al 11s a
greater difficulties are found in the
present laws or lack of laws with re-
gard to other parts of the public do
main, especially our timber lands, our
grazing lands, our water power and
reservoir sites. and our lands contain
! ing coal, oil. gas, asphalt potash, MI
trates and phosphates-"
Constructive Legislation Urged.
Secretary Fisher recommends the
| adoption of constructive legislation
with respect to water power develop
Ement, and the control and the compre-
Intensive application Of the leasing sys-
item to the development of our public
coal, oil, gas, asphalt, nitrate, potash
and phosphate lands with appropriate
provision for the protection of pros
d
ton period preliminary to the leasing
of the land" He points to the fact
that in tile Appalachian mountain:
the national forest reservation com
mission is now buying lands upoI
which timber can be raised, but not
good for agricultural purposes, for con
| serving the waters at the heads Of
navigable streams
1T is inexeusable," he declares, "tt
permit public lands of this character
to be acquired now by private inter-
ests, when we are spending public
moneys to buy Just such lands else
where, and may have TO repurcbase II
the future the very lands from which
the government is now parting There
the public lands in the west in a simi-
lar situation to those new being bpugh
in the east. he adds, and these "shoult
be retained by the government in or
der that the streams whose headwater
Ithey protect may be made as usefu
as possible. l am Informed that Their,
exist acres of public lands on The
headwaters of the streams in the west
land particularly In the arid southwest
I which should be withdrawn from en-
try because IL their acquisition by pri'
vate interests is permitted. the usua
destructive effects will follow. 1t i
not proposed to include lands who's,
value for other purposes is create
than their value TO the community fol
stream protection"
As to homestead law legislation, TIL
tsecretary says he is still Of tho sam,
opinion In spite Of a somewhat differ
ent law passed last June. that 9TH
homestead settled should be excused
from tho necessity of residing upon hi
land during tho first two years afte
entry provided he substituted for rest
denee during that period the improve
lment and cultivation of a substantial
portion Of the ground The law passed
fha says, Is being administered to on
courage as much as possible the bon
fide settler
; The whole development OF Alaska
lie reports, is waiting largely upon tn
, passage Of suitable legislation for tn
development of its transportation ia
cilities and of its coal lands.
As to tho reclamation service, h
SAYS the problems confronting that bu
reau "are rapidly becoming those 0
administration rather than engineering
Financial and technical questions G
building shrink into insignificanc
compared with the more difficult hui
man problem Of dealing with thousand
Of settlers, and of inducing them I
take action along lines which will lea
to their greatest individual success. =
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