Imperial Valley press., 1913-11-12
Haskin Letters
The Conservation Congress
BY Frederic J. Haskin

When the fifth annual congress of
the conservationists of the United
States meets in Washington on No
vember 18th, the question uppermost
in the minds of its delegates will be
those relating to forestry. When con-
servation started as a national move
ment it was mainly a movement for
protecting the timber supply and for
saving the hardwoods of the country
from commercial extinction. Then the
idea spread. Now it had to do with
the national domain, demanding that
the United States conserve its public
lands. Now it took up the water pow
er question, insisting that the water
power of the national domain and of
the navigable streams be saved to all
the people. Then soil fertility became
the uppermost subject in it's mind, and
the Kansas City congress dealt almost
wholly with the subject of conserving
the soil. Then came the indianapolis
congress of last year, with the vital
resources as the uppermost subject
for consideration-how to cut down
the death rate and increase the al
lotted span of human life.
While the conservation movement
was thus calling attention to one sub
ject and then another, the originat-
ors of the conservation movement
were somewhat uneasy. They urged
that there was conservation to be con-
sidered on every hand, but that if the
Conservation Congress scattered its
efforts over every possible field of con-
servation it might not succeed as well
as if it took. up one thing and stuck
to that. AS concession to this con-
tention the fifth Conservation Con-
gresS will come back to its first inter
est-the conservation of the timber
and power resources of the country
Forestry in all its phases will be first
and foremost in the deliberations of
the congress.
1t is said that the conservationists
are rather we'll pleased with the at
titude of the present administration
toward its forestry policy, so far as
it has been disclosed, and at least
three members of the cabinet, anG
probably the president himself, will
use the congress as an occasion to an
nounce to the country just what has
been done and just what wiifTbe done
in caring for the timber interests of
the country.
1t is the belief of President Pack, Of
the Conservation Congress, that while
the congress has been discussing soil
resources and national vitality during
the past two years the enemies of for
estry have been Busy and have sowr
quarters that the dispute concerning
states rights with regard to forests
and water power was launched by the
enemies of forestry, not because they
cared anything for states rights, but
solely because they wanted an issue
upon which to split the forces of
conservation. That they have found
that issue is believed in many quar-
ters, but the coming congress will at
tempt to remove the danger of the
split that threatens.
The proposal has been made in some
quarters that the best way to
promote the interests of forestry will
be to exempt standing timber from
taxation. 1t is believed that trees
ought to be treated as growing crops
and not as part of the real estate
Under the exemption plan, so long as
the timber stands on the land, the
land ought to be taxed at its value
without the standing timber. This, it
is urged, would keep many an acre
in timber that is now being gradually
denuded.
1t is estimated that the damage
done by forest fires in the United
States annually, even after the cru
sade that has been made against them,
amounts to $4,000, ,OO0-this to mar
ketable timber alone, leaving out of
the reckoning the incalculable damage
to the soil.and young growing trees
The Conservation Congress has put
the man who carelessly throws down
a lighted match or cigar or cigarette
stub in a forest in the same category
with the fool who rocks the boat, and
much literature has been sent out
with view to educating children as
well as grown-ups to do what they
can in the direction of forest fire pre-
vention. The Weeks law, looking to
the extension of cooperative efforts
among forestry agents in the several
states has been the means of extending
the fight against fires. Wisconsin has
led the way in fighting with the inter
state control of fires, whiEe New