Arizona republican., 1914-08-02
THE MINES OF ARIZONA

earnest endeavor made to find re
medy for improper conditions.
Many people throughout the west
believe that one of the principal
causes of this depression is that the
Forest Service has interfered with
prospecting and made difficult or i'm
possible the securing of title to min
eral land within the forest areas.
Whether this is true or not the fact
that the public mind has, to a large
extent accepted these statements has
discouraged prospectors from pursu-
ing their efforts within the national
forests although the mineral land laws
are in full force there as elsewhere
on the public domain.
Director Graves of the Forest Ser
vice expresses strong desire to meet
every proper complaint and to adjust
it in such a way that the forest SER
vice, instead Of being detriment to
the mining industry, will be real as
sistance to its development
Our directors believe that the min
ing congress can perform a useful
a more harmonious relation between
the forest service officials and the
people who live in the neighborhood of
and desire to use the national forests
and to this end it has provided for
the appointment of central commit
tee on forest relations tC be located at
Denver and a sub committee in each
of the metal mining states.
These state committees are expected
to give consideration to all complaints
within their respective states and
after proper investigation, if it is
found that just cause of complaint
exists, to take up the matter with the
| local forestry officials with view to
| effecting satisfactory settlement OF
the dispute. In case no settlement
can be made, the state committee is
to report is finding and recommends :
tions to the general committee a,
Denver, its recommendations to form
the basis of action by the national or
ganiZation.
1t is planned that those complaints
not otherwise disposed of which are
of sufficient merit shall be forwarded
to the Washington office of the min
| ing congress with instructions to take
up with the chief forester the subject
of dispute, and if no proper redress
can be secured, to take the dispute t
higher authority.
The Mining Congress believes thai
the national forests ought to stimu-
late rather than hinder mine devel'
opment; that the people residing il
the communities should feel a warn
sympathy for and a desire to coop
crate with the forest service in tn,
prevention of fires and in the protec
ton of 'h) 1.'rt SITS from devastati):
of any solr, in other words, that III
forest sh,..l serve the il hest U.s. {,
the conImunith5 rWatvd in tnrl
neighboring vicinity; and that all un
TT CESAR waste should te prevcr -
conditions which require u mutu'-. ~.
terest between the forest officials ani
the people.
4 1t is hoped that through the pro
posed direct contact between the loca
forest officials and a Mining Con
gress Committee, a better understand
ing can be reached, unfair criticism
be silenced and fair demands in be
half of the mining men and the com
munity generally may be prompt
and cheerfully met.
We desire that your committe
shall make public announcement of it
Willingness to investigate any prOpc
complaint and that you will promis
an active effort to redress any prope
grievance To this end you can Civ
assurance that the national organlza
ton will. in every possible way, CO