Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-12-15
'DEMANDSOFWES
ARE RECOGNIZED
Secretary Houston Admits In
justice to West in Forest
Reserve Matters
WOULD AID COMMUNITIES
In Annual Report, He Urges
Use and Development In
stead of Conservation


annual report. Secretary d. F. Hous
ton. of the department of agriculture
goes further than any predecessor in
recognizing the complaint of West
ern states of the injustice worked
them by the federal government re-
vast nonproductive national
forests within those states. One Of
his proposed remedies is to have the
federal government appropriate d.
rectly for the building of roads to
open up the country.
The secretary having apparently
Idaho and Oregon u.
mind. saws:
Works an Injustice
an regions where timber is the
chief income-producing resource, alb
sence of demand for it often works
a serious hardship upon those who
have entered the region as the al
va"ce guard of civilization and ar"
seeking, in the face of many difficult
ties, to establish homes. There arc
counties in which a sparse local pom
Tlatinn of pioneer settlers find them"
selves surrounded by wilderness
largely consisting of national forest
land which is almost idle so far as
anv form of present use is concern
ed. In other words, great, if not
the greatest of the pOtentional
sources of wealth in such counties,
held in trust by the government for
the benefit of the public, not mere
ly contributes nothing now to the UP
building Of the communities which
will give value to the forests, bu'
actually add to the burden which
these communities must assume
Were the forests private property
they would pay their fair proportion
of the cost of road development, pub
's schools and other public activities
through taxation. The government
unlike the private owner of timber
land in such regions, is holding the
timber. not in order to make a prof.
later by it's advance in value. but
in order to make it promote the pub
lie welfare. That it should be made
to serve the local as we'll as the ma
1ional public welfare has been defiD.
'tely recognized in the provisions Of
law for the use of 35 per cent. of
all gross receipts from the forests for
local public purposes.
Should Be Used.
ITO carry more fully into effect this
already established principle a fur.
ther step should be taken. 1t should
not be necessary to wait until the
period of hardest struggle is past be-
fore these public resources begin to
assist local development. Before the
national forests begin to yield large
incomes, as well as after. thev
should be made to participate in the
work of building up the country and
giving value to all it's resources
"The first need of the public in
regions is for more and
better roads. Without them, the
struggle Of individuals to gain a foot
hold is much more difficult, while iso-
lation from neighbors and the outside
world means meager educational op-
lack of comforts and cen
ditions unfavorable to community
life. A road system, however, con
stitutes capital investment which
handful Of settlers must make a lit
tie at time. When their roads
must he built largely through natl
al forest lands, which pay no taxc7
their case is much more difficult. j,
such regions the secretary of apri-
culture should be authorized to make
a study of the local conditions and
to gather all the data necessary to
formulate a plan for public road de-
velopment based on local needs.
These plans should be carried into
sfficient detail to provide a reason
ably accurate estimate OF the cost
Of the road construction which it is
proposed that the government shall
undertake. They should be accom-.
panied by careful and conservative
of the vaiue of the nation
al forest timber in each locality and
a forecast of the future income
which the forests will bring in from
all sources. On the basis of the
showngs Of fact regarding the value
of the governments property, its po-
tential income-yielding capacity, and
the needs Of the public. congress
should be asked to appropriate for
the construction OF specific projects
recommended by the secretary Of az
ficulture. The cost Of such road con.