The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-05-13
MISSOURI SECRETARY
WANTS TO Be SHOWN
WITH MILLIONS OF at S OF
TIMBER, THINKS FOREST RE-
SERVE SELF SUPPORTING

] tour OF the forest reserves in the west
, to find out, from observation, how the
reserves are being administered, why
! there is SO much complaint about the
| forestry administration; why the re-
serves are not self sustaining, and
why the valuable power sites within
the reserves lie idle. Being a Mis-
sourlan. the secretary intends to be
shown"
Before leaving Washington Secre-
tary Houston let it be known that he
was going on this mission, but said he
had no itinerary and no definite line
of travel marked out. What reserves
he will visit and what reserves he will
skip he did not know and he intends
| to work without itinerary until he re-
turns to Washington. He particularly
intends to skip the big cities, to avoid
banquets and other entertainments
and to devote his time almost wholly
to the study Of forestry problems.
Reports Contradictory.
during the past TWO wears, SecFe"
tary Houston has gathered his infor-
nation about the forestry administra-
ton largely from the forest service
and from official papers. The CORE
.spondence that has come before him
and the reports of the forest service
have shown that something is radi-
cally wrong and he wants to find out
If possible what 1t is and how it can
be corrected.
With 1866 O000 900 acres Of public
lands tied up in forest reserves, and
with legal authority to sell mature
timber to lease the grazing lands the
power sites and other resources, Sec
rotary Houston has n notion that the
forest service, which is now costing
the government about $5.5OO,oOO ?
year, ought to be able to pay its owr
way, instead of piling up an annual
deficit in the treasury of something
more than $3,O00,OO0. In other words
the cost of administering the 10000
900 acres of forest reserves is more
than double the receipts from the re-
serves.
Among other things Secretary
Houston will endeavor to ascertain
why millions of mature trees in the
forest reserves are allowed to die and
decay, when they might be marketed
and bring revenue into the treasury.
These reserves We're created to afford
a permanent lumber supply, and yet
while millions Of trees are rOtting
away in the reserves each year, pri-
vately owned timber is being sold
at high prices, and the government
timber is going to waste, How to en-
courage the sale of timber from forest
reserves is one of the prime problems
with which Secretary Houston will
Wrestle
In that same connection he will give
attention to complaints frequently
ice is holding it's timber at the current
market price, thereby playing into the
hands Of private timber-land owners,
and enabling them to keep up the
price Of their timber. The forest serv-
ice today is not regulating the price OF
timber in the market but is getting tho
highest possible price for its own tim
Der and the consumer is reaping no
benefit whatever
Another serious complaint to which
the secretary will give attention Is
with regard to the Withholding Of
q gricultural lands in reserves from
homestead settlement. While there Is
a law permitting the demonstrating OF
such lands, that law is not awaited OF
to any great extent, because, it has
been charged of the burdensome re-
strictlons arbitrarily imposed by the
forest service. Secretary Houston will
andeavor to get at the truth about this
matter, and find out whether any
thing can be done to encourage the
homesteading of agricultural lands
hat can not we'll be eliminated from
he reserves.
Water Power DeveIo pment.
The matter of water power devel-
opment is also of prime Importance
Today there is practically no power
development within the forest re-
serves. although some of the best
power sites in the west lie within the
reserves. Capital has not invested in
hese propositions because of the con-
1itions imposed by the forest service.
There Is In many localities abundant
demand for cheap power but the only
available sites are in the reserves and
lnder the regulations that now pre-
vail those power sites lie idle as does
he capital that might be invested.
lust what can be done to encourage
The development of water power with
in forest reserves Secretary Houston :
wants to find out.
On his trip the secretary will be ac-
,ompanied by Assistant Forester Pot |
err and Solicitor Caffey of the depart '
nent Of agriculture. He probably will |
ret to the Pacific coast and probably |
will visit the more important reserves
" the northwest, but when he will |
each that section and how long he |
viii remain no one knows. The secre-
.arv wants to see the reserves and the y