Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1916-06-06

Of . million dollars q year for the
building Of roads through the National
forests. introduced by Senator Kew
Pittman. has carried. This provision
OF the bill win furnish considerable
money for the improvement OF the
road between Elko and Twin Falls.
The following Is the speech made on
the measure by Senator Pittman:
Mr.. President, would not urge this
amendment. nor would support Il, II
l thought II would imperil or endanger
the passage OF this bill. do not be-
lieye, either, that we are asking any.
thing additional from the government.
think we are simply asking that the
10 percent OF the value OF tie proceeds
Fof these forests shall be advanced.
rather than to be expended as Il Is
earned.
1 can not conceive for one moment
that II the building of street railway
In city were estimated as profitable,
that railroad would be attempted to be
built mile by mile from the profits of
the road. I believe that when a MUM.
cipality starts In to build system Of
railroad, It Issues bonds. anticipating
the profits upon the enterprise to pay
off the bonds,
ly provides that no expenditure can be
made until after an estimate of the
profits OF the forest Is obtained, and
that then such expenditure shall be
limited to 10 per cent OF such available
profits. That in itself prevents any
excessive expenditure. It prevents the
expenditure OF any greater amount of
money than Is coming back out OF that
10 per cent OF the profits which Is now
appropriated for roads. It Is simply n
question OF whether the government is
going to walt for 10 or Is years TO do
the necessary development in the for.
ests or whether 1t is going to advance
the money and start the development
now. II we wait until this 10 per cent
Is earned before building the neces.
sary roads through the forests, the de.
velopment of those forests and the
profit to be derived from them will be
delayed just that much Therefore.
as business proposition, this govern
ment should advance the money that 1t
Is estimated will come back from such
improvements.
There Is just one other question that
] want to call to the attention of the
senators, particularly the senator from
Alabama, who has the bill in charge,
| tfcularly in my state, the mountain
ranges run north and south. There
! are IL of these great ranges running
north and south in our state. The
timber reserves have been laid out on
these mountain ranges, along these
great ribs that divide our state. II is
impossible for us to build roads con-
Meeting the IL valleys In our state
without crossing these mountain
ranges, which are laid out in forest
reserves. Up until the present time
the people OF our state have built all
OF the roads across those great forest
reserves. II is unfair, in the first
place; and in the second place, by rea.
son OF the sparsely settled country. II
Is impossible to build sufficient roads.
l want to call attention to Just one
little district. am only going to take
up about four or five minutes of the
time of the senate, because I realize
| that We want to vote. In the northern
part OF our state, near the Idaho line,
is settlement of 500 or 600 people.
1t Is growing rapidly. 1t is separated
from Idaho and from Nevada by a
great forest reserve. Those people
had no means OF transportation to and
from that large settlement. The peo-
pie OF one little county in Nevada built
go miles Of wagon road, most of It
through that reserve, to reach these
people. To the north of them the road
Is practically impossible. The snow is
so deep in Nevada that that splendid
road. built by the people of one county,
is frequently impossible in the win.
ter; and for the lacq Of a road reach
ing to the north to Twin Falls, in
| Idaho, the mails are often prevented
! during many months of the year from
reaching such settlement. Now, then,
1t is all in charge of the government.
The government Is deriving the pro-
ceeds from that forest. If those pro-