Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-02-28
SATURDAY FEBRUARY rs, 1872
BUREAU PUSHING FOR LAND
MONOPOLY.

V'N public lands and permit the states
to dispose of or utilize them for
soldier settlements and other pur-
10 poses that would place them in
e. the hands of buyers or leasers,
! y- there are extremists urging in
crease Of federal holdings. 1t is
t-os not asked by states that established
''. forest reserves shall be surren-
dcred Certain other reserves are
I '' also not sought, but vast areas now
Inv under department control are a I,
source of expense to the nation and
contribute nothing to local well
s.t fare Almost twenty million acres
in New Mexico could be delivered
] to the state, which would find a
way to make the land bring reve-
/ 1TGy nue. and private ownership and
tt,.. bear its share of taxes for roads
schools and other purposes. Such
, federal holdings are not desirable
T. for homesteaders or they would
J have been so used
But now comes a movement for
/ the federal government to buy up
cut-over areas that belong to lum-
Der companies, or individuals who
- have purchased such lands and are
Ne paying taxes and developing large
" using for livestock pasturage,
producing cattle and by-products.
1t is argued that the federal gov
b"h eminent and states should acquire
Ssg such private areas and go in for re-
pfa foresting on a vast scale.
u. Re-foresting is practicable in
ura some areas, but the people of this
- western country do not wish to see
federal departments carry on mo-
nopoliaztion of more domain. It
is desired to get the lands back to
the people and the people back TO
! 40. the lands as completely as possible.
But recently large areas Of cut-over
| .nu. lands in New Mexico have been
a.-. sold to individuals who are materi-
'a ally aiding public interests by
stockraising and farming, while the
federal government would, if ac-
quiring the lands, adopt methods
of control now in vogue over the
@"- general domain, which are not for
the good of the greatest number.
No. The forestry bureau seems to be
working for extension of it's power,
S&ly as all branches of government do,
.,4 increasing the number of employees
and adding to the expense of oper-
alton. Arguments for conserving
Timber are good but the men who
s"'' most press therefor become eX-
tremists. There are no bounds to
u. yl extension some forestry men would
49, set. In past years vast areas have
--- been placed in reserves in this
~ state which were totally unfit to
.-- be included, with the tentative
promise that selection later would
es-'~ eliminate barren portions For in
iiry 3, stance, the west side OF the Sacra-
.olD mento mountains in Otero county.
where no forestzahon will ever
-.. be attempted, was included.
- When once the reserve blanket
is thrown over any such area the
interior department is reluctant to
turn loose, if there be any posi-
pllity Of exacting a cent for pas
GA turage or for scrub firewood.
All the way down the line bu-
reau officials join in conducting
so. publicity in the interest of forestry,
ana II IS entirely proper within
certain bounds. The press gem
trauy Is glad to print Information
that will lead the public to CO.
operate in regulations and protec
non OF reserves. But when the
forestry offices throughout the
money
SEND out printing to promote fed
eral buying of private lands de-
como priVlng the public of revenue that
-IsSa results from private ownership and
benefits of individual enternriso
.v4.o. and capital that make lands Weld
material products bureau nen arc
going the limit and only INVITING
antagonsms to the whole forestry
system.
Lest the Journal be accused OF
.frs 81 incorporating the activities of
U1t1 the Forestry bureau, is here re-
@t printed an official letter sent ont
- inns week to the press, from the
Apuquefque forestry office and
sneo1 oouptless sanctioned atsWashing-
ton: '" n T7f9
.spvs Advocating federal acquisition O,
cut,over timber lands on a large
scare William L. Hall, forester ana
tiNnper broker, in an address be-
iofe the southwestern section OF
the Society of American foresters
mere nearby endorsed the pro-
gram Oh more public forests as the
only means of assuring a future
timber supply for the nation.
For three hundred years. said the
81 speaker, the United States, and be-
fore 1t the colonies were engaged
.,. In getting rid of public lands as
rapidly as possible. In 1891 came
revolution in this policy, when
az = congress authorized the president
to create national forests. Since
ma then there has been an increased
~ trend Of opinion in the direction of
federal purchase of timber lands.
= one result being the Weeks law.
=. under which the government has
purchased 10000 acres of tim
Der land in the Appalachian and
White mountains.
The public forests of the United
States-including federal, state,
and municipal--should be increas-
cd by about LEO million acres. over
hale tffse4aef'ea TO be acquired by
s--=tTe states as state forests, accord
ing to Mr.. Hall, and there are enor-