The Coconino sun., 1921-11-25
DIVIDING UP THE FOREST SERVICE

ished in the American Forestry magazine, takes decided issue with the plan which has been pro- posed from different sources, to divide up the Forest service management. While no definite plan is mentioned, there are some back east who seem inclined to dssect the Forest service and distribute it about into different sections oi other departmentS. The west in general should object to any such plan. The west has grown ur under two separate and distinct homogeneous of forest affairs, but mainly under the present sys- tenn. In the pioneer years of the west it was ex- plotted by those eXploiterS who had completed their work east of the Mississippi Knowing what had been done in the eastern states during the formative period, the eastern representa- tves in congress charged all that and all the rest up to the west. When they were interested all went well, but that lasted only comparatively short time, then all was wrong with the west and all things should be conserved for our chil- dren's children; great areas should be conserved for play grounds; we were going to run out of house logs for eastern bungalows; stockmen's stock were eating up the grass and trees.
 That the land office had not built up reputa- tion in general way inclined to inspire conf- dence in the public was true. However, the land office did make start along the lines of conserv- ing the public lands and to get some line on what was the best policy in protecting the timber lands, the timber and in helping the pioneers de- velop pioneer country. It sounds mighty ludi- crous now to think that the conservation idea was so rigid that The Honorable, The Secretary of the Interior fthe United States, was re- quired to sign free use of timber permit for a few cords of dead wood which was strewn around in thousand cord lots and deadly menace to the standing timber, but it was fact and it took three months to get his signature. Now if the land office had sent out young fellows with only a technical education, instead of old seasoned politicians, the pioneer would have frozen stiff before he could have secured load of wood not only that, the technical assistant would have frozen stiff before he could have enforced any such regulation according to law. The first off cials on the ground knew that it was local game of give and take until fair regulations could be established and all concerned could get some understanding of the real purpose of the government.
 Then there had been growing up in the agri- cultural department men who knew much more about trees than they did about people and the ways of people. The forest service was created with Clifford Pinchot as its head and the pioneer work turned over to it. MT. Pinchot was not fair in his attitude, but accepted all previous work done as his achievement and the word seemed to come from some source that every man under the old land office service was not to be trusted. As matter of fact, some were and some were not to be trusted-but he found the same condition when he got along into the work with his own men. That Mr. Pinchot was un- fair in not crediting one thing good to the lana office though he freely used the information ob- tained by pioneer work, was further evidenced by his statement after ten years drought had broken when he took the service over, by point ing out "hOw few the forest fires were under proper regulation of the forests" under his charge.
 Of course, the detailed statement was correct as to the number of forest fires which occurred during the drought of ten long years with heavy winds behind them with no help and little water even to camp on, but he just overlooked the fact that heavy rains had come, water was plentiful and money too. That little oversight did not loom up any better in print than some of the things the land office did. The land office had an appropriation of $75,00O per year to handle all the forests of the country with; Pinchot's de- mands run up to million the first year and then went on up after that. If you could not spend all he could get out of congress in the way of appropriations there was an intimation that your administration locally, was not very efficient
 The west of today is for square deal and most men honestly believe that there is intent and purpose on the part of the forest service nOw--a service they are acquainted with, to play the game square and they sincerely hope there will be no more changes to make trouble for them; any new divided condition of affairs they must learn all over again to protect themselves
 We believe that Col Graves with his years of experience and Col. William Greedy, now chief forester, with his years of experience from ranger to the highest place in the service, will agree with the men of the west that change would work hardship to all concerned and gain not one thing in the way of advancement.
 CNnprass used the h,lnU-stavter on the sick