Evening star., 1922-12-28

With the end of forests in plain
sight, as estimated by experts of the
bureau of forestry, so that another
decade will find some varieties Of
lumber obsolete, and two decades will
find practically all of the present
standard varieties exhausted, IL is no
wonder that President Harding has
decided that the policy of conserva-
tion as maintained under the Depart
ment of Agriculture shall be con-
tinued.
Proper handling Of the forests
means the-culling out only of matured
timber. from year to year, and never
the complete devastation OF a tract.
1t results in stimulating instead of
stopping the annual production of
forests. To turn over the already de-
pleted forests to management less
scientific and openly committed to ex-
ploitatfon of our natural resources
would result only in Fastening the
complete destruction Of timber, ac-
cording to the conservationsts. The
gossip that indicates that Secretary
Fall Of the Department OF the Inte-
rior intendS to resign from the cabinet
because he is not permitted to take
over the forestry bureau is fatty de-
MED by Mr. Fall. 1t is not confirmed
authortatively by any officials. and
SO the guesses as to whether his sue
cessor will be Senator Frank b. Kel-
logg of Minnesota, Senator Harry
New of Indiana or Carmi Thompson of
Ohio are all premature. All are good
friends of the President.
X x X y
More than half the automobiles of
Washington are doomed to lie idle
next week, because their owners have
been dilatory regarding the 1923 tags.
1t will do no good to apologize to
the policeman next Monday, or to
claim that the tag has been bought
but not attached. Tell that to the
Judge" will be the only answer. And
there will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth by these $4,000 inexperienced
pedestrians standing on the curbs and
watching US drive by. They will be
the worst Jay-walkers in the city,
too. for they have seen SO much jay
walking, as they haughtily drove.
that they do not know that there is
any other kind. Maybe some Of us
forehanded tag-proud wretches might
be induced to speculate in tags How
much am / bid for brand-new pair
OF nice brown 1923 tags? How much
VIII accept a 1922 limousine as part
payment. balance cash. These tags
are guaranteed in perfect running or
der and only limousine in equal
condition will be considered. How
much am 1 bid? Going, Goins.-
That foolish virgin in the pink sweat
er gets EN-
If this world does not tilt up with
in the next few years it will not be
the fault of engineers. Now comes
House Leader Mondell with a bill
granting the consent of the federal
government to the Colorado river irri-
CATION project, which will require
also the sanction of seven state Iegis-
latures. 1t is a project which will
completely overshadow the Muscle
Shoals scheme. and. according to Sec
cretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover.
one of the worlds most successful en-
gineers. this will be the biggest irri-
cation and power plant in the world.
SO great Will it be. he declares. that 1t
must always be owned and directly
controlled by the government. and, if
that pronouncement rules. the same
policy of government ownership will
eventually be applied to Muscle
Shoals.
Between Glenn Canyon in Colorado
and Boulder Canyon in Nevada. says
Mr. Hoover, there will be developed
between three to four million horse
power. all of which will be owned by
the people. and provided to them at
the lowest possible cost.
Can any one conjecture what that
will mean in the revolution of the
industries of that regione Mr.. Hoover
says the benefits must accrue mainly
to agriculture, which is true, but
when the desert is made to blossom
as a rose there will not only be an
abundance of food. but there will be
varied industries which will convert
that part of the great American
desert into a beehive of manufacture
ing, and nobody can imagine what
will be the ultimate result
Men are blind: they cannot see be-
yond the veil which shuts out the
future. When the great debate was
on over the saving of Oregon, Daniel
Webster questioned as to whether 1t
would ever be worth saving, as COM
pared with the value of the New
foundland fishing privileges. When
Seward committed his folly of buy
ing Alaska for s1,000.000 people
thought he was squandering the pub
lie treasury for an iceberg. Even
when all Louisiana territory was
bought of Napoleon for 100000 1t
was condemned as a financial blunder.
because it was mostly the Great
American Desert, where nobody but
Indians and buffalo could ever live.
The day will come when the Great