Evening star., 1923-04-14
WORK ENDS ROW
ON FOREST SERVICE
lnd0rSeS Presidents Plan for
ReaIignment of Various
Bureaus.

The plan of President Harding for
realignment of various government
bureaus. which has heretofore been
'he center of controversy between
high officials Of the Interior and Agri-
culture departments. was indorsed
without reservation last night by
Secretary Work of the Interior De-
partment in his first public utterance
outlining department policies since he
succeeded Secretary Fall. The In
terror Secretary spoke at d meeting
Of Agriculture Department employees
at Central High School.
Promises Co-Cperntion.
Without mentioning the reported
disagreement between Mr.. Fall and
Secretary Wallace of the Agriculture
Department as to which should have
jurisdiction over the forest service.
Secretary Work declared the re-
grouping worked out by the Presiden t
had his hearty approval and promised
that he would cooperate with the
Agriculture Secretary in putting il
into effect.
when the President speaks for the
department of the Interior, rs he does
IN this instance" said DIR. Work, cit
is my pleasure to subscribe TO his views.
The Interior ID hpartment and the De-
partment of Agriculture are units of a
great government, not miniature gov
ernmentS In themselves. and therefore.
both departments are obligated TO con :
tribute through mutual cooperation to
The successful administration o. the gov
ernment az a whole
First Public Utterance.
Secretary Works address was the first
public utterance by any cabinet officer
regardins tn" forest service dispute
urh IaI Foil .
from the cabinet. The new Secretary
did not refer specifically to his prede
cessor, but throughout his speech he
emphasized his view that nothing was
partmental authority. He made this
reference to the forest service as one
example Of how the regroupng plan
had placed bureaus in their proper
place in the machinery of government :
'Reforestation is properly placed
now in a department Skilled in soil
analysis. tree culture. parasite con-
troll. horticulture and forest protec-
ton. EeforeStation is forest reclama-
ton. The forests are natures con-
servation agencies. tt ey hold snow
and rainfall preventing sell erosion
and destructive foods, but the border
line between reforeStation and forest
preservation is too narrow for pur-
poses of division.
AS other examples OF the same sort
Secretary Work enumerated the
changes made in the admiuiStrat ton
of public highways and Of some OF
the natural resources of Alaska.
Good Roads and Reindeer.
Good roads, he said. "are arteri es
of commerce. Now that their con-
Struction and maintenance are prob
lens in engineering. and are no longer
maintained primarily by farmers for
their use. they logically fall to the
engineering division of the Interior
DeDa "tr'ent precisely as dam and res
ervoir cons Struction now does. togeth
er with the ROADS in national parks,
essential to their enjoyment by tour
lists
"Originally developed for the benefit
of the farmer, good roads have ceased
TO be "A local problem. What was once
the road to town is now a transcon-
Il automobile highway, or a
branch of it. Good roads have become
..otrer or national concern because
they carry the products of the city as
we'll as the rural districts.
The reindeer of Alaska are a care
OF the Interior Department under the
bureau of education. but their place in
teaching faculty has not been deter
mined. They properly belong in the
department skilled in animal hus-
bandry. The live stock of the Indians
has its place in their livelihood and
training as farmers, but its breeding
up and its eradication of diseases are
clearly within the confines of the Ag-
ricultural Department"