The Ely miner., 1930-01-03
SHIPSTEAD-N NEWTON Bill
IN ORIGINAL FORM AGAIN.

ture, reservoirs not exceeding one
hundred acres in area may be con-
structed and maintained for the trans
portatiOn of logs or in connection with
authorized recreational uses of nat
ional-foreSt lands.
The Shipstead- Newton bill for the
protection of timber along streams and
lakes in northern Minnesota was re-
ported favorably by the Senate COM
mittee on agriculture on February 10,
1929 without amendment. The report
man of the subcommittee which
visited Minnesota was adopted as the
report of the committee.
The text of the report of Senator
Shipstead's sub committee follows:
''The committee on agriculture and
forestry, to whom was referred the bill
(S3913 to provide for the better pro-
lection and highest use of lands OF the
United States and adjacent lands and
waters in northern Minnesota for the
production of forest products and for
other purposes, having considered the
same, reports thereon with the recon-
mendation that the bill do pass with
the following amendments:
"On page three, section two, line 18,
strike out everything after the word
principle" and insert the following:
Clear cutting on Federal lands
from the natural water line to the
skyline is forbidden; logging on such
federal lands shall be confined to dis
eased, insect infested, dead and mat
ure timber; the cutting of any other
timber may be permitted in particular
instances, when in the opinion Of the
forests service, department of agricul-
ture, such cutting will improve the
forest and increase its natural scenic
value, or when necessary to open
small areas for banking grounds land
ingS, or other uses connected with log
ging operations.
After the word flooding" on line
eight, page four, insert the following
additional language: Beyond the nor
NAL high Of water line
Substitute colon for the period
on line 18, page four, and add the
following language:
Provided further, that the pro-
visions of this bill shall not apply to
any proposed development for water
power purposes for which an applic-
alton for license was pending, under
the terms of the federal Waterpower
act on or before January l, 1928.
Provided, however, nothing herein
shall be construed to prevent the Sec
retary of agriculture from listing for
homestead entry under the provisions
of the act, of June IL, 1906 GA stat.
223 any of the above described lands
found by him to be chiefly valuable
for agriculture and not needed Tor
public purposes.
The bill as drawn and introduced
will receive considerable opposition in
this section as regards its area. The
general recommendations of the bill
meet with the approval of the majority
but this same majority does not feel
it necessary to bottle up everything
north of Township so in order to check
the Backus dam scheme.
At the meeting in st. Paul last
winter, the disputed sections were
thoroughly thrashed out by the res
idents of the territory embraced in
the bill and conclusion arrived at
that north of Township SO and east
to range 3 in Cook county was ter
ritory enough. Then the western end
was exempted to exclude the agricui-
tural section near Cook.
The greatest objection, outside of
the territory stated, was the one pro-
hibiting the cutting of timber within
400 feet of any lake or stream and 1t
was the opinion that this would about
kill the timber industry in the area.
With a lake or river on almost every
other acre, the 400 feet bordering
thereon would just about prohibit any
timber cutting, and if cut, how was it
to be gotten to market without roaos
to the lakes and banking places.
The engineers report on the water
power project of the Backus interests
is due very soon, the same now being
in print. 1t is said this report will
necessitate three volumes and will be
exhaustive in detail. This report will
be the deciding factor in the confer
ence of the International Joint Com
mission and upon it will hinge the
acceptance or rejection of the Backus
plan.