Evening star., 1936-03-29
Face.Lifting Needed
for America
By Osoen L. Scott.

now to jolt Congress and the people
into a realization that irreplaceable ma
tional wealth is being blown and washed
away at a dangerous rate.
But that raises questions such as these:
What can be done about, it? Are flood
control and reforestation and erosion
prevention worth what they cost? Is
there any reason to believe that they
would be effective even If carried out
on vast scale?
Answers are found in developments
that suggest an unexampled period OF
national face-lifting ahead.
Congress is approving, with little
argument, one after another OF series
of plans for dealing with problems
affecting natural resources. 1t is making
available more than $1,000, ,000, 900 a year
for conservation purposes.
Plans cover the range from A. A. A.,
with its new soil conservation treatment
for individual farms, to G. C. c., with its
reforestation and erosion work, and from
P. w. A., with its millions for flood con-
troll, through T. v. A., with its regional
planning, to DR.. Rexford Tugwells r. r.
A. and its program for retiring from farm
use the lands in duStstorm creating
regions.
~ *+
Mr.. Roosevelt has under way wide
variety Of conservation experiments and
projects. They are turning out to be
the least criticized of New Deal ventures.
To many officials these projects suggest
a turning point in the life Of the Nation
as it sets about preserving its heritage OF
land and water after more than CEN
tury of intensive and waSteful exploita-
tion.
Is this new land planning worth the
cost?
Morris Cooke, rural electrification ad-
ministrator, noted engineer and one OF
the principal advisers to the National
Resource Committee, is convinced that
the United States has only about 20
years in which to check what he calls
"squandering" Of natural resources, II 1t
is to safeguard its future.
"Our country" he said, SIS afhicted
with earth disease. We are like man
well gone with cancer or tuberculosis.
We cannot remain virile Nation for an
other hundred years unless something is
done. Americans are mad to think that
they can handle land just as they please,
squander it and even destroy it,
4 Il 4
AS evidence that the people Of the
country are awake to the problem,
President Roosevelt sold them with little
difficulty the 100000 work-relief
program as a vast venture into planned
development of land and water resources.
Then he discovered that the natural re-
sources and the unemployed were widely
separated, with the result that w. p. A.
u,t,o &c fnIou instead nf hatY1O
in the originally projected form.
New England States now are convinced
that flood control is worth what 1t will
flood in nine years. These States are
preparing to join up with comprehen-
sive plan designed to prevent repeti-
ton OF the recent experiences.
A country wide demand after the 1927
flood along the Mississippi led to the
present $35O,000,000 control program un-
der way on the lower reaches Of that
river. Government experts. in fact. esti-
mate that annual flood and wind erosion
losses can be set at about $4,000 900.
Little opposition exists in Congress to
any venture put forward in the name
of conservation.
troll of land and water resources be
effected by planning?
The National Resources Committee,
after an exhaustive study, reached the
conclusion that any river in the country
can be controlled against floods if people
feel that the dollar and cents cost Is
justihable.
After the flood at Dayton. Ohio, that
city decided to bear the cost Of protec-
tion and today is completely free from
food dangers in year when other COM
munities are suffering severely. DR..
Arthur E. Morgan, chairman Of the Ten
nessee Valley Authority, designed the
Dayton control project.
In the Tennessee Valley this year, for
the first time. protection against floods
is afforded by the recently completed
Norris Dam, which stores up the Spring
flood waters for release during dry
seasons.
What methods are to be used in estab-
fishing control over rivers? A clash OF
opinion is found on that point.
One group of planners insists that con-
troll must start in the changed attitude
Of the individual land owner toward his
land. Land owners must follow methods
designed to hold a larger part of the
rain and snowfall in the ground through
proper soil use practices, and through
small ventures in water storage back
from the main streams.
The other group of planners, domi-
nant in the past, based everything on
speeding water to the sea. 1t depended
on river Strengthening, dredging and
dikes or levees to clear the path for
floods. Little attention was paid to the
silt, representing the soil wealth of the
country, that was washed away in the
process.
Where is the money going that already
is being spent on various land planning
and conservation projects?
A scanning of alphabetical agencies
provides the answer, as follows:
c. C. C. More than 100000 youths
have spent the past two and one-half
years clearing forests to protect them
against fire, planting trees, building
dams in creeks and small streams to
protect against erosion, putting the
public domain in better order. The
cost has run about 50O00,0 900 a year.
A. A. A. For three seasons farmers
were paid about $500 O00, 900 year for
not producing on portion of their acres.
Now they are going to receive about the
same amount to practice soil conserva-
ton. Critics say that the new farm plan
is the old one in a disguise. The future
will Shouu fhot this rOt strictlV trlle.