The Washington times., 1936-09-25
Human Side of theNeWs
Bu EdUin G.. Hill

lStudy showing the baSically or.
ganic relationships of soil, min
erals and water and warning Of
gloom and doom as vehemently as
Cotton Mather pictured hell fire.
This writer has no means of
checking Mr.. Chase's figures on
soil losses, but he cites presumably
dependable sources for his eStl-
mates. He writes:
"The three billion tons of
solid material washed out of the
fields and pastures of America
every year by water erosion con.
tain 40 million tons of phos.
phOrOuS, potassium and nitro
gen. This, of course, in addi.
tiOn to losses through cropping.
To load and haul away this in.
comprehensive bulk of rich
farm soil would require train
of freight cars 475,00O miles
long, enough to girdle the planet
19 times at the equator. Ap-
prOximately 400 million tons of
solid earth are dumped into the
Gulf Of Mexico by the MiSSis.
sippi alOne-the greatest part Of
it Super-SOil, richer than that of
the Nile.
"Plant food can be restored to
soil that has been worn lean by
cropping and when water takes
the soil itSelf-mineralS, humus,
microscopic organisms, every.
thing-Only nature can restore
fertility to that land, and her
rate under primeval conditions,
as we have seen, is one inch in
500 years.
This writer cites the book as a
compilation for anyone who wants
factual outline of the physical
realities underlying the state of
our continent, our resources and
the urgency of control and recla.
nation. Mr.. ChaSe's thesis Of
drastic, Federalized action, rather
than regional or State activity,
heads into political controversy.
Our fervent hope is that the
outcome will save not only the old
Indiana swimming hole but the
old American tradition of free en-
terprise; that is, that our social
and political heritage will be re-
claimed and safeguarded along
with our lands, rivers and forests.
There is no dual enterprise here.
Our physical and cultural assets
are, in this sense, indiviSible. They
will be wrecked or saved insepa.
rably.
ORGANIZED EFFORT
Mr.. Chase believes scientific or
ganization and effort can save
our continent. Catching floods
high up in their beginnings as
creeks or rivulets, refreshing, di-
versified and nitrogenous crops,
soil, binding grasses and many
other devices of modern agronomy
will do the business, he believes.
But, sensibly, it appears, he ad.
vances no MesSianic plan. He is
merely ringing a burglar alarm.
He does, however, cite certain
achievements in Europe, as fol-
lows:
"The National Resources
Board recently dispatched an ex-
pert to inquire into resource
planning in England, Germany,
Austria, Switzerland, Italy,
CzechOSlOvakia and France. He
reported that all these countries
had more or less complete gov
ernmental control of water re.
sources, that all had highly de-
velOped forestry departments,
that all exercised supervision
over pollution, that drainage
and irrigation projects were
carefully planned"
Mr.. Chase leaves wide open q
question which seems the most
imperative challenge of our age.
Can we put our national house in
order and at the same time with.
stand that inexorable, glacial,
ruthless pressure of the all-enconls
passing state which is the night.
mare of the modern world?
Copyright, 1885, by King Features
Syndicate, Inc }