Evening star., 1937-06-01

us a much wider range OF vision. We
have come to know that America
cannot long remain prosperous or
happy when any portion of the popu-
lation is neglected by the rest of the
population.
The American people should not
need more argument to persuade them
to this conclusion. Do you realize
that dam constructed in Tennessee
or Alabama on the Tennessee River
or one constructed way out in Mon
tana on the Missouri River may be
the one factor which will result in
the protection of the lives and the
property of the people of Arkansas or
Mississippi or Louisiana in the event
of flood in the lower Mississippi
region. If you do, you certainly can
fully comprehend the extent to which
our people are interdependent.
The worker in the great industrial
city Of the East may find the cost of
his bread and his meat too high for
him to provide the necessary food for
his family. He must understand the
direct relationship between that cost
and the failure of his Government to
conserve the water supply of the
Great Plains area which caused the
scarcity of wheat or corn or hogs or
cattle
Talk of Economy.
We hear much talk today about
the necessity for Government econ
omy. We are told that a balanced
budget is the primary requisite for
future governmental stability. I have
no quarrel with those who present
these arguments. l recognize as well
as any one that no government, like
no business, can Indefinitely proceed
in the red. There is, however, such
a thing as Wasteful economy. There
is no better example of an inefficient
business man than the one who, be-
cause of his desire to make a good
showing in his operating statement.
permits his machinery and equipment
and buildings to unduly depreciate
because of lack of expenditure for
maintenance.
Let us look for a moment at our
national balance sheet. The Ameri-
can people acquired on this continent
an area consisting of nearly 2,000.-
100000 acres of land. We gradually
extended the use of it until today
about one-fifth of it is in crops. two
hfths in pasture, one-fifth in produc-
tive forest. Of the remainder, elm
mating that portion which consists of
deserts and snow-capped mountains
the rest is occupied by cities and
roads. When our ancestors arrived
800 years ago, nearly one-half Of the
area of the present United States was
forest. The territory contained
many million acres of fertile land. 1t
contained millions Of tons of valuable
metals and ores. It's coal fields con-
tanned in excess of 5000, 900, 900 900
tons OF coal. The entire territory
abounded in fish, wild animals and
game.
Let me give you just few examples
OF how We have misused these re-
sources: We are losing. through ero-
sion caused by wind and water, 3.OOO.-
100000 tons of our fertile top soil
each year. Of the 9OO,OOOOO0 acres Of
forest land which We one possessed,
only 2o0,000,000 acres now remain.
Senator Whites Statement.
Let me read to you a statement
made before the United States Sem
ate on March 8 of this year by the
distinguished Senator from Maine, Mr..
Wallace White l quote:
I'VE have seen our fish resources
disappearing throughout the entire
United States, along the East Coast,
IN the area of the Gulf and up the
Pacific Coast as well. Within nv
own time We have seen disappear
from the waters of New England SAL
mon, shad and sturgeon. It was not
many years ago that one could find the
Atlantic sea salmon running into some
30-odd rivers between New York and
the Canadian border, and today there
is Just one river along that entire
North Atlantic seaboard in which At
lantic sea salmon is found in any
numbers. The same thing has hap
pened with respect to the shad and
with respect to the sturgeon We have
seen a constantly diminishing supply
OF fish in the Chesapeake Bay area
and to the south"
We have been prof1igate in our use
OF our natural resources. We have
been Wasteful. The Unsuitable desire
for immediate profit has brought
about an attitude of complete forget
fulness toward our responsibility for
the preservation of our resources.
Damage in Ohio Valley.
If any one doubts that this is a cur
rent problem, one that doesn't need to
be solved now, would have him visit
the areas devastated by floods during
the last Spring. Let him 20 into the
Ohio Valley and talk to those who
we're driven from their homes or
those whose homes we're destroyed or
carried down the streams Can any
one who listened to the radio reports
OF conditions in Kentucky and In
diana and Ohio doubt for a minute
the necessity of dealing with the food
problem now? 1t is sad commentary
upon our recognition of national re-
sponsibility that even after the ter
rible flood of 1927 in the Mississippi
Valley, the only legislation for a