Evening star., 1937-09-21

W "hd1 IHc -. y. y. Is uOlng IOr the
Nation. In the first place, it has and
Is improving the average health, the
morals and the employabilty Of all
youth. For while we have not been
able to give job to every youth who
applied, we have afforded employment
to a very substantial portion Of all
the youths who have reached their
late teens and early twenties during
the last few years. The social impor-
tance to the Nation of this youth
rehabilitation work cannot be dis
counted. Neither can we underesti-
mate the value Of the prodigious
amount Of conservation work which
the enrollees have accomplished in our
forests and fields. Our official reports
show that since 1888 c. C. c. enrollees
have planted more than ESQ, ,00O, 900
trees, built close to 100,000 miles of
truck trails and minor roads, expended
more than 1000. 600, 900 man-days
f1ghting forest fires, laid over $4,000
miles Of telephone lines, constructed
more than 100000 check dams as a
soil erosion control measure and great
ly expanded recreational facilities in
our parks and forests.
Few people, myself included, can
form any mental picture OF what it
means when We say that nearly l00,-
900 miles Of roads have been built by
the Civilian Conservation Corps. This
enormous mileage takes on some
meaning, however, when we consider
why the roads were built and the pur-
poses they serve.
AS every one knows, our extensive
Federal timber lands, along with State
and private forests, constitute one of
the Nations primary sources OF wealth
and income. The great majority of
these timbered lands is always threat
ened by one savage enemy-fire. 1t
Is an enemy which can destroy in
hours the wealth it takes years or even
centuries to produce. 1t Is forest
enemy No. l. In past years there
have been huge fire losses, due to the
fact that men and materials could
not be moved TO the scene OF 4 fire
quickly enough to suppress it. Forest
lands have often been inaccessible
lands.
Road Building rojects.
The scores Of thousands OF mikes Of
roads built by the Civilian Conserva-
ton Corps have been improving trans
portation facilities throughout these
forest lands. Many valuable forest
areas, once inaccessible, can now be
reached promptly by FIRE fighters and
machines. As 4 result. it seems prob
able that fire losses in national for.
ests will be lower this year than in
any previous l2-month period
The ravages OF disease and pests
are not quite SO rapid or spectacular
rs those caused by fire. So deadly
are their effects. however, that the
future Of the Nations entire acreage
OF white pine and kindred species was
threatened a few years ago BY the
white pine blister rust.
Since c. C. C. enrollees in substan-
tial numbers have been assigned to
white pine blister rust control work.
of1icias Of the Department OF Agri-
culture have reported that real prog
ress has been made in checking this
disease. Civilian Conservation Corps
boys have done disease and pest con-
troll work on millions of acres OF forest
and park lands and our program calls
for continuance of this kind of work
so long as the need for it exists. Many
OF us can recall how the chestnut was
practically annihilated by disease only
few years ago. The Civilian Con-
servation Corps is helping to avoid a
repetition Of this great Ioss-and losses
even more serious.
A glance at our official report shows
thousands OF springs water holes and
small reservoirs completed These
water sources have often meant the
difference between life and death for
an untold number of sheep and cattle.
Many a stock man knows that 4 c.