The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-05-27

Reforestation-"Th is a huge
planting job ahead. Almost SO million
acres, or about one out of every 10
acres of commercial forest land in
this nation, need planting if they are
to produce timber within reason
able time. Exactly 100000 acres of
national forests in Montana need re-
planting. At the present rate it will
take from 27 to 2,43O years DO finish
the job on 10 Montana forests. On the
18th, the Beaverhead, where none of
the GOT acres in need of reforesta-
ton will be planted this year, the
job will never be done at the, present
rate. In recent years, federal budget
requests have declined
Access Roads-"Our national for
ests are producing only fraction of
the timber crop they could be turning
out each year. Revenues to federal
and local governments are only
fraction of the potential. Montana is
losing upwards of $40 million a year
in payrolls, services, freight and
equipment purchases because our for
ests are not producing at capacity.
This loss is due almost solely to fail
ure of the federal government to
build the roads necessary to move
the timber to market. Each year, the
Administration asks for less money
to build forest roads,
National Parks-s'Four years ago,
with great fanfare, the Administra-
ton announced sweeping program
to bring facilities within our national
park system up to the demands placed
upon them by 1866. This program was
ander-financed by more than one
5hird on its third birthday because of
,he Administrator policy of seeking
20 balance the federal budget regard
less of the cost to our national re-
sources and our economy
Pollution Control-"The House has
again rejected an Administration at
,empt to dump the fight for clean
water upon states and local communi-
les. The House Appropriations Com
nittee called the Administration re-
quest for $40 million-less than half
The amount we approved last year
md this to help build state-approyed
pollution abatement works-'com-
oletely unrealistic in view of the tir-
gency of need and the growing haz-
ard of water pollution"
PROTECT OUR RESOURCES
DR. PERISH
In concluding his talk, the Con-
gresham briefly reviewed how Baby
on. Carthage and other ancient EN-
oires had fallen because they had not
AIKEN care of their resources, par
ictllarly the land, yet, centuries be-
ore the birth of Christ, there was
m awareness of the need for pro-
Getting the soil. "Ancient Persia" he
aid, recognized the social immoral
ty of destructive land PRACTICES" and
ited one of it's old proverbs. which
eads:
God will not seek thy race nor
will He ask thy birth. Alone He
will demand of thee, What has
thou done with the land that ilgave
thee'?'' .y ia
4'This philosophy" he concluded,
is as fundamental to the preserva-
ion of our own Goth century society
s it was in ancient times. 1t implies
land history confirms the social
1ickedness of passing on to. unborn
enerations a land and its resources
impaired or wasted by selfish and
1oughtless exploitation.
Z" A; II erica will be more secure when
S people realize that upon individ-
ais and people of each generation is
imposed stewardship of land which
lust be held in perpetuity by society
this and. every succeeding genera
on :"