Evening Star Newspaper, April 21, 1929, Page 5

. [ f | WOULD CURBWASTE IN'U-"5:RESOURCES Wilbur andNye Tell Nation i+ -of Interior Problems Over Radio. -(Confinm:d From First Page) ! through South America to Cape Horn. It seems quite clear the early in- | habitants of North and South America did not cross the great ocean from the ! islands of the South Pacific; at least, in any numbers. It must have taken great natural ability, skill and strong bodies to have succeeded as did this great In- dian group. The immigrants from Eu- rope “soon uncovered the great possi- bilities of the continent: from the standpoint of forests and fields, mines and water falls, and with the appear- ance of inventors bringing the steam engine, the steamboat, the railroad train, and then electricity in all of its applications, the pioneer frontier ex- tended rapidly in successive waves clear across to the Pacific Coast. With this advance, the Indians were left in cer- tain island-like territories surrounded by new inhabitants. Often enough these 1slands were the poorer lands rather | than the richer land. The Indian being thought of as a hunter and & nomad and not as a farmer, went to the iso- lated places, or he was forced upon them by military power, We now have about 400,000 of the: ! them living on these “is] " merged with the life about them. They are reminiscent of a period that has passed, - Maintenance of Culture. In some places their culture has been maintained. They manufs ture their native products and con- tinue forms of communal and tribal life that are of unusual interest. For 100 vears the Indians have been viewed more as hostages, prisoners, or as wards. While large numbers of indi- ‘wiiuals from other countries and other races have been brought in and mixed into the general life of the Nation, the Indian has beén kept more or less In- soluble and isolated. The effect of this wardship has not been wholesome, speaking broadly. With the passage of time, some new opportunities have been opened to the Indian. Since the De- partment of the Interior, through the Eureau of Indian Affairs, represents the Government in its responsibility to the Indian, a study is being made as to the most desirable policy in handling the Indian and his property in the future. ‘The aim is to think in terms of the In- dian boy and girl of today, and to try to develop plans so that they will be able to merge intp the full life of American citizens when they react mal There will be many diffi cult®s in this. In some instances it will not be possible or perhaps de- sirable to bring it about. But, if the Indian can be viewed as a potential citizens with full rights and responsibil- ities, a step in the right direction will have been taken. It is anticipated that a study will be made of the capacity, mental and physical, of the various Indian groups, and that educational de- vices will be created to develop these capacities, so that the Indian boy or girl on-reaching maturity can be in a self-sustaining, dignified and normal position. With help in regard to the problems of health and education, there is every reason to believe that the full capacities of the Indian can be brought out. It is clear that in the past they were skillful in the use of their hands. Mechanical Ability Needed. As mpdern civilization calls for a great quantity of mechanical ability, a part of this the Indian should be able to supply. With the apponintment of Mr. Rhoads as the commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs it is antici-| pated that plans will be adopted which within 25 years will be able to settle a large part of this great national prob- lem. As we have obtained great values from many others, so must our clviliza- tion get, if possible, the value from the many fine qualities of the Indian. Because of the very fact that the Indian was pushed back on to whi seemed to be the undesirable lands, we now find that with the development of mineral and oil resources, some of these lands are the richest in- the United States. The best known perhaps is the great petroleum pool under the Osage Indian Reservation, in Oklahoma, but inother places the lands occupied by the Indians contain great stores of min- eral wealth. The property of the In- dians is thought to be worth over a billlon of dollars. It is & great! business proposition to handle this enor- mous trust in a way which will be fair and helpful, rather than harmful, to those who should get the benefit of it. question of petroleum resources Ies to another one of the intimate re- B ibilities of the Department of the Interior. Through millions of years sngl living organisms called diatoms gréw in immense quantities in brackish waters. Each one of these had a very t globule of oil. In time the aggre- gate of these globules became the great’ oil fields underlying portions of the American continent. In many ways these oil pools are one of our outstand- ing matural resources. Unfortunately, they are limited in size and distribution and are exhaustible and can never be replaced. We have destroyed many of the natural resources in our forests and in other ways. The great buffalo herds ‘were slaughtered. We could replace the buffalo with cattle and other domestic animals and still use the prairies as a source of focd supply. wasteful, it was replaceable. We find a different situation in regard to oil. We have built up a civilization here on the gasoline engine. We have before us the era of the alr. The airplane as a weapon of war and as a method of communi- cation 1s dependent upon the gasoline that comes from the oil. Recently, through rapid drilling and the discovery of many oil pools, more ofl has been sroduced than could be wisely consumed. Modern chemistry has made it possible to “crack,” it is called, oils in such & way that an increasing amount of gasoline can be obtained from it. Any procedure 1 which burns the gasoline in the oil in anything except the gas engine, is waste- ful. If oil containing gasoline is used for a substitute for coal, of which we have immense quantities available, an economic loss is made and we have by that amount reduced the potential strength of our economic life in the future. With immense quantities of oil produced and the expense of storing it above the ground, oil has been forced into use as a substitute for coal in many parts of the world. It has seemed | important to call & halt to these waste- ful procedures, and Earucuhrly the great wastage of gas which takes place in the natural gas and oil flelds, and also to endeavor to control the drilling of wells in such a way that there would be the’ maximum return from any given field. Unscientific and disorderly drill- ing of an oil field, such as is almost inevitable “under the present arrange- ment, results in a large amount of gas being wasted and & large amount' of | oil being left in the ground, a total loss, Tt is said that $8,500,000,000 are invested in American oil companies. Certainly, with the millions of automo- biles; with the need for the further de- velopment of the lane, with the p‘mmt&uot national defense, it is e t that something should be done. Efforts are being made _thro: While it was |y Lett to right: Wilbur, who spoke Senator Nye of North Dakota and Secretary of the Interior night in the National Radio Forum. —Star Staff Photo. Federal Oil Conservation Board to try to bring about a control of drilling and to assist through an interstate com- pact in the States that are most con- cerned. At the same time, through an order of the President, conservation has been ordered on the public domain, that is to say, the lands in the ownership of the National Government. Conservation Wise Use.” Conservation does not .mean preser- vation. It means wise use. With the various forces that are at gwork at the present time, it is hoped that a na- tional strategy can be developed in con- nection With our oil resources, so that we can get the largest possible amount from the cil fields and the maximum use of the oil when it has once been brought to the surface. There will be many difficulties in working out the de- tails of this plan, but it is one of such large national importance that some- thing tangible must be done about it. At the same time we hope to make a study of the whole public domain to find out exactly what our country owns on the surface of the ground and be- low the ground, and to develop plans for the future. These public lands are in the various States. There are large problems as to-.what their relationship should be to the State governments, as well as to the National Government. ‘While to those of the East these prob- lems of the West may seem somewhat remote, nevertheless, because of their relationship to certain vital natural resources, they are of important con- cern to all of us. ‘The Department of the Interior is also concerned with the control of an- other of our greatest natural resources, and that is w: ‘The National Gov- ernment is endeavoring in parts of the country to supply water to arid regions —in ofher words, by the storage of e natural resource, it is possible to make up for the defects in climate. Through such a process portions of the public domain can be made of enormous value. In this little talk I have sketched briefly the Indian and his possibilities, the importance of our pools of oil to our whole civilization and the great significance of the public domain as an element in national welfare. Critics Are Answered. Devoting much attention to the oil probe of the public lands .committee, Senator Nye . answered critics by de- claring that the investigation had been worth while, and adding that no member of the committee was motivated i}l.lrn;ly by a desire to be doing some- 8. ‘The failure of criminal proceedings against the principals in the oil cases, because of their “means,” was charac- terized as “discouraging and disgusting.” but after all, the speaker added, “they have paid dearly, all of them.” And, he continued “the investiga- tions by the Senate are probably not finished.” < Senator Nye also said that national parks are assuming more importance in the scheme of things, and he looks for even more along the lines of develop- ment. k) ‘The Senator’s speech in full follows: If I understand the purpose of these radio talks tonight, it is expected that Secretary Wilbur and I will afford some little insight into the work and the problems befalling executive agents of the Government and the representa- tives of the people in Congress by vir- tue of the ownership of millions- of acres of land which are commonly known as the public domain. The magnitude of this empire of Government-owned lands is best exem- plified by a statement concerning the actual acreage in that domain. Public lands over which Uncle Sam still holds ownership aggregate over 818,000.000 acres. In other words, including that in Alaska, there are 1,279,209 square miles of land in the public domain. This is equal to the combined area of 32 States of the Union. Quite some do- main, we must all agree, yet exceed- ingly small by comparison with what it once was. Over this vast area the partment of the Interior has jurisdic- tion and administration. Responsibilitics Are Divided. Congress divides its responsibilities just as the executive ch of the Government does. Where: the execu- tive delegates jurisdiction in public land matters to the Secretary ®f the Interior, both Houses of Congress assign first responsibility of their legislative duties with relation to public lands to their respective. committee on public lands. Consequently, members of these com- mittees. like myself, have much in com- mon w\th the Interior Department and its Secretary. (When I say there js much in common, I sincerely hope the conclusion will not be drawn that these interests are always in common. The public will recall that the interests and motives of the Senate committee on public lands was quite thoroughly in conflict with the interests and motives The duties of the public lands com- lweemd the _Interior g_zzan French Doors New, 1st Quality—Glazed, $5.65 Up . Specializing in Perfect Diamonds Large assortment bar pins, x:dum:'" also complete line of Shop at the friendly store— ToleS it 5o oeation o bus, while concerned with the same general subject, are nevertheless vastly differ- ent. The one deals with legislating and lays down the laws governing the pub- lic domain, while the other has the more direct touch through the admin- istration of those laws. Yet, while there is this difference, the duty in the main' of both Congress and the Executive is clearly one of guarding jealously the administration and disposition of ' the lands themselves which are involved in this great national-domain and which have been proven holdings of exceed- ingly great wealth, . ‘To_the committee on public lands in the Senate are referred bills and reso- lutions having to do with the puhlic domain. It may be surprising to know how many such bills and resolutions there are. In the last Congress 246 bills and ’ resolutions were referred to the Senate committee on public lands and surveys. It might be of interest to my hearers to know that the committee, during the last Congress, reported favor- ably approximately 150 bills, of which 136 became law.: Of all bills reported only five falled to recelve Senate con- sideration. ‘These bills embrace legislation cover- ing leases, permits, exchanges and sale of public lands; clearing title; estab- lishment and maintenance of national and compensation of land office officials, authorizing the use of public lands for aviation flelds and other purposes; granting portions of the public domain to the States: pro- viding for and protecting the national ‘watersheds; promoting and developing resources; authorizing roads in the na- tional parks and numerous other ac- tivities. % National Paid Interest. ‘The importance of and interest in national park affairs grows each year. Until recently they have received but little *attention by Congress and fits committees. Ultimately they will be- come major considerations, as they should be even now. There are a few activities of Govern- ment which come so close to the people as that involving national parks. They are permanent playgrounds intended for the recreation of all people. Under the urging of such men as Stephen T. Mather, Congress has set apart areas noted for their natural scenic wonders of Great Buying Possibil- ities - Our | of parks to parks and monuments; establishment | bod; and beauties and, in many Istances, for their historic seiting. Thousands of tourists visit these parks to enjoy the marvels of nature which the Govérn- ment has thus number increases annually. Up to the ‘x:ntn&-_thla the ‘e uvel{mspuklr.x has been exce nominai. Indeed, we have been el:zmfitvnlve. lfuhm T“q hn'mn supplemen y private sub- firz;c{nm in park development work. Government has been fortunate in the caliber of men who have been at- t to the park service, and like Mr. Mather and He M. Albright, t director of the Ni Park gmrflu. whose contributions to the cause this generation cannot fully realize. ~ As Congress awakens to the part the rlm are nl%yln( in the national life here is bound to-be accorded a greater measure of support and en The Senate committee on at the present time is giving much thought and study to the further de- vament‘ and extension of the park sel 3 Our parks are now quite confined to those far Western States between the Rockles and the Pacific. This invites & measure of criticism from and in be- half of those millions whose incomes do not permit them to go so far as to en- Joy the wonders and advantages of na- tlonally supervised parks. Also, there is complaint of the absence of national parks avallable for use in the long Win- ter months. Consequently, there is con- siderable - agitation for more parks, to be more widely scattered through the entire ceuntry, and theie are pi for the establishment of new parks in scenic and interest] pots in Florida, North and_South /ita, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia and eisewhere. The natural growth of our population itself dictates the need for mere parks, and- farsightedness would seem to dictate the acquiring of these areas which ere of merit while the cost of acquisition is negligible and before the natural scenic wond@'s therein are’lost through greed and carelesgness. The establishment of the new Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming by the. last Congress has been so favorably received as to indicate the readiness of the people for park ex- tensions. G ‘Much Can Be Expected. « Much can be expected in-park de. velopment in the near future. In re- sponse to present and anticipated fyture needs, Congress has already authofized the closest study of the park service| and park needs. The Senate by reso- lution has directed the committee on public lands to make general and close survey of parks and proposed parks and in accordance therewith the committee will visit a nuniber of the established and proposed parks this Fall. This will be of great help in bringing about the enactment of lation for park development. In former times the public land com- mittees of Congress were counted of lesser importance. That was’ before parks became so prominent and before the time of the committees was taken up by duties which in late years have made the Senate committee on public Iands one of the most active of that y. Working under Senate resolutions during the past six years, the Senate public lands committee has been ai- most cortantly engaged in conducting investigations into the administration of the public domain and its re- sources. Dishonest disposal of great reserves and resources of oil lands under ‘the administration of Secretary Fall and in behalf of such unscrupulous patriot plunderers as Stewart, Sinclair, Doheny, Blackmer and O'Neill, is too generally known to call for repetition at this um&—tx'wvel, clever and romantic 'n much criticism of Senate investigations. They have been made the targets of many sharp shafts, but to those who will admit facts the investigations disclosing the ol scandals have been of the greatest merit. That there was occasion for these investiga- tions must be admitted. That Senator La Follette was both student and prophet when he fought the leasing act of 1920 and later demanded in- Ye in- vestigations earmot now be denied. And there must be quite general approval preserved, and, their | Govérnment, compara- | nt. | of blic lands 15 | Jost the position at the head of one of victing als who great wealth to swing into play in their own defense. 4 Discouragement at Trials. Discouragis the failure Stewart and the others suffer the same penalty and degree of justice that would have gone to them had they been men of lesser means. But, after all, they have paid dearly, all of them. Fall would undoubtedly give his very life if his slate could be wiped clean, as would Doheny. Sinclair ‘and Stewart have lost the confidence of their "associates. One faces a term in jail. The other has our greatest industrial enterprises. worth more to him no doubt than all his worldly possessions. And Blackmer and O'Niell have fled the coun'ry, are dodging. their own shadows, men with- out & country, because they would not face the music. Certainly it must all be punishment as severe as would be long terms in prison. . ‘The investigations by the Senate are probably not finished. Still effective is the resolution calling for investigation of the frauds alleged,involved in the ac- quisition of areas of the public domain in Wyoming -known as the Salt Creek Field by the oil interests whose record does not erase suspicions. The com- mittee has delegated the further con- duct of this inquiry to the Department of Justice, and much remains to be done in the way of investigation by that Department or by the committee before there can be conclusion as to the merit of the charges which have been made. ‘The value of recovery of. this field would put the oil Teapot Dome values to shame. ‘The Salt Creek oil fleld covers an area of not more than five by eight miles, but in this field are over 2300 producing ofl wells. It is recognized as one of the richest oil fields known and this property was leased by the Government under Secretary Fall. That there were endless frauds pervetrated in the scramble for rights in this fleld is well known. but it is possible that the leasing act of 1920, assailed as it was at the time of its enactment, may be the salvation of those whose fraudu- lent practices won them the greal resources involved. No member of the Senate committee has any desire to go on investigating for the sake of investigating, for it has been most trying and confining work, leaving little or no time for at- tention to other important legislative matters in which members have a keen interest. However, I am given to feel | that the committee must carry on until it has exhausted its subject and satis- fied itself that it has fuily fulfilled the duties imposed by the resolution under which it' operates. Certainly the com- mittee should not want to seem to give & clean face to this subject if, as is possible in after years, it is to be disclosed that there were gross frauds practiced which, had they been un- covered at this time, would have re- stored ‘to the Government resources valued far into the millions. What has been the result of these oil investigations which have been so severely - criticized? Well, first, there has been accom- lished greater caution in the admin- | tration of the affairs of the public | We Are S Going Out of the Furniture Business Must Go Our Entire $100,000 Stock or Furniture i domain. Second, there has been an wakening | i money spent for the investigal not be said to have been wholly squan- dered! The ledger would seem to show the Government far ahead as & result tigations, out of which | peat in other flelds what has been prac- ticed, for example, .1 Salt Creek. The fact is that it is rouch nore difficult for a man to file upon &nd fulfill the requirements 0 win title to a home- stead in this country than it is for the ofl pirates to acquire rights upon the public demain to prospect for and de- velop oil properties and profits. In -addition. the investigations point to the need of more attention to busi- ness by the Government and closer guarding of its interests and resources. They indicate also the need for a thor- ough shake-up in the Interior Depart- ment and the institution of a, great program of conservation of our public | resources in ofl, lest they be depleted at & time when their worth is far less than they are bound to be in days' of greater need. It has been a great source of plegsure and encouragement to observe the early steps taken by President Hoover to ward' against further ofl scandals,~ to effect § cleaning of the Interior De- partment, to carry on against those who have defrauded the Government in connection with these matters and to institute that necessary program of conservation. Drastic, indeed, was his action canceling thousands of applica- tions for prospecting permits, yet the situation was one calling for drastic action. He has tied a tight knot, bind- ing that bag which holds this great resource belonging to all the people. There may be need for some little loosening of that knot which the | President has tied, lest the result be one penalizing the consuming public and rewarding the very corporations which have been exploiting the public domain. ‘Tis far better to have to loosen the knov.) than it would be to | inv: nothing left to guard by tying a | not. is in line for something new in the | way of administration. It can stand it | and I personally rejoice in this prospect. AR % Australia’s dependency on Amerlu} for its tobacco supply may be ended as | a result of experiments in the growing | of tobacco at home by C. J. Tregenna, | Australian tobacco expert. 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