Norwich Bulletin Newspaper, December 7, 1910, Page 12

the reclamation of arid lanas 1s spout . $69,449,058.76, and of this all but $6,- 241,038.78 has been allotted to the va- | rous projeets, of which there are thir- ty. Congress at fts last session pro- vided for the issuing of certificates of indebtedness not exceeding $20,000,000, to be redeemed from the reclamation fuud when the proceeds of lands sold ana from the water rents should be | sufficient. Menntinie, in accordance with the provisions of the law, I appointed a board of army engineers to examine | the projects and to ascertain which are feasible and worthy of completion. That board has made a report upon the subject, which I shall transmit in a separate message within a few days. Forest Lands. Nothing can be more important in the matter of conservation than the | treatment of our forest lands. It was probably the ruthless destruction of foresta in the older states that first called attention to the necessity for a hait in the wasfe of our resources. This was reeognized by congress by an act anthorizing the executive to re- wmerve from entry and set aside pub- le timberlands as pational forests. Speaking generally, there has been re- werved of the existing forests about 70 per cent of all the timberlands of the government. Within these forests (in- cluding 26,000,000 acres in two forests in Alaska) are 192,000,000 acres, of which 166,000,000 acres are in the United States proper and include with- in their boundaries something like 22,- 000,000 acres that belong to the states or to private individuals. We have, then, excluding Alaska for- ests, a total of about 144,000,000 acres of forests belonging te the government which are being treated in accord with the principies of scieutific forestry. The law now prohibits the reservation of any mere forest lands in Oregon, Washington, idaho, }ontana, Colora- do and Wyoming except by act of con- gress. I am luformed by the depart- ment of agriculture that the govern- ment owns other tracts of timberland in these states which should be in- cluded in the forest reserves. I rec- ommend fo congress that the limitation herein imposed be repsaled. In the present forest reserves there are lands which are not properly for- est land and whieh ought to be sub- Ject to homestead entry. This has caused some local irrftation. We are carefully ellminating such lands from forest reserves or, where their elimina- tion 18 not practicable, listing them for entry under the forest homestead act. Congregs ought to trust the ex- ecutive to use the power of reservation enly with respect to land most vaiu- able for forest purposes. During the present administration 6,250.000 acres of land, largely non- timbered, have been excinded from for- est reserves, and 3,500,000 acres of land principally valuable for forest pur- poses have been iacluded in forest re- serves, making a reductlon In forest reserves of pontlmbered land amount- ing to 2,750,000 acres. Thke bureau of forestry since ifs creation bas initiat- ed reforestation on about 13,000 acres. A great deal of the forest land is avail- able for grazing. During the past year the grazing licensees numbered 25,687, and they pastured upon the forest re- serves 1,400,878 cattle, S5,552 horses and 7,558,650 sheep, for which the gov- ernment received $986,009, 2 decrease from the preceding year of $45,276, due to the fact that no money was col- lected or received for grazing on the nontimbered lands eliminated from the forest reserves. Another source of profit in the forestry is the recsipts for timber sold This year they amounted to $1.043- 428, un Increase of $307,326 over the re- ceipts of last year. This Increase is due to the improvement in transporta- tion to market and to the greater fa- eility with which the timber can be reached. About 000,000 worth of timber In these national forests was destroyed during the last summer by forest fires. Coal Lands. The next subject, and on portant for your conside e most im- m, is the disposition of the coal lands in the United States and in Alaska. First as to those In the United Sta At the beginning of this adminisiration there were classifled coal lands amounting to 5,476,000 acres, and there were with- drawn from entry for purposes of clas- atlon 17,867.000 acres. Sipce that there bave been withdrawn by rder from entry for classification slfc t ny ¥R,977,74% acrea, making a total with- ar; il of 96,844,745 acres. Meantime of the acres thus with- drawn 10,001,880 have been classified and found not to contain coal and have | been restored to agricultural entry and 4,726,091 acres been clagsified as ronl lands, wkile 75,903,239 acres re- maln withdrawn from entry and awalt elassification. In addition 337,000 acres | have been classified as coal lands with- | out prior withdrawal, the classfled scres, Under the Jaws providing for the €isposition of ¢oal iands in the United | Htates the minimum price at which lands arg permitted to be sold iz $10 an | ucre, but the sccretary of the imterior | las the pew o fix a maximum price | nnd to sell at that price. By the first regulations governing proved April 8 1907, $10, as provided b; thus increasing coal lands to 10,429,372 ! » and the msuxi 5 5100, and the hest price retually placed upon any land sold was §75. Under the new regulations adopt «d April 10, 1900, the maximnm price was lncreased to $300 except in regions where there are large mines, where no waximum Hmit i8 fized and the price 15 determined by the estimated tons of ¢oal to the aere. The highest price fized for any land under this regula- | tion has been $608. The appraised value of the lands csified a3 coal lands and valued un- he new and old regulations is | 1 to be as follows: Three million | hundred ninety-fiye thousand | haadred and forty-five acres. val- r the old regulation at $76,- an averuge of approximately ' 2 aa acre, and 6,633,927 acres classified and valued under the new | tion at $430,050.364, or a total of | 372 acTes, valued at $506,854,701. Vor the year ended June 30, 1809, flu.gg ‘wgke nade, embracing B .- ! made by the tepant. | ten permission of the governmental au- ! ing public coal lands. an area of 31,045 acres, waicn svia iur | $556,502.03. For the year ended June 30, 1910, there were 248 entries, em- | bracing an area of 38,325 acres, which sold for $772,32541, and down to No- vember, 1910, there were thirty-eight entries, with an area of 35,164 acres, | which sold for $103,082.75, making the | disposition of coal lands within the | last two years of about 75,000 acres Tor $1,431,010. The present congress has separated the surface of coal lands, either classi- fied or withdrawn for classification, from the coal beneath so as to permit at all times homestead entries upon the surface of lands useful for agri- culture and to reserve the ownership in the coal to the government. The question which remains to be consid- ered is whether the existing law for the sale of the coal in the ground should continue in force or be repealed ’ and & new method of disposition adopt- ed. Under the present law the abso- lute title in the coal beneath the sur- face passes to the grantee of the gov- ernment. The price fixed is upon an estimated amount of the tons of coal per acre be- neath the surface, and the prices are fixed 8o that the earnings will only be a reasonable profit upon the amount paid and the investment necessary. But, of course, this is more or less guesswork, and the govermment parts with the ownership of the coal in the ground absolutely. Authorities of the geological survey estimate that in the United States today there is a supply of about 8,000 billions of tons of coal and that of this 1,000 billions are in the public domain. Of course the other 2,000 biilions are within private own- ership and under no more control as to the use or the prices at which the coal may be sold than any other pri- | vate property. If the government leases the coal lands and acts as any Jandlord would and imposes conditions in its leases | like those whieh are now imposed by the owners in fee of coal mines in the | varjous coal regions of the east, then it would retain over the disposition of the coal deposits a choice as to the as- signee of the lease, a power of resum- ing possession af the end of the term of the lease or of readjusting terms at fixed periods of the lease, which might easily be framed to enable it to exer- cise a limited but effective control in | the disposition and sale of the coal to the public. It has been urged that the leasing system has never been adopted in this ! country and that its adoption would largely interfere with the investment of capital and the proper development and opening up of the coal resources. 1 venture to differ from this view. My investigations show that many owners of mining property of this country do not mine it themselves and do not invest their money in the plants neceesary for the mining, but they lease their properties for a term of years varying from twenty to thirty and forty years under conditions re- quiring the erection of a proper plant and the investment of a certain amount of money in the development of the mines and fixing a rental and a rovalty, sometimes an absolute figure and sometimes one proportioned to the market value of the coal. TUnder this latter method the owner of the miné shares in the prosperity of his lessees when coal is high and the profits good and also shares to some extent In their disappolntment when the price of coal falls. I have looked with some care into a report made at the instance of Presi- dent Roosevelt upon the disposition of coal lands in Australla, Tasmania and New Zealand. These are peculiarly mining countries, and their experience onght to be most valuable. In all these countries the method for the disposi- tion and opening of coal mines origi- nally ewned by the government is by granting leasehold and not by grant- ing an absolute title. The terms of the | leases run all the way from twenty- five to fifty years, while the amount of iand which may be leased to any indi- | vidual there is from 320 acres to 2,000 | seres. It appears that a full examina- tion was made and the opinions of all the leading experts on the subject were #olicifed and given and that with one | accord they approved in all respects the leasing system. Its success is sbundautly shown. It is possible that ! at first considerable latitude will have to be givem to the executive in drafting these forms of lease, but as soon as ex- | | { periment shall show which is the most tworkable and practical its use should | be provided for specifically by statute. The question as to bow great an area onght to be inciuded In a lease to one individual or corporafion is not! free from difficulty, but in view of the ! fact that the government retains con- trol as owner I think there might be | some libersiity in the amount leased | and that 2,500 acres would not be too | great a maximum. The leases should | only be granted after advertisement and public competition. By the opportunity to readjust the terms upon which the eoal shall be held by the tenant either at the end of each lease or at periods duriug the term the govermment may secure the benefit of sharilng in the increased price of cozl and the additional profit | By imposing con- ditions Iu respeect to the charactér of werk to be done in the mines the gov- ernment may control the character o the development of the mines and th treatment of employees with reference | to safety. By denying the right toj iransfer the lease except by the writ- thoritles it may withhold the needed | consent when it is propoesed to transfer ‘ the leasehold to persons interested in establishing a monopoly of coal pro- ! duetion in any staie or neighborhood. ! As one-third of all the coal supply & Leld by the government, it seems wise that it should retain such confrol ove the mining and the sale as the relation | of lessor to lessee furnishes. The secretary of the interior think: there are difficulties in the way of leas- | which objec- | tions he has xet forth in his report, the force of which 1 freely concede. I entirely approved his stating at length | in his report the objections in order that the whole subject may be present- ed to congress, but after a full cousid- eration, for the reasous 1 have given &bove, I favor a leasing system and | commodity | equitable enjoyment | preveuniion of improper methods as em- | t consumer will profit by whatever ben- recommend it. Oil and Gas Lands. In the last administration there were withdrawn from agricultural entry‘ 2,820,000.acres of supposed oil land in California; 1,451,520 acres in Louisi- ana, of which only 6,500 acres were | known to be vacant unappropriated land; 74,489 acres in Oregon, making a total of 4,346,369 acres. In Septem- | ber, 1909, I directed that all public oil lands, whether then withdrawn or not, should be withheld from disposi- tion pending congressional action, for! the reason that the existing placem‘ mining law, although made app]icable i to deposits of this character, is mnot suitable to such lands, and for the fur- | ther reason that it seemed desirable to | reserve certain fuel oil deposits for | the use of the American navy. Accordingly the form of all existing | withdrawals was changed, and new | withdrawals aggregating 2,750,000 | acres were made in Arizona, Califor- nia, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and | Wyoming. Field examinations during the year showed that of the original | withdrawals 2,190,424 acres were not | valuable for oil, and they were re- stored for agricultural entry. Mean- time other withdrawals of public oil lands in these states were made, so that Nov. 15, 1910, the outstanding withdrawals then amounted to 4,654, | 000 acres. The needed oil and gas law is es- | sentially a leasing law. In their nat- ural occurrence oil and gas cannot be | measured in terms of acres, like coal, and it follows that exclusive title to | these products can normally be se- | cured only after they reach the sur- face. Oil should be disposed of as a in terms of barrels of transportable product rather than in acres of real estate. This is, of course, | the reason for the practically uni- versal adoption of the leasing system wherever oil land is in private owner- ship. The government thus wonld not | be entering on an experiment, but simply putting fnto effect a plan suc- cessfully operated in pritate contracts, Why should not the government as a landowner deal directly with the oil producer rather than through the iu- tervention of a middleman to whom the government gives title to the land? The principal underiying feature of such legisiation should be the exercise of beneficial control rather than the collection of revenue. As not only the | largest owner of oil lands, but as a ! prospective large consumer of oil by reason of the Increasing use of fuel oil by the navy, the federal government is directly concerned both in encourag- Ing rational development and at the same time insuring the longest possi- ble life to the oil supply. The royalty rates fixed by the gov- ernment should neither exceed nor fall below the current rates. But much more important than revenue is the enforcement of regulations to conserve the public interest go that the cov- | enants of the lessees shall specifically safeguard oil fields against the penal- tles from careless drillings and of pro- | duction in excess of transportation fa- | cilitles or of market requirements. One of the difficulties presented, espe- cially in the California fields, is that the Southern Pacific railroad owns ev- | ery other section of land in the ofl flelds, and in those fields the oll seems to be in & common reservoir or serfes of reservoirs communicating through the oil sands, so that the excessive draining of oil at one well or on the railroad territory generally would ex- haust the oil in the government land. Hence it is important that if the gov- ernment is to have its share of the oil 1t should begin the opening and devel- | opment of weils on Its own property. In view of the joint ownership which the government and the adjolning land- owners like the Southern Pacific rall- road have in the oil reservoirs below the surface it is a most interesting and intrieate question, difficult of solution, but ene which ought to address itseif | at once to the siate lawmakers, how | far the staie legislature might impose [ appropriate restrictions to secure an | of the common reservoir and to prevent waste and excessiye drainage by the various own- | ers having access to this reservoir. ! It has been suggested, and I be]xew—i ! the suggestion to be a sound one, that permits be issued to a prospector for oil giving hilgx the right to prospect for tWwo years over a certain tract of gov- ernment land for the discovery of oil, the right to be evidenced by a license | for which he pays a small sum. When | the oil 18 discovered, then he acquires | title to a certain tract, much the same way as he would acquire tiile | under a mining law. Of course i1f the | system of leasing is adopted then he | would be given the benefit of a lease + upon terms like that above suggested. ! ‘What has been said in respect to oil applies also to government gas lands. Under the proposed oil legisiation. especially where the government oil lands embrace an eutire oil field, as in many eases, prospectors, operators, con- | sumers and the public can be bene- | fited by the adoption of the leasing ! system. The prospecter can be pro- | tected in the very Expeusire work that pecessarily antedates discovery tue op- erator can be protected against i ment of the productiveness of the wells which he has leased by reason of cou- trol of drilling and pumpiog of other wells too closely adjacent or by the ployed by careless, ignorant or irre- ! sponsible operators in the same field i which result in the admission of water to the oil sands, while, of course. the efits the prospector or operator receives in reduclng the first cost of the oil. Phesphate Lands. Phosphorus is one of the three essen- tials to plant growth, the other ele- ments being nitrogen and potash. Of these three, phosphorus is by all odds he scarcest element in nature. It is easily extracted in useful form from | the phosphate rock. and the United | States contains the greatest known de- | posits of this rock in the world. They are found in Wyoming, Utah. Idaho =ud Florida. as well as in South Caro- lina, Georgia and Teanessee. The gov- ernment phosphate lands sre confined to Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Florida. Prior to March 4, 1909. there were 4,448,208 acres withdrawn from agricni- tural entry on the ground that the land covered phosphate rock. Since ihay tme 2,369,776 acres of ibe land ‘tain phosphate in profitable quantities, | Moreover, it is also well understood { withdrawals made from time to time i plants for the transmutation of power. thus withdrawn were found not to con- while 1,678,000 acres were classified properly as phosphate lands. During this administration there have | been withdrawn and classified 437,673 acres, so that today there are classi- fied as phosphate rock land 2,514,195 acres. This rock is most important in the composihon of fertilizers to im- prove the sofl, and as the future is certain to create an enormous demand throughout this country for fertiliza- tion the value to the public of such deposits as these can hardly be exag- gerated. Certainly with respect to these de- | posits a careful policy of conservation : should be foilowed. Half of the phos- phate of the rock that is mined in pri- vate fields in the United States is now exported. As our farming methods | grow better the demand for the phos- phate will become greater, and it must | be arranged so that the supply shall equal the needs of the country. It is | uncertain whether the placer or lode law applies to the government phos- | phate rock. There is, therefore, neces- ity for some deflnite and well consid- ! ered legislation on this subject, and in aid of such legislation all of the gov- ernment lands known to contain val- uable phosphate rock are now with- drawn from entry. A law that would provide a leasing system for the phosphate deposits, to- gether with a provision for the sep- aration of the surface and mineral rights as is already provided for in the | case of coal. would seem to meet the need of promoting the development of these deposits and their utilization in the agricultural lands of the west. If it is thought desirable to discourage the exportation of phosphate rock and the saving of it for our own lands this purpose could be accomplished by con- ditions in the lease granted by the gov- ernment to its lessees. Of course under the constitution the government could not tax and could not prohibit the exportation of phos- phate, but as proprietor and owner of the lands in which the phosphate is deposited it could impose conditions upon the kind of sales, whether for- eign or domestic, which the lessees might make of the phosphate mined. The tonnage represented by the phosgphate lands in government owner- ship i8 very great, but the lesson has been learned in the case of such lands that have passed into private owner- ship ingSouth Carolina, Florida and Tenness.e that the phosphate deposits there are in no sense imexhaustible. that in the process of mining phos- phate as it has been pursued much of the lower grade of phosphate rock, which will eventually ail be needed, has been wasted beyond recovery. Such wasteful methods can easily be prevented, so far as the government land is concerned, by conditions in- serted in the leases. Water Power Sites. Prior to March 4, 1909, there had been, on the recommendation of the « | reclamation service, withdrawn from agricultural entry because they were regarded as useful for power sites | which ought not te be disposed of as agricultural lxnds, tracts amounting to about 4.000,900 acres. The with- drawals were hastily made and in- cluded a grest deal of land that was not usefwfér power sites. They were intended to Include me power nm on iwenty-nine rivers in nine states. Since that time 8,475,442 acres bave been restored for settlenmient of the original 4,000,000 becaunse they do not contain power sites, and meantime new withdrawals have bheen made which, with other restorations based upon field examination, result in with- drawals at present effective of 1,218,- 356 acrex on vacant public land and 202,197 acres on entered public land, or a total of 1,420,553 acres. These cover all the power sites included in the first withdrawals and many more on 151 rivers and in twelve states. | The disposition of these power sites involves one of the most difficult ques- tions presented in carrying out prac- tical conservation. The forest service, under a power found in the statute, has leased a num- | ber of these power sites in forest re- serves by revocable leases, but nosuch | power exists with respect to power sites that are mot located within for- est reserves, and the revocable system of leasing is, of course, not a satisfac- tory one for the purpose of inviting the capital needed to put in proper | The statute of 1891 with its amend- ments permits the secretary of the in- terior to grant perpetual easements or rights of way from water sources over public lands for the primary purpose of irrigation and such eiectrical current | as may be incidentally developed, but no grant can be made under this stat- | ute to concerns whose primary purpose is genersting and handling electricity. The statute of 1901 authorizes the sec- | vetary of the interior to issue revoca- | ble permits over the public lands to | electrical power companies, but this . statute 1s woefully inadequate because it does not suthorize the collection of a charge or fix a term of years. Capl- tal is slow to invest in an enterprise founded on a permit revecable at will. | The subject is one that calls for new gislation. It has been thought that there was danger of combination to ob- | ! tain possession of all the power sifes | and to unite them under ome control. | Whatever the*evidence of this, or lack | of it, at present we have had enough | experience to know that r‘ombinaliunj would be profitable, and the control of | a great number of power sites would enahle ‘the holders or owners to raise the price of power at will within cer- | tain sections, and the temptation would ; promptly attract investors and the dan- | | ger of monopoly and extortion would | not be a remote one. However this may be, it ig the plain | duty of the government to see fo it thut in the utilization and development | of all this immense amount of w-\tpr' power conditions sball be Imposed | that will prevent extortionate charges, which are the usual accompaniment | of monopely. The difficulity of adjusting the mat- ter is accentuated by the relation of the power sites to the water, the fall and flow of which create the power. “enjoyment. In the states where these sites are the riparian owner does not control or own the power in the water which flows past his land. That power is under the control and within the grant of the state, and generally the rule is that the first user is entitled to. the Now, the possession of the bank or, water power site over ‘which the water is to be conveyed in order to make the power useful gives to its owner an advantage and a cer- tain kind of control over the use of the water power, and it is proposed that the government in dealing with its own lands should use this advantage and lease lands for power sites to those who would develop the power and impose conditions on the lease- hold with reference to the reasonable- ness of the rates at which the power when transmuted is to be furnished to the public and preventing the abuses of monopoly by forbidding as- signment of the lease save with con- sent of the government. Serious difficulties are anticipated hy some in such an attempt on the part of the general government, because of the sovereign control of the state over the water power in its natural condi- tion, and the mere proprietorship of the government in the riparian lands. It is contended that through its mere proprietary right in the site the cen- tral government has no power to at- | tempt to exercise police jurisdiction with reference to how the water pow- er in a river owned and controlled by the state shall be used and that it is a violation of the state’s rights. I question the validity of this objec- tion. The government may impose any conditions that it chooses in its lease of its own property, even though it may have the same purpose and in ef- fect accomplish just what the state would accomplish by the exercise of its sovereignty. .There are those (and the director of the geological survey, Mr. Smith, who has given a great deal of attention to this matter, is one of | them) who insist that this matter of transmuting water power into electric- ity which can be conveyed all over the country and across state lines is a mat- ter that ought to be retained by the general government and that it should avail itself of the ownership of these power sites for the very purpose of co-ordinating in one general plan the power generated from these govern- ment owned sites. On the other hand, it is contended’ that it would relieve a complicated sit- uation if the control of the water pow- er site and the control of the water were vested in the same sovereignty and ownership—viz, the states—and then were disposed of for development | to private lessees under the restric- tions needed to preserve the interests af the public from the extortions and abuses of monopoly. Bills are pending in congress provid- ing that whenever the state wmwfhori- | ties deem a water power useful they may appry t the government of the United States for a grant to the state of the adjacent land for a waier power site and that this grant from the fed- eral government to the state ghall con- | tain a condition that the state shall never part with the title to the water power site or the water power, but shall lease it only for a term of years not exceeding fifty, with provisions in the lease by which the rental and the rates for which the power is furnished $0 the public shall be readjusted at periods less than the term of the lease, say every ten years. The argument is urged against this disposition of power sites that legis- lators and state authorities are more subjeci to corporate influence and con- trol than would be the central govern- ment. In reply it is claimed that a re- | | adjustment of the terms of leasehold | every ten years would secure to the public and the state just and equita- ble terms. In my judgment either of the plans proposed could be made to work sat- isfactorily, and I submit the whole matter to congress with the recommen- dation that one or the other be prompt- Iy adopted. I earnestly urge upon cong s that at this session general conservation legislation of the character indicated be adopted. At its last session this congress took most usefnl and nroper ! steps in the cause of conservation by allowing the executive through with- drawals to suspend the action of the existing Jaws in respect to much of the public domain. I have not thought that the danger of disposing of coal lands in the United States under the present laws in large quantities was so great as to call for their withdrawal, because under the present provisions | it is reasomably certain that the gov-| ernment will receive the real value of the land. But in respect to oil lands or phosphate lands and of gas lands in the United States and in respeet to ! coal lands in Alaska I have exercised ! the full power of withdrawal with the | hope that the action of congress wouid follow promptly and prevent that t; ing up of the resources of the country | in the western and less settled portion and in Alaska which means stagna- tion and retrogression. The question of conservation is not | a partisan one, that even in the short time of the pres ent session consideration may be given to those questions which have now Alaska. With reference to the government of Alaska, I bave nothing to add to the recommendations I made in my last message on the subject. T am convinced that the migratory rac- ter of the population, its unequal dis- tribution and its smallness of num- ber. which the new census shows fo ‘be about 50,000, in relation to the enor- mous expanse of the territory make it altogether impracticable to give to these people who are in Alaska today | . and may not be there a year hence the power to elect ern an immense a legistature to gov- territory fo which they have a relation so little perma- | ment. It s far better for the devel- opment of the territory that it be cgym- mitted to a commission to be appint- ed by the executive, with limited leg- islative powers sufiiciently broad to meet the local needs. than to continue the present insufficient gZovernment, with few remedial powers, or to make a popular governwent where there is and I sincerely hope | | to $8.926,000,000 for this year. | erop | stantly not proper foundation upon which to rest it. The suggestion that the appointment of a commission will lead to ,the con- - trol of the government by eorpor:ne or selfish and explomnz interests has not. the slightest foundation in fact. Such a government worked well in the Philippines and would work well in Alaska, and those who are really interested in the proper development of that territory for the benefit of the people who live in it and the benefit of the people of the United States, who own it, should support the institution of suich a government. I Iaave been asked to recommend that the credit of the government be extend- ed to aid the construction of railroads in Alaska. I am not ready now to do 80. A, great many millions of dollars have salready been expended in tl» construction of at least two railroads and if laws be passed providing for the proper development of the resources of Alaska, especially for the opening up of the coal lands, 1 believe that the capital a'ready invested will induce the investiment of more capital, suffi- cient to complete the railroads huilding and to furnish cheap coal not only to Alaska, but to the whole Pacific coast. The passage of a law permitting the leasing of government coal lands in Alaska after public competition and the appointment of a commigsion for the government of the territory with enabling powers to meet the local needs will lead to an improvement §n Alaska and the development of her wae sources that is likely to surprise the country. National Parks. Our national parks have become so extensive and involve so much detail of action in their control that it seems to me there ought to be legislation cre- ating a bureau for their care and con- trol. The greatest natural wonder of this country” and the surrounding terri- fory should be included in another na- tional park. I refer to the Grand Can- yon of the Colorade. Pensions. The uniform policy of the govern- ment in the matter of granting pen- sions to those gallant and devoted men who fought to save the life of the nation in the perllous days of the great civil war has always been of the most liberal cbaracter. Those men are now, rapidly passing away. The best obtainable official statistics show that they are dying at the rate of something over 3,000 a month, and in view of ‘their advancing years this rate must inevitably in proportion rap idly increase. To the man who risked everything on the field of battle to save the nation in the honr of its direst need we owe a debt which bas not been and should not be computed in a begrudg- ing or parsimonious spirit. But while we should be actuated by this spirit to the soldier himseif care should be ex- ercised not to go to absurd lengths or distribute the bounty of the govern- ment to classes of persous who may st this late day from a mere mercenary motive seek to obtain some legal rela- tion with an old veteran now tottering on the brink of the grave. The true spirit of the pension laws 1s to be found in the noble sentiments expressed by Mr. Lincoln in his last inaugura] address, wherein speak- ing of the nation’s duty to iis soldiers when the struggle should be over he said we should “care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his wid- ow and orphans.” DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Products Valued at $8,926,000,000. Increase Over 1909. The report of the secretary of agri- culture invites attention to the stu- pendous value of the agricultural prod- ucts of this country, amounting in all This amount is larger than that of 1909 by $305,000,000. The existence of such indicates a good prospect for business throughout the country. A notable change for the better commented upon by the secretary in the fact that the south, especially in those reglons where the holl weevil has interfered with the growth of cot- ton, has givexr more attention to the cujtivation of corn and other cereals, so that there is a greater diversifica- tion of crops in the south than ever before, and all to the great advantage of that section The report contazins a most interest- ing account of the activities of the de- partment in its various bureaus, show- ing how closely the agricultural prog- ress in thie country is following along the lines of improvement recommend- ed by the departmsent through its pub- licatipns and the results of its experi- menf stations in every state and by the instructions given through the ag- ricuitural schools alded by the federal government and following the general curriculum urged by the head and bu- rean chiefs of the department. The activities of the department is | have been greatly increased by the en- actment of recent legislation—by the act, the meat inspection act, transportation act and the ning the interstate shipment This department is one of > fhod of been much discussed and that action| these the scope of whose action iy con- ! may be taken upon them. widening, and therefore it is impossi under existing legisiation to reduce the cost and their estimates below those of preceding years, An intereeting review of the results of an examination made by the de- partment inte statisties and prices shows zhat on the average since 1891 farm prodocts have increased in valas 72 per cent, while the things which the farmer buys for use have incress- ed but 12 per cent, an indication that present conditions are favorable to the farming community. Forest Service. 1 hawe already referred to the forests of the United States and their extent and have urged, as I do again, the re- | moval of the limitation upon the power { of the executfive to reserve other teacts of land in six western states in which withdrawal for this purpose is now forbidden. The secretary of agricul- ture gives a very full description of the disasirous fires that ocenrred during 1 the Jast summer in the natiomal for ¢