Private claims in national forests.

Much brush land.

These forests were set aside from those parts of the public lands wholly or partly covered with timber or undergrowth, whether of commercial value or not, provided that they were not more valuable for mining or agriculture than for forest purposes. They cover, therefore, generally speaking, the more mountainous parts of the West, where there is rainfall enough to permit trees to grow, but where the land is too rough or too high for farming. Before they were set aside as forests they were open to entry under the public land laws of the United States, and most of them were sprinkled with land claims and patented lands. Many of them also were traversed by railroads which held land grants from the Government. Even after they became National Forests they remained subject to mineral entry, just like any other part of the public domain. Hence the National Forests are broken by interior holdings which, in a few places, amount to as much as one-third the total area. Just how much deduction should be made for these claims and perfected titles in all the National Forests is not yet known exactly, but it is probably as much as 15 per cent.

Again, the forests include a good deal of land which does not now grow trees. Some of it never will. This is the land which lies above timber line, and might just as well be left out of the forests if it were not invariably surrounded by National Forest lands, and if it had any value for any other purpose. There is also the land from which the forest has been burned away, but to which it will be restored again in time a much larger amount than the naturally barren land. Further, in certain parts of New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California, much land has been put into national forests which is merely brushland, but on which the protection of even this inferior growth is absolutely essential to the water supply. . . .

...

152. The Reservation of Mineral Lands

In his effort to conserve public mineral lands, President Roosevelt, in a message of February 3, 1907, made the following recommendations to Congress:

national

I recommended [in a previous message] to Congress the enact- The ment of such legislation as would provide for title to and develop- title to fuel ment of the surface land as separate and distinct from the right to resources. the underlying mineral fuels in regions where these may occur, and the disposal of these mineral fuels under a leasing system on conditions which would inure to the benefit of the public as a whole. I again call the attention of Congress to the importance of enacting such legislation. I care little for the details; the prime need is that the system should be established, that from henceforth the nation should retain its title to its fuel resources, and its right to supervise their development in the interest of the public as a whole.

experience

with leasing.

Such a leasing system as that proposed represents by no means Foreign an untried policy. In the Australian countries during the last fifteen years coal has been mined under a system of government leases, and on conditions so favorable for development that their coal and coke are to-day being sold on the Pacific Coast of both the American continents. In all the great coal producing European countries, except Great Britain, coal is being mined under government leases. In Great Britain, leases are granted almost entirely by the private land owners, but there as in other countries, the surface culture and the mining operations are conducted independently of each other. In Nova Scotia, British Columbia, India, and other British colonies a government leasing system has been adopted, and is working satisfactorily.

as public

Mineral fuels, like the forests and navigable streams, should be Minerals treated as public utilities. This is generally recognized abroad. utilities. In some foreign countries, practical control of a large portion of the fuel resources was allowed years ago to pass into private hands; but the existing governments are endeavoring to regain this control in order that the diminishing fuel supply may be safeguarded for the common good, instead of being disposed of for the benefit of a few — though the mistake of the preceding generation in disposing of these fuels for a nominal return, cannot always be corrected by the present generation as the cost may be so enormous as to be prohibitory.

And should be guarded like forests and water.

Leave something for the

future to decide.

The

exhaustion

In our own Western States and Territories, the scarcity of both the water and forests has rendered necessary their preservation as public utilities; and the preservation of the forests for the purpose of conserving both the water and the timber supply has come to be recognized as the wise and proper policy of the Federal Government. The quantity of high grade mineral fuels in the West is relatively much smaller than that of the forests; and the proper conservation of these fuels is a matter of far-reaching importance. This government should not now repeat the mistakes of the past. Let us not do what the next generation cannot undo. We have a right to a proper use of both the forests and the fuel during our lifetime but we should not dispose of the birthright of our children. If this government sells its remaining fuel lands, they pass out of its future control.

If it now leases them we retain control and a future Congress will be at liberty to decide whether it will continue or change this policy. Meanwhile the government can inaugurate a system which will encourage the separate and independent development of the surface lands for agricultural purposes and the extraction of the mineral fuels in such manner as will best meet the needs of the people and best facilitate the development of manufacturing industries...

Already probably one half of the total area of the high-grade coals in the West has passed under private control. Including both the lignite and the coal areas, these private holdings probably aggregate not less than 30,000,000 acres of coal fields. With the remainder of the lands containing mineral fuels reserved at least by the government, there will be ample opportunity to determine in the near future which of the two systems private ownership or the leasing system with general government supervision - will best protect the interests of the people and thus promote the permanent development of the West.

The necessity for care in the future management of these fuel of our fuels. supplies is further illustrated by the rapid rate at which use of such fuels is increasing in the United States. The amount of coal used

in this country during the last ten years is practically equal to that used during the preceding fifty years of its history. During each decade of this period the coal used was practically equal to the sum of that used during all the preceding decades. This remarkable development and the certain continuity of this prodigious growth compels us to recast all estimates as to the life of our "inexhaustible resources." We can foresee the time when the eastern industries will be much more largely taxed for supplying foreign markets. Then the West will also be largely engaged in varying manufacturing enterprises and this will require the intelligent use of every ton of available fuel in that region. The grave importance of conserving the fuel supplies in the West still remaining under the control of the Government, with a view to the accomplishment of these important purposes, impels me again to bring this matter to the attention of Congress.

153. The Reclamation of Arid Lands

Quite as important as the conservation of our national resources is the development of the great arid regions which are to-day unproductive. The most distinguished advocate of a generous. policy of governmental reclamation has been Mr. Newlands, of Nevada, and in championing the Reclamation Law of 1902, he made the following speech in the House of Representatives on May 14, of that year.

of the arid section.

The so-called arid region extends from about the one hundredth The extent meridian of longitude to the Pacific coast. Draw a line north and south through the middle of the two Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and all to the west of it is either arid or semi-arid, the aridity increasing as the Rocky Mountains are approached. The eastern portion of this great region is semiarid, while the narrow fringe along the Pacific seaboard is humid. Within the boundaries named thirteen States and three Territories lie wholly or in part, and, excluding Alaska, they constitute nearly one-half of the superficial area of the Republic. It is estimated that they contain about 600,000,000 acres of vacant public land,

The

character

of the water supply.

Small

irrigation schemes.

of which about 60,000,000 acres may be irrigated if the water supply is properly conserved and distributed. In other words, it is possible in the future to actually reclaim for cultivation in this vast region an area about equal to the area of the two States of Illinois and Iowa. The rest of this vast area cannot be cultivated. It will consist largely of mountain ranges and arid plains, for which it will be impossible to obtain sufficient water for irrigation, though they will be useful for grazing.

This region was once called "The Great American Desert." It is mainly mountainous. The Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, and the other mountain ranges take up a very large proportion of its area. It is impossible anywhere to cultivate by means of rainfall. Grasses adapted to the arid region grow on these plains and mountains and sustain the wandering herds from which most of the beef cattle of the country are recruited. Only valleys and plateaus in their vicinity are level enough for cultivation. The mountainous character of the country would prevent cultivation even were water abundant; but there is only sufficient water for a small part of the level portion of this area. The waters for cultivation must come from the creeks, streams, and rivers which have their sources in the snows of the mountains. These waters must be led away from the streams by lateral canals and ditches, and in order to accomplish this the water must be taken out where damming the river is comparatively easy. The snows which are the source of these creeks, streams, and rivers fall in the winter and melt in the spring and early summer. Most of these snows melt before May, leaving a scanty supply for June, July, and August, the period when the heat is intense, and when the dry air sucks the moisture out of everything, and when moisture is most required for ripening crops.

The first lands taken up in such a region are along the creeks and rivers and in the valleys where water is needed for supply. These lands being overflowed by the spring freshets, would produce wild grasses, which the stockmen would cut for hay, thus tiding over severe winters when the snow covered and concealed