NEWS AND NOTES 



303 



I 



the marvelous possessions and wealth which 

 lie within its boundaries. It contains bits 

 of history, even politics ; in all, it is a book 

 which covers Alabama, and its rise and 

 development since its admission into the 

 Union, with stress laid upon its present pros- 

 perous condition, and its promise for the 

 future." — The Tradesman, Chattanooga. 



President Van Hise for Conservation 



In an address on April 7 before the Wis- 

 consin Commandery of the Loyal Legion, 

 President Chas. R. Van Hise, of the Univer- 

 sity of Wisconsin, said : 



"From the point of view of our descend- 

 ants, this question is more important 

 than any political or social one upon 

 which we are now engaged. It is also now 

 pressing, for our unnecessary losses are 

 already irremediable and the situation is 

 growing steadily worse. 



"For many years the voice of the scientist 

 has been raised for conservation ; but his 

 voice has been a voice in the wilderness. 

 I believe that the work which ex-President 

 Roosevelt has done for the conservation of 

 natural resources will mark him among the 

 future generations as one of the greatest 

 statesmen of any time." 



President Van Hise traced the history 

 of the conservation movement from its in- 

 ception in ex-President Roosevelt's first 

 White House conference, May 13, igo8, 

 pointing out that since then thirty-seven 

 state conservation commissions have been 

 appointed and forty-seven, representing the 

 large national organizations, have been 

 formed. 



"Our most fundamental duty," he declared, 

 ''is to transmit the heritage of our natural 

 resources to our descendants as nearly in- 

 tact as posible. The future of the Nation is 

 safe only when small and large holders alike 

 shall administer their trusts primarily for 

 the benefit of the people now living and for 

 succeeding generations, rather than for them- 

 selves." 



«r' ^i &' 

 Countiss Committee Meeting 



(Special for Conservation) 



California is the first state to take up in 

 systematic manner the subject of conserva- 

 tion of its natural resources, and on May 8, 

 at the eleventh semi-annual meeting of the 

 counties committee of the California Promo- 

 tion Committee, to be held at Del Monte, 

 the theme of the meeting will be "Conserva- 

 tion in California." Papers will be read by 

 such men as F. H. Newell, Director of the 

 LTnited States Reclamation Service ; W J 

 McGee, secretary of the National Conserva- 

 tion Commission ; members of the National 



Commission and heads of great departments 

 such as Forestry and Mining of California. 



This meeting will not be content, how- 

 ever, to simply hear and discuss papers. It 

 will act, as that is one of the features of 

 the semi-annual meetings of the committee. 

 The findings of the gathering will be put 

 in concrete form, applicable to legislative 

 action, and the committee will take active 

 interest in furthering such matters as will 

 best serve the state's interest. These meet- 

 ings are attended by representatives of about 

 200 commercial organizations of all parts of 

 the state, every county having representa- 

 tives, and the sentiment expressed is the 

 crystalized sentiment of the entire state. 



California's rivers, forests, lands and mines 

 have never been under a systematic con- 

 servation idea, but following the meeting at 

 Del Monte it is expected that a complete 

 outline of work will be formulated which 

 will enable the state officials to work to the 

 great benefit of California's natural re- 

 sources. Much interest centers in the meet- 

 ing owing to the fact that it is directly in 

 line with the ideas formulated at the meet- 

 ing called by President Roosevelt, and at- 

 tended by the governors of nearly all the 

 states. 



^ ^ ^ 



Missouri's Forests 



Says the St. Louis, Mo., Globe-Democrat: 

 "Nature has bestowed upon the 70,000 

 square miles of Missouri rich and varied 

 gifts, and they will not diminish if they are 

 handled on the right economic system. On 

 the other hand, they will certainly be de- 

 stroyed if not protected by forethought and 

 wise methods. When forests are slashed off 

 wastefully, something more than timber is 

 wiped out. Floods are increased and the 

 climate itself is affected. A farmer whose 

 soil washes away loses his working basis. 

 Every desert place in the paths of civiliza- 

 tion tells its story of a wanton waste of the 

 forests. The mischief may be quickly done. 

 Only ten years ago the wooded area in Mis- 

 souri was estimated at 41,000 square miles, or 

 sixty per cent. Now the forest area is stated 

 to be 27,000. square miles, or thirty-nine per 

 cent. The lumber production in Missouri 

 during the last decade has averaged at least 

 600,000,000 feet a year. At this rate com- 

 paratively little would be left in another ten 

 years. Thereafter the state's lumber output 

 would cease to be reckoned in a large way. 

 Yet, properly conserved, it would last for- 

 ever. 



^ >^' «? 



Massachusetts Women for Conservation 



Woman's share in the solution of the great 

 problems of conservation and forestry was 

 outlined vividly to a representative gather- 



