NEWS AND NOTES 



711 



itself, on prudence and foresight. It is the 

 application of common sense to the common 

 problems for the common good, and it repre- 

 sents the best spirit of to-day, the spirit 

 which yearly brings this congress together 

 to discuss, develop and promote the common 

 good of the whole West. 



"Conservation is the central factor in the 

 galaxy of the Roosevelt policies — the policies 

 of equal opportunity. I want to repeat here 

 what I had keen pleasure in saying at 

 Spokane, that as a Nation we are fortunate 

 at this time in this fact, above _ all others, 

 that the great man who gave his name to 

 these policies has for his successor another 

 great President, whose administration is 

 most solemnly pledged to support them. And 

 every man who has read President Taft's 

 letter on the importance of conservation to 

 business men will realize how strongly he 

 stands behind the conservation policy. 



"The National Forests are a part of the 

 property of the Nation. They exist for the 

 public good, and have no other reason for 

 existence. The governmental machinery 

 organized to make them useful is the Forest 

 Service, and like the National Forests them- 

 selves, it has no other object and no other 

 excuse for existence but the general welfare. 



"Whatever mistakes it may have made, 

 whatever shortcomings it may have been, or 

 may still be guilty of, I claim for it at least 

 the credit of an honest and earnest effort to 

 be of real use. 



'Tn the times in which we live the road to 

 usefulness commonly follows the line of co- 

 operation. This is true of the great business 

 interests which you represent, and it is no 

 less true of the Forest Service. 



"The outlook for forestry has grown stead- 

 ily brighter of late with each succeeding year, 

 and it was never so bright as now. But of all 

 the good signs there is none so cheerful and 

 none so welcome as the increase in co- 

 operation between the users of the National 

 Forests and the Forest Service. This is due 

 in large part to the establishment of six 

 branch offices in the West, so that the users 

 of the forests can get immediate action on all 

 local questions by men familiar with local 

 conditions and local needs. It is due in still 

 larger part to a better understanding be- 

 tween the users of the National Forests and 

 the Forest Service. The forest users realize 

 better what the Service is trying to do and 

 the Service itself is learning to do better 

 work — adapting itself better every year to 

 the needs and desires of the West. 



"It is true that cooperation is not always 

 possible. Increasing usefulness to all the 

 people must sometimes entail smaller useful- 

 ness to one or more individuals. Like every 

 other government institution, whether mu- 

 nicipal, county, state, or national, the Forest 

 Service is at times required, in the course 

 of its duty, to prevent some man from getting 

 what he would like, but ought not to have. 

 But that is simply a part of the effort for the 

 general good, and the firmness which such 



work requires is obviously necessary in the 

 public interest. 



"The Forest Service is a public servant — 

 our servant in the work of preserving our 

 forests. It asks, I believe it deserves, and I 

 know it desires and expects your admonition, 

 counsel and assistance in the work the 

 American people have given it to do." 



*i J-s is 



Mr. Pinchot at the Conservation Congress 

 at Seattle 



At the First National Conservation Con- 

 gress, held at Seattle, Wash., August 27, Na- 

 tional Forester Pinchot said, in part : 



"Conservation has three primary objects: 



"First, to develop our natural resources, so 

 that this generation may have its full share 

 and use of the riches of this earth. 



"Second, to prevent a needless waste and 

 destruction of these resources, so that fu- 

 ture generations may likewise have a just 

 share in the material foundation of our 

 prosperity. 



"Third, to see that our great natural re- 

 sources, when so developed, shall be pro- 

 tected and used for the permanent welfare 

 of the many, instead of the few. 



"This conservation idea covers a wide field. 

 It aims at the greatest good for the greatest 

 number for the longest time. It is simple, 

 definite, and direct. It advocates the use of 

 foresight, prudence, thrift, and intelligence in 

 public affairs and private business. 



"It proclaims equal rights, and it is the 

 duty of the people to think and to act for the 

 benefit of the whole people. 



"Therefore, in a word, it demands the 

 application of common sense to common 

 problems for the common good. 



"Conservation, the application of common 

 sense to common problems for the common 

 good, will lead directly to efficiency wherever 

 it is given control. We arc coming to see 

 that conservation will have two great results 

 — to conserve our natural resources which 

 guarantee our welfare, and to lead our peo- 

 ple to greater wisdom and effectiveness in 

 every department of our common life. The 

 outcome of conservation is national efficiency. 



"The principles of conservation, thus de- 

 scribed, have a general application, the 

 breadth and value of which is very remark 

 able. The development of our resources and 

 opportunities, the prevention of waste and 

 loss and the protection in this by foresight, 

 I)rudcnce, thrift, and intelligence — all this ap- 

 plies with clear and undeniable force to the 

 conservation of our national resources. But 

 it applies just as clearly and undeniably to 

 the conservation of every interest that is 

 necessary for the entire people. 



"Conservation, from my viewpoint, is as 

 valuable in education as in forestry. It ap- 

 I)lies to the body politic as well as to the 

 earth and its minerals. It applies as much 

 to municipal franchises as it docs to the 

 i-arth and its minerals. Municipal franchises 



