214 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



April 



Under the present National Forest 

 policy, the home builder will be prop- 

 erly taken care of when he can find 

 land suitable for cultivation. We of 

 California are just beginning to real- 

 ize what a protection to our interests 

 the National Forest means. 



It may be true that there are iso- 

 lated cases where the management of 

 the National Forests works a hard- 

 ship, not only on the stockraiser but 

 on the miner; but I say, give the For- 

 est Service a chance — it is yet young, 



monopoly, and to be continually con- 

 fronted with the sign, "Keep off the 



grass. 



I see much trouble ahead in the not 

 far distant future for the people of 

 this State, and particularly the north- 

 ern portion of California, unless the 

 Government, and for that matter, the 

 State, provides means to properly con- 

 trol the monopolistic tendency to ac- 

 quire not only our timbered lands, but 

 our water supply as well. The miner, 

 agriculturist, horticulturist, and ir* 



Hillside and irrigating ditch in perfect condition, undisturbed by fire — In 

 the absence of trees, brush does much to hold the soil and the rain 

 water 



and I believe, from my knowledge of 

 the system of conducting these hold- 

 ings, that any wrongs with which it 

 may be afflicted will soon be reme- 

 died. 



The complainants might well be ask- 

 ed which they would prefer — Govern- 

 ment supervision, or private ownership 

 of the timber lands in the hands of a 



fact, the people generally, will have 

 their most valuable public utilities con- 

 trolled by a few individuals. 



Therefore, as a check to our mon- 

 opolistic friends I can see no better 

 method to adopt than strengthening 

 National Forests and lending our aid 

 towards the present policy of the 

 President. 



