NATIONALIZATION OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES 



423 



ceeds from such sales to be set aside for 

 the exckisive use of this department. 



As, in the course of time, a vast in- 

 come will inure to this department from 

 the sale and lease of lands, sale of tim- 

 ber, sale of coal and other minerals, sale 

 and lease of water-power, and sale and 

 lease of electrical energy, provision 

 should be made not only to pay the in- 

 terest on the bonds, but also, in the 

 course of time, to retire them. In ad- 

 dition, I would recommend that all 

 moneys derived from the above-stated 

 sources, over and above that required 

 for the interest and retirement of the 

 bond issues and the maintenance of the 

 several divisions of the department, be 

 distributed annually or biennially to the 

 several states and the Federal Govern- 

 ment, paying to each a proper and pro 

 rata share according to the appraised 

 value of the natural resources turned in 

 by each to the general plan. 



The above, in brief, is my plan, and 

 much as we may cavil at the radical rec- 

 ommendations made, which differ from 

 our present plan of operation, there is 

 no doubt but what, sooner or later, 

 there will be a general clamor for its 



adoption. In no other way can we ob- 

 tain a true business administration and 

 our natural resources should be regard- 

 ed, exploited, improved, and conserved 

 on business lines solely. Heretofore, 

 whenever improvements have been 

 made, such as forestation, reforestation, 

 reclamation of swamp lands and arid 

 lands, improvement of waterways and 

 harbors, the work has been carried on 

 in a haphazard, disjointed and incon- 

 sistent manner, at an enormous expense 

 to the people of this country, an ex- 

 pense disproportionate to the benefits 

 derived ; my plan provides for a unifica- 

 tion of efforts, and, what is vastly more 

 important, the expense will be paid for 

 by the improvements made ; for in- 

 stance, streams can be so improved that 

 millions of horse-power of electrical 

 energy will be developed, which should 

 be marketed in a businesslike way, as 

 any other commodity is sold. Timber 

 can be sold annually, reclaimed lands 

 can be sold, grazing lands can be leased, 

 coal can be sold, likewise other miner- 

 als, etc. Thus, our resources will be 

 conserved without adding one dollar to 

 the national expense account. 



IRRIGATION IN THE NORTHWEST 

 Upstream Face of the Great "Pathfinder" Dam, in Wyoming 



