440 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATIOxN 



to secure such assistance as may be re- 

 quired for th preparation of special 

 statements and reports. The suggestion 

 of the chairman that the general reports 

 of the Commision should b brief was 

 approved. 



Speaking on behalf of the Section of 

 Water Resources, Mr. Burton gave 

 notice of a proposed European trip, and 

 invited members of the Executive Com- 

 mittee and other commissioners to join 

 him in an inspection of several Eu- 

 ropean rivers in July. 



Senator Nelson suggested greatly 

 needed lines of inquiry relating to the 

 public lands, including extent, location, 

 classification, modes of transfer, etc. 

 He pointed out the desirability of care- 

 fully considering the methods of dis- 

 posal of the lands. As a basis of rec- 

 ommendations to the Congress, he 

 urged that the land laws of the United 

 States, and so far as may be those of 

 the several states should be codified. 

 Mr. Newell and others concurred, 

 holding that a reclassification of the 

 public lands as affected by reclama- 

 tion through irrigation and drainage is 

 urgently required. After discussion of 

 details, it was agreed that the chairman 

 should have a codification of the land 

 laws of the United States along the 

 lines indicated by Senator Nelson com- 

 menced at an early day, with a view to 

 a report by December next. 



President Van Elise directed atten- 

 tion to the loss of phosphate salts, and 

 suggested that the working of phos- 

 phate deposits and exportation of phos- 

 phates from the United States should 

 be limited by law, and Doctor Holmes, 

 on behalf of the Section of Minerals, 

 undertook to begin inquiries during the 

 summer with a view to an early re- 

 port. 



Senator Smoot suggested certain 

 special inquiries relating to Forest Re- 

 sources The matter was discussed by 

 Messrs. Nelson J. B. White and Ir- 

 vine, and Chairman Pinchot undertook 

 to have special statements and reports 

 prepared in time for the December 

 meeting. 



By general consent the chairman was 

 authorized to communicate with presi- 



dents of national organizations con- 

 cerned in the conservation of resources. 



On motion of Senator Nelson, the 

 meeting adjourned. 



An inventory of the natural re- 

 sources of the United States, in cooper- 

 ation between the National Conserva- 

 tion Commission and the Executive De- 

 partments of the Government, is now 

 going rapidly forward. At a meeting 

 with the chairman of the Commission 

 shortly after the organization of the 

 Executive Committee, the chiefs of 

 bureau concerned went over the general 

 plan of work, made valuable sugges- 

 tions regarding it, and cordially offered 

 active cooperation in the collection of 

 material needed for the preliminary re- 

 port of the Commission, on January i. 

 Other chiefs of bureau, who were un- 

 able to be present, have since offered 

 their assistance, with the result that 

 the collection of material for the forth- 

 coming report is actually in progress in 

 every bureau concerned. 



The compiling of the information 

 furnished by the Executive Depart- 

 ments and from other sources has been 

 placed in the hands of Mr. Henry Gan- 

 nett, whose wide experience and 

 achievement qualify him eminently for 

 the task. Mr. Gannett, who is now 

 just finishing his work as Assistant 

 Director of the Cuban census has al- 

 ready taken up his duties for the Con- 

 servation Commission, and is in daily 

 touch with the bureaus in which the 

 material is being gathered. In order 

 to hasten the work, the President has 

 asked that Mr. Gannett be detailed to 

 him, to assist the Commission, as soon 

 as his duties upon the Cuban census 

 will permit, so that he may devote his 

 full time to the compilation of the ma- 

 terial obtained. The President has 

 also addressed to each chief of bureau 

 engaged in the collection of material 

 for the Commission, a letter expressing 

 his pleasure at the enthusiastic coopera- 

 tion offered, and expressing his sense 

 of the importance of the work. 



While much of the necessary material 

 is either already available in the Execu- 

 tive Departments or obtainable by them, 

 the Commission will also gather in- 



