118 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



Third. That in all the countries represented in the 

 congress a catalogue of the forests and of the personnel 

 of the forest services be formed. 



Fourth. That the cooperation of the public powers be 

 solicited in the establishment of an arbor day. 



WATER POWER 



In his paper on "The Principles Controlling the De- 

 velopment of Water Power on Public Lands of the 

 United States," O. C. Merrill, of the United States Forest 

 Service, said: "The existing law provides for the issu- 

 ance of a permit or license only. This is not sufficient 

 protection for the hundreds of millions of dollars in- 

 vested upon the public lands. Such investments should 

 be protected by long-term leases, unalterable for their 

 term and subject to either renewal at their expiration 

 or to purchase of properties. For protection of the pub- 

 lic interest, no rights obtained under a lease, or proper- 

 ties acquired for use in connection therewith, should be 

 capitalized for purposes of rate making or of sale to any 

 public agency at more than cost. 



"The public should never part with its title to public 

 power sites. Lands having a prospective value for 

 power development should be open to entry only under 

 conditions that will reserve the power use of such lands 

 perpetually and exclusively to the United States or its 

 lessees." 



M. O. Leighton, in discussing Coordination in "The 

 Development of Our Water Power Resources with Other 

 Uses of Water," said : "Coordination between the uses of 

 water for power and for irrigation involves fewer diffi- 

 culties at the present time than it has in the past, and 

 a still more harmonious condition is promised for the 

 future. Among the causes for this improvement are 

 improved irrigation and power practice, increased effi- 

 ciency, and adaptability of hydroelectric appliances, in- 

 cluding the hydroelectric pump, and a greater realiza- 

 tion upon the part of persons representing conflicting 

 interests that, in the final analysis, the greatest benefit 

 to any community must arise from the amicable and con- 

 siderate study of these matters and the mutual adjust- 

 ment of the several demands to the needs and conditions 

 that control in each case." 



Director George Otis Smith, of the Geological Survey, 

 in his paper on "The People's Interest in Water Power 

 Resources," said : 



"The people's interest in water power is served only 

 through use. 



"The stage at which we find power development on 

 the public-owned sites today is simply this, as described 

 by Secretary Lane in his recent report : 'The Government 

 was generous, but it had no intentions of being a spend- 

 thrift. When it found itself being imposed upon, the 

 nation stayed its hand and drew back, so as to make 

 sure of the right course. It wished use — use by as many 

 as possible and the best use.' 



"The engineering fact that stands out in the utilization 

 of water power is the comparatively high efficiency of 

 large systems. Lower costs of operation and better serv- 

 ice are results that appear to follow naturally the crea- 



tion of these combinations of power plants. The cen- 

 tralization of power development is accompanied by a 

 large market and diversified use; and the resulting high 

 load factor has made possible low rates, which have, in 

 turn, encouraged the more general use of power. 



"Such are the advantages to the people that are possible 

 through hydroelectric development as a natural monop- 

 oly; it remains to make the possible advantages actual. 

 The most notable sign of the times is the general ac- 

 ceptance of the principle of public control." 



The Engineering Section of the Congress, presided 

 over by General Bixby, held a joint session with the 

 Conservation and ^Mining sections, at which Rome G. 

 Brown, of Minneapolis, presented an exhaustive paper 

 on the "Laws and Regulations Regarding the Use of 

 Water in Pan-American Countries." He said : "The 

 energy of the water fall is not latent. That energy is a 

 part of the constantly acting force of gravitation. It is 

 ever present and, unless utilized, is forever wasted. 

 Conservation therefore, of the natural resources of a 

 country, demands the greatest and most immediate pre- 

 vention of this constantly wasting energy from unde- 

 \eloped water powers and of the quickest and most 

 extensive utilization which can possibly be made con- 

 sistently with proper protection of the interests of in- 

 dividuals and of the public at large." . . . "The 

 cause of this uneconomic waste" — (of our water powers) 

 "in all countries is, that legislation for the regulation and 

 use of water resources, instead of promoting their use, 

 lias become an obstacle to their use. Legislation has 

 not kept pace with the progress in the science of water 

 power development and use." 



THE RESOLUTIONS 



The resolutions adopted by the Conservation Section 

 of the Congress were as follows: 



"L Cooperation in Study of Forest Resources. — Co- 

 operation in the intelligent development of the forest 

 resources of the two American continents is made neces- 

 sary and desirable by their mutual dependence, each 

 upon products of the forests of the other. Central and 

 South America use large quantities of structural woods 

 from the forests of North America ; and North America 

 requires the extract and dyewoods and cabinet timbers 

 of the Central and South American forests. The nations 

 of Pan America should therefore cooperate in deter- 

 mining the extent and value of their forest resources, 

 the best means for their conservation, and the most ef- 

 fective utilization of their products. As the first step 

 in this direction there should be arranged, through the 

 Government agencies of the Pan-American countries, a 

 cooperative study of forest conditions and forest utiliza- 

 tion of the Pan-American Union, with the publication 

 of data thereon. 



"2. Public Ownership of Forest Lands. — The experi-^ 

 ence of nearly all countries has shown that the privat^ 

 ownership of mountainous forests, on lands unsuited t0 

 agriculture, endangers the public welfare. The burden."!^ 

 of private ownership during the long periods necessary 

 to grow forest crops often lead to wasteful and unecO'| 



