REPORT ON SUPERVISORS' MEETING AT DENVER, 



COLORADO. 



The meeting of the Supervisors of District 2 was called to 

 order at 9 a. m. on January 23, 191 1, by District Forester Riley, 

 acting as Chairman. 



The first day's proceedings consisted of a brief discussion of 

 the important work which had been carried on on each Forest 

 since the last meeting with special reference to special problems 

 and improved methods. 



Mr. Riley opened the meeting with an address, quoted in part 

 as follows : 



"We have made great progress since our last meeting and 

 still greater progress must be made to get the forestry work of 

 this region to the proper standard in the near future. You are 

 guardians and business managers for 20,000,000 acres of public 

 lands upon which are natural resources with an actual cash 

 value of over $200,000,000. The value of property directly and 

 indirectly dependent upon a wise conservation of these resources 

 is several hundred millions of dollars more. All of this wealth 

 is under your immediate charge and you are responsible for its 

 protection and development. 



The timber, range and waters of the West should be developed. 

 They are all meant for use, profit and enjoyment. It is pos- 

 sible to use them in two ways : We may turn them over to pri- 

 vate or corporate owners without restriction, or we may keep 

 them in Government ownership with provision for their restricted 

 or conservative use. In the first case, development would pro- 

 ceed with the object of financial gain to their owners. This would 

 result in a kind of development making little or no provision for 

 sustained productiveness. It would tend toward a monopoliza- 

 tion by a few powerful hands to the probable detriment of the 

 ordinary citizen. It would bring about the use of a resource 

 without regard to its effect upon the others, or upon the closely 

 related interests. In the second case, permanent ownership being 

 with the people, development could proceed with provision for 

 both financial gain to private enterprise and sustained productive- 



