1* 



A ST) 



ACQUISITION OF FOREST AND OTHER LANDS FOR THE 

 PROTECTION OF WATERSHEDS, ETC. 



COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, 



HOUSE or REPRESENTATIVES, 

 Wednesday, December 9, 1908. 



The committee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. Charles F. Scott 

 (chairman) presiding. 



The CHAIRMAN. Gentlemen of the committee, I wish to say that 

 about two weeks before the session of Congress opened I was re- 

 quested to grant a hearing to some gentlemen who wished to appear 

 here in the interest of the White Mountain and Appalachian forest 

 project. It was too late, then, to communicate with members of the 

 committee individually and hear from them, and I therefore took the 

 liberty 'of calling this meeting, taking their assent for granted, and 

 I am glad to note the presence of a very large portion of the 

 committee. 



I understand that at a meeting held last evening of those who are 

 interested in this matter it was decided to ask Governor Guild, of 

 Massachusetts, to conduct the hearing. Before introducing him, 

 however, I wish to make a few statements touching the attitude 01 

 the committee toward this measure, which may, perhaps, have some- 

 thing of suggestion in them to those who are to speak. 



In the first place, I wish to say that the committee is fairly well 

 educated on the general proposition. It has been discussed before 

 us at considerable length and by very able gentlemen. 



In the second place the opinion of the Judiciary Committee of the 

 House seems to leave this committee with no alternative but to ex- 

 clude from consideration any question of the purchase of forest lands 

 for the mere purpose of preserving the forests. Under that opinion 

 we can only consider the propriety of such purchase in the event that 

 a direct and substantial connection can be shown between the preser- 

 vation of the forests and the continued maintenance of the navigabil- 

 ity of navigable streams. Therefore, what I think the comniittee 

 desires particularly to have this morning is facts bearing directly 

 on this latter proposition. We want to know, if any of the gentle- 

 men who are to appear before us are prepared to state it, just how 

 much difference in the stream flow of some individual navigable river 

 can be directly attributed to the deforestation of the watershed con- 

 tributing to that stream. I think we would like to know if there is 

 any data showing the record of streams for as long a period as possi- 

 ble, covering a period when the forests were in existence and since 

 they have been removed. I think we would like to know whether 



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