A Long Fight Ended. 



43 



have been so acquired, Bhall be ini- 

 tiated or perfected, except as in this 

 section provided. 



Lands purchased under the provi- 

 bions of this Act are to be adminis- 

 tered as 'national forest lands' un- 

 der Sec. 24 of the Couj^ressional Act, 

 approved Mareh \\, 1891, and vari- 

 oul* supplemental Acts. The Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture is authorized to 

 divide any lands purchased 'into 

 8u<*h spceific national forests' as may 

 to him appear best for administra- 

 tive purposes. 



The Act provides that five per 

 cent, of any money received during 

 the fiscal year from each of the na- 

 tional forests thus created shall be 

 paid into the treasury of the State 

 in wiiich any such forest is located, 

 *t() l)»' expended as the State Legis- 

 lature may prescribe for the benefit 

 of the public schools and public 

 roads of the county or counties in 

 virhich such national forest is situat- 

 ed.' No county, however, is to re- 

 ceive an amount in excess of forty 

 per cent, of its total income from all 

 other sources. 



Finally, the Act appropriates $25,- 

 000 per year for the expenses of the 

 National Forest Reservation Cora- 

 mission, the money to be immediate- 

 ly available. 



Lands may be bought only in the 

 States whose legislatures have con- 

 sented to the ae(piisition of land by 

 the United States for the purpose of 

 preserving the navigability of 

 streams The States wliieh have al- 

 ready taken the necessary action are 

 Maine, New Hampshire. Maryland, 

 Virginia. West Virginia. North Caro- 

 lina. Tennessee. South Carolina and 

 Georgia. The first lands to be ex- 

 amined for purehase will be in the 

 Appalachian and White Mountains, 

 which because of their altitude, 

 steepness and lack of protection are 

 in a class by themselves. Careftil ex- 

 aminations which have been going on 

 for the last ten years have proved 

 that the conditions which affect 

 stream-flow to an extreme extent 

 are to be found in relatively limited 



areas, which are scattered more or 

 less widely. By careful selection it 

 is believed that much can be done 

 for the permanent improvement of 

 the watersheds with the purchase of 

 a relatively small part of the land. 



Timbered lands may be bought 

 either with the timber standing on 

 them or with reservation by the 

 owner of the right to cut the timber 

 under certain rules to provide for 

 perpetuation of the forest. These 

 rules will form a part of the agree- 

 ment for the purchase of the land. 

 Since, however, the government can 

 not pay high prices, it is not regard- 

 ed as probable that much land bear« 

 ing a heavy stand of merchantable 

 timber can be bought. Culled and 

 cut-over lands may be bought, as well 

 as land covered with brush which is 

 useful for watershed protection, 

 burned land and abandoned farm 

 land, whether cleared or partially or 

 wholly covered by young timber* 

 growth. Good agricultural lands 

 will not be considered. 



Hon. Jas. Wilson, Secretary of the 

 federal Department of Agriculture, 

 indicates that the policy of the Com- 

 mission will be to make the money 

 available go as far as possible. 'For 

 the most part,* he says, 'we shall 

 have to buy cut-over lands or lands 

 without much merchantable timber. 

 I want to make it plain at the start 

 that I shall recommend this class of 

 land only when it is offered very 

 cheap. The lands acquired by the 

 Government will l>e held as National 

 Forest.s. They will ])e protected from 

 fire and the growth of the timber 

 will be improved as much as pos- 

 sible. The lands will not be game 

 preserves, but will continue to be 

 open to the public for hunting and 

 fishing in accordance with the laws 

 of the State in which they are situ- 

 ated. All their resources will he 

 available for the public under rea- 

 sonable eonditions. Another point 

 which I wish to emnha.size is that we 

 are not going to take from people 

 their homes in nr^^.^r to put tlu' lands 

 into National Forests.' 



