238 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRIATION BILL, 1924. 



to any extent and it constitutes, by reason of its location, one of the 

 largest and most valuable reserve areas in the United States. This 

 blow down went right through the heart of it, and in protecting the 

 damaged strip we are protecting primarily the enormous and very 

 valuable timber region around it. With two or three more vears the 

 growth of vegetation and rotting of the blown-down timber will greatly 

 reduce the lire hazard, and I hope we can cut this item from time to 

 time and in the course of no great length of time absorb it entirely in 

 our regular appropriations. 



Mr. Jump. 1: ou will observe that that item carries a decrease of 

 $8,000 for 1924. 



FOR PROTECTION OF OREGON AND CALIFORNIA RAILROAD LANDS AND 



COOS BAY WAGON ROAD TRAILS. 



Mr. Anderson. The next item is on pa^^e 343. As I recall, this is 

 a proposition that was taken over by the Department of the Interior 

 some years ago. 



Colonel Greeley. That is work which the Forest Service has 

 assumed at the re(juest of the Interior Department. The protection 

 of these railway-grant lands, which have been revested in the United 

 States, was fii-st provided for in the sundry civil bill for 1916. In the 

 fiscal vear 1022 the Forest Service assumed it at the request of the 

 Interior D(>partment, because a large part of the lands are inter- 

 mingled with the national forests in Oregon. The actual cost of 

 protecting these lands has ranged from S37.000 to S43,000 a year, 

 dopending on tlie character of the season. During the last fiscal 

 year the actual cost was S4 1,000. 



An appropriation of $35,000 means that we have got to protect 

 tile laud h)r less than 15 mils per acre, which is less than we can do, 

 e.\ce|)t in an unusually favorable season. The cost of protecting the 

 national forests as a wiiole amounts to 17 mills per acre in a normal 

 year. We re(|uested the Bureau of the Budget to increase this item 

 to -SIO.OOO on ti\e basis of the average cost actually incurred during 

 tlie past live years, but the Director of the Budget thought we ought 

 to hold it at S35,000. This means that we have got to ask for a 

 deficiency unless we have an exceptionally favorable summer. The 

 hind contains about forty or (ifty billion feet of timber and is an 

 extremely valuable property. There is no question about the need 

 of sustained pr()tection. 



Mr. Ander.son. We will take up the item on page 350. That is 

 apparently an apropriation already made. 



Colonel (iKKKLEV. The item on page 35t) is simply an enumeration 

 of appropriations previously made. 



FOREST ROADS AND TRAILS. 



AUTIIOHIZATION UV Ari'lUtriUATION IN FEUKKAl. HUIHWAY AlT. 



Mr. Anderson. We will next take up the item on page 359. 

 forest roads and trails. 



Colonel (iRKF.i.KV. The item on pa'^e 359 is an apj)ropriat ion 

 authorized bv Con'M'ess but not hitherto specilicallv nuule. In 

 passing the F«Mleral hi«;hway act of November 9, 1921, Congress 

 defined the general policv that anDronriati<»ns for the e<mstruction 



