/^> ONGRESS appropriated $5,343,045 for the national forest 

 \^S service for the fiscal year 1912-13. This is a slight de- 

 crease over the appropriation for the preceding year. 

 The 1911-12 appropriation was $5,533,100. A comparison of 

 the two follows: 



1911-12 1912-13 



Salaries $2,318,680 $2,235,760 



General Expenses 2,714,420 2,707,285 



Permanent Improvement 500,000 400,000, 



$5,533,100 $5,343,045 



Fear of "Woodchuck" in an Amendment Offered By the 

 Senate. 



Passage of the bill making the appropriation was delayed 

 by an effort on the part of the Senate to add an amendment 

 directing the Secretary of Agriculture "to select and classify 

 in and segregate (from the national forests) all lands within 

 the boundaries on the national forests that are suitable and 

 fit for agricultural purposes" in order that the land might 

 be open to settlement and entry. Fear was expressed that 

 this amendment might open the way to land-jugglers, and the 

 measure was blocked. The bill went to conference and a 

 substitute amendment was agreed upon which read as follows : 



"The Secretary of Agriculture is hereby directed and re- 

 quired to select, classify and segregate as soon as practica- 

 ble, all lands within the boundaries of national forests that 

 may be opened to settlement and or try under the homestead 

 laws applicable to the national forests, and the sum of 

 $25,000 is hereby appropriated for the purpose aforesaid." 



The "homestead laws applicable to national forests" pro- 

 vide that the lands open to agricultural settlement shall be 

 chiefly valuable for agriculture and which may be occupied 

 for agricultural purposes without injury to the forest reserves 

 and which are not needed for public purposes. 



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