THE WEEKS BILL 



Sixty/first Congress, First Session, H, R, 11798 

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



July 23, 1909 



Mr, Weeks introduced the following billj which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 



and ordered to be printed 



A Bill 



To enable any state to cooperate with any 

 other state or states, or with the United 

 States, for the protection of the water- 

 sheds of navigable streams, and to appoint 

 a commission for the acquisition oi lands 

 for ThTpurpose of conserving the naviga- 

 bili'.y of navigable rivers. 



Be it enacted by the Senate and 

 House of Representatives of the Umted 



States 



bled That the consent of the Congress 



of the Umted States is hereby given 



to each of the several 



Union to enter into any agreement or 



compact, not in conflict with any law 



of the United States, with any other 



state or states for the purpose of con- 



serving the forests and the water sup- 



ply of the states entering into such 



agreement or compact. 



SEC. 2. That the sum of $200,000 

 is hereby appropriated and made avail- 

 able- unt'il expended, out of any moneys 

 in the National Treasury not otherwise 

 appropriated, to enable the Secretary 

 nf Agriculture to cooperate with any 

 state or group of states, when requested 

 to do so, in the protection from fire 

 of the forested watersheds of navigable 

 streams; and the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture is hereby authorized, and on such 

 conditions as he deems wise, to stipulate 

 and agree with any state or group of 

 states to cooperate in the organization 

 and maintenance of a system of fire 

 protection on any private or state forest 

 l.-nids within such state or states and 

 situated upon the watershed of a navi- 

 river: Provided, That no such 

 42 



stipulation or agreement shall be made 

 with any state which has not provided 

 by law for a system of forest-fire protec- 

 tion : Provided further, That in no case 



ghall the amount expended in any state 



. 

 exceed in any fiscal year the amount 



appropriated by that state for the same 



purpose during the same fiscal year. 

 ^ ^ ^ Secr Qf A { _ 



m{ for the further * tection % f 



the wa tersheds of said navigable 

 ^ discretion, and he 



is hereb ' u [ h ' orized) on such conditions 

 as he < wis 



^ 

 to administer and protect for a definite 



term f y ears an 7 P riva te fores t lands 

 sit , uated "Pn any such watershed 

 whereon lands may be permanently re- 

 served, held, and administered as Na- 

 tional Forest lands ; but such stipulation 

 or agreement shall provide that the 

 owner of such private lands shall cut 

 and remove the timber thereon only 

 under such rules and regulations, to be 

 expressed in the stipulation or agree- 

 nient, as will provide for the protection 

 of the forest in the aid of navigation : 

 Provided, That in no case shall the 

 United States be liable for any damage 

 resulting from fire or any other cause 



SEC. 4. That there is hereby appropri- 

 ated, for the fiscal year ending June 

 30, 1910, the sum of $1,000,000, and 

 for each fiscal year thereafter a sum 

 not to exceed $2,000,000 for use in the 

 examination, survey, and acquirement 

 of lands located on the headwaters of 

 navigable streams or those which are 

 being or which may be developed for 



