214 



FORESTRY AXD IRRIGATION 



April 



Under the present National Forest 

 policy, the home builder will be prop- 

 erly taken care of when he can find 

 land suitable for cultivation. \Ye of 

 California are just beginning to real- 

 ize what a protection to our interests 

 the National Forest means. 



It may be true that there are iso- 

 lated cases where the management of 

 the National Forests works a hard- 

 ship, not only on the stockraiser but 

 on the miner ; but I say. give the For- 

 est Service a chance it is yet young. 



monopoly, and to be continually con- 

 fronted with the sign, "Keep off the 



grass. 



I see much trouble ahead in the not 

 far distant future for the people of 

 this State, and particularly the north- 

 ern portion of California, unless the 

 Government, and for that matter, the 

 State, provides means to properly con- 

 trol the monopolistic tendency to ac- 

 quire not only our timbered lauds, but 

 our water supply as well. The miner, 

 agriculturist, horticulturist, and it) 





Hillside and irrigating ditch in perfect condition, undisturbed by fire In 

 the absence of trees, brush does much to hold the scil and the rain 

 water 



and I believe, from my knowledge of 

 the system of conducting these hold 

 in^-. that any wrongs with which it 

 may be afflicted will soon be reme- 

 died. 



The complainants might well be ask- 

 ed which they would prefer Govern- 

 ment supervision, or private ownership 

 of the timber lands in the hands of a 



fact, the people generally, will have 

 their most valuable public utilities con- 

 trolled by a few individual-. 



Therefore, a- a cluck t< our mon- 

 opolistic friends I can see no hitter 

 method to adopt than Mreiiglhening 

 National Forests and lending our aid 

 towards the prc-ent policy of the 

 President. 



