HOSTILITY TO NATIONAL FORESTS 269 



priated sites, perhaps held them out of use, merely with the intention 

 of selling at an advance to someone who really wished to develop. The 

 Forest Service claims that its policy results in some cases in more 

 rapid development than would otherwise occur, by prevehting specu- 

 lators from getting control and holding sites out of use. 



The provision giving the Secretary of Agriculture power to revoke 

 water power permits is clearly one that is open to criticism. It is true 

 that permits for projects of more than 100 horse power total capacity 

 are usually for fifty years, but they may specify a shorter time or 

 may be indeterminate, and permits for projects of 100 horse power 

 or less are always issued for indeterminate periods, subject to revo- 

 cation by the Secretary of Agriculture. Also, in order that the inter- 

 ests of consumers of power may be protected, permittees are required 

 to abide by reasonable regulation of rates and of service by the state, 

 or, if the state does not exercise such regulation, by the Secretary of 

 Agriculture. 



It is easy to suppose that under such restrictions as these, the 

 water power resources in national forests would not present a very 

 attractive field for the investment of capital ; and yet the Forest Ser- 

 vice claims that water power development has proceeded much faster 

 in the West than in the East, that the development per capita of the 

 western states in 1912 was two and one half times as great as in other 

 parts of the country, that there is even a "considerable overdevelop- 

 ment in nearly all the power centers of the western states, California, 

 Oregon, and Washington in particular showing installations far in 

 excess of maximum demands." 



The water power question is still unsettled, and it is not the pur- 

 pose of this book to point out any solution. The present situation is 

 certainly not satisfactory in all respects. On the other hand, it must 

 be noted that the present situation is vastly better than it would be if 

 the Forest Service had not guarded the power sites very carefully, for 

 the government can still turn these over to private exploitation at 

 any time it sees fit, while it would have very serious difficulty regain- 

 ing control if it had once given up its title. It is not so important that 

 the matter should be settled immediately/ as it is that it should be 

 settled wisely, for it involves the interests of future generations.^^ 



22 Report, Sec. of Agr., 1916, 173 et seq.; 1912, 527: Forest Service, Use Book, 



