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soil wash should cease, that there should be reclamation of arid 
and semi-arid regions by means of irrigation ; that the waters 
should be so conserved and used as to promote navigation, to en- 
able the arid regions to be reclaimed by irrigation, and to develop 
power in the interests of the people ; that the forests, which regu- 
late our rivers, support our industries, and promote the fertility 
and productiveness of the soil, should be preserved and per- 
petuated ; that the minerals found so abundantly beneath the sur- 
face should be so used as to prolong their utility ; that the beauty, 
healthfulness, and habitability of our country should be preserved 
and increased, that the sources of national wealth exist for the 
benefit of the people, and that the monopoly thereof should not be 
tolerated. 
"We commend the wise forethought of the President in sound- 
ing the note of warning as to the waste and exhaustion of the 
natural resources of the country, and signify our appreciation of 
his action in calling this Conference to consider the same, and to 
seek remedies therefor through cooperation of the Nation and the 
states. 
"We agree that this cooperation should find expression in suit- 
able action by the Congress within the limits of the co-extension 
with the national jurisdiction of the subject, and, complementary 
thereto, by the legislatures of the several states within the limits 
of, and co-extensive with, their jurisdiction. 
"We declare the conviction that in the use of the natural re- 
sources our independent states are interdependent and bound to- 
gether by ties of mutual benefits, responsibilities and duties. 
"We agree in the wisdom of future conferences between the 
President, members of Congress, the governors of the states 
on the conservation of our natural resources with the view of 
continued cooperation and action on the lines suggested. And 
to this end we advise that from time to time, as in his judgment 
may seem wise, the President call the governors of the states, 
members of Congress, and others into conference. 
"We agree that further action is advisable to ascertain the pres- 
ent condition of our natural resources, and to promote the con- 
servation of the same. A' t nd to that end we recommend the ap- 
pointment by each state of a commission on the conservation of 
natural resources, to cooperate with each other and with any simi- 
lar commission on behalf of the Federal Government. 
"We urge the continuation and extension of forest policies 
adapted to secure the husbanding and removal of our diminish- 
ing timber' supply, the prevention of soil erosion, the protection 
of headwaters, and the maintenance of the purity and naviga- 
bilitv of our streams. We recognize that the private ownership 
of forest lands entails responsibilities in the interests of all the 
people, and we favor the enactment of laws looking to the pro- 
tection and replacement of privately owned forests. 
"We recognize in our waters a most valuable asset of the peo- 
