The Common.
AUGUST, 1914
13
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previous years In the expense of conducting the
two branches of the Indian service.
The controversy regarding the enrollment o
the Mississippi Choctaws is compromised by
omitting the Choc taws of Oklahoma from the
per capita payment made to Chickasaw and
Cherokee Indians of $100 and $15, respectively.
A long contest regarding the water rights of
the Yakima Indians is finally settled by giving
these Indians a free water right to forty acres
of their allotments in perpetuity.
Another question which has been in dispute
for a number of years is settled by providing
for allotting the remaining unallotted Indians
on the Bad river reservation and the distribu
tion per capita of the remaining tribal timber to
the unallotted Indians.
Out of the funds of the confederated bands
of Ute Indians in Utah and Colorado this bill
appropriates about $800,000, $100,000 for the
purchase of stock for the Navajo Springs band
of said Indians in Colorado, $200,000 for the
Uintah, White River and Uncompagre bands in
Utah, and the balance to be expended among
all of said Indians for the promotion of civiliza
tion and self-support among them, one of the
chief purposes of which is to protect the water
rights of the Ute Indians from being forfeited
within the period fixed by law, and all of which
is to give them much needed help in industrial
progress.
$100,000 is appropriated for determining the
heirs of deceased Indian allottees so that title
to these lands may be certain. There are now
40,000 of these cases pending in the Indian
office, in which land valued at $60,000,000 is
involved. The $15 charged to each estate for
the payment of this expense has during the past
year recovered into the treasury $80,000, which
is $30,000 more than the appropriation on which
this work was accomplished by the commissioner
of Indian affairs.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
BUREAU OF CORPORATIONS
Parts II and III of the report on the lumber
industry have been submitted to the president by
the commissioner of corporations.
Part II, continuing the subject of standing
timber discussed in Part I, treats of the con
centration of timber ownership in selected por
tions of the timber area, in detail. The concen
tration is illustrated by elaborate ownership
maps of large regions in Washington, Oregon,
California, Idaho, and Louisiana, covering 68,
000 square miles. The mapped areas contain
755 billion feet of timber, or one-third of all
the -privately owned timber in continental United
States, exclusive of Alaska.
Ownership in the Important timbered regions
covered, by the maps is highly concentrated.
Thus, in the southwestern Washington map
area two holders have 49 per cent of the timber;
in the western Oregon area, five have 36 per
cent; in the northeastern California area, six
have 70 per cent; in the redwood aTea, ten have
over half; and In the north central Idaho area,
four have 59 per cent.
Incidental to its study of the concentration of
timber, ownership, the bureau has found a cor
responding concentration of land ownership,
which Is suggestive enough to merit presenta
tion, and which is dealt with in Part III. The
main fact Is that 1,694 timber owners hold In
fee over one-twentieth of the land area of the
entire United States from the Canadian to the
Mexican border. In many states these 1,694
own no lands at all. In the 900 timbered coun
ties investigated they own one-seventh of the
area, which amounts to 105,600,000 acres. This
is an area four-fifths the size of Prance, or
greater than the entire state of California, or
more than two and one-half times the land area
of the six New England states. Sixteen holders
own 47,800,000 acres or nearly ten times the
land area of New Jersey. Three land-grant
railroads own enough to give fifteen acres to
every male of voting ago in the nine western
states where almost all their holdings He.
Lavish land grants and loose, ill-enforced land
laws are the historical background of the con
centration of land and timber ownership shown
in this report.
This marked concentration in the ownership
of land has two important aspects. The first
is the concentration of control of the natural
resources, other than agricultural, in the area
comprised in these great holdings. Besides its
timber now standing, part of the land must be
denpended on, together with the national forests,
to supply future crops of Umber. Furthermore,
some of it has valuable resources of ores, oil,
gas, water power, etc.
The second is tho possibility that these hold
ings, which will form a considerable proportion
of the future area used for agriculture In this
country, may be retained under concentrated
control. Such a condition suggests the following
potential effects upon the public: High prices
for land sold to settlers, increase of tho tenantry
system, or direct farming by large corporations.
Tho data obtained by the bureau, so far as
land is concerned, are not sufficient for a study
of the land problem as a whole. They cover
only one class of owners, tho timbermen, and
only part of the country. Thoy show condi
tions only at tho time of tho investigation, aud
do not show whether concentration is increasing
or decreasing. They are not typical of prosent
conditions in agricultural communities, whore
tho average size of holdings Ib, of course, much
smaller. Though thus incomplete, these data
are nevertheless suggestive and worthy of se
rious consideration.
BUREAU OF STANDARDS
For some time the bureau of standards has
been working on safety rules to bo observod in
the operation and maintenance of electric gen
erating stations and sub-stations, and on tho
overhead and underground distributing wireB in
connection therewith, and a set of rules has been
prepared for -publication by the bureau. In this
work the bureau has consulted a largo number
of operating companies, workmen actively en
gaged in tho different lines of work covered by
tho rules as well as state Industrial and public
service commissions. Tho rules have been form
ulated so as to be complete and simple, and as
easily understood as possible. These rules have
been highly commended by a number of very
competent critics. It is believed that they will
be of great valup to state commissions, city au
thorities, and operating companies, and will tend
to reduce accidents in this important industry.
FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE
The secretary of commerce and the secretary
of agriculture have completed plans whereby
their two departments will combine in a con
structive study of the supply and exploitation
of timber In the United States, which has now
become one of the big conservation and indus
trial problems. The study is to be undertaken
in the belief that the methods used in exploiting
timber resources and the restoration of normal
and healthy conditions In the industries which
convert their timber into usable products, vitally
concern the public at large.
One of the conditions which, in the opinion
of the secretaries makes this study of Immediate
importance, is the fact that the United States,
which conalns some 3,000 billion feet of stand
ing timber, is now reducing its stock of stump
age at the rate of sixty or more billion feet
annually. In spite of this limited timber supply,
lumbermen are now unable to market much of
the poorer, grades. Thoy therefore leave in the
.woods or burn in their mills from one-third to
one-half of the material in the trees. Poor
varieties of timber often are not cut at all, but
are left to be burned In the slash fires which
usually follow logging. Some of this waste, it
is believed, Is preventable, and much more, it
is hoped can be saved under improved conditions
of marketing and use of wood.
The studies will seek to establish tho essential
facts relating to supply, exploitation and market
ing timber at home and abroad, and to analyze
thie underlying causes of present unsatisfactory,
conditions. The studies will be conducted di
rectly by the forest service of tha department of
agriculture and tho bureau of foreign and do
mestic commerce, with the cooperation of the
bureau of corporations and bureau of stand
ards of the department of commerce, within their
special fields. All the information hitherto gath
ered by these different agencies as to the stand
ing timber, the manufacture and marketing of
lumber, tho quality of various timbers, and the
more economical and more profitable utilization
of wood will be correlated with any new data
gathered and used to Indicate improvements.
The inquiry has to do not only with the thrifty
use of the present timber supply, but also with
the possibility of applying forestry in the future
management of private timber lands.
Reports from the four branch offices of the
bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, which
are already in operation in New York, Chicago,
New Orleans and San Francisco, recently re
ceived, indicate increasing interest among busi
ness concorns in tho work oLthe bureau and Its
branch officos. Results tend to show that the
branch offices will bo of oven greater benefit to
American manufacturers than was at first an
ticipated. Many who heretofore havo made n
offort to ongago in tho export trade, now appear
anxious to ongago in that business, and tho lists
maintained at tho various branch offices of busi
ness houses which are to receive the information
distributed aro being augmented daily by the ad-,
dltion of now names.
Socrotnry Redfleld has authorized tho estab
lishment of branch offices of tbo bureau at
Boston, Mass., Seattle, Wesh., and Atlanta, Ga.,
undor commercial agents experienced in the
work of tho bureau. These aro additions to the
four branch offices already established which
have rendered such usoful sorvico in promoting
commerce. Mr. F. L. Roberts will direct the
work at Boston and Mr. William B. Henderson
will supervise tho office at Seattle The office at
Atlanta is to bo in charge of Mr. W. A. Graham
Clark, who has had long experience in tho bu
reau and with tho former tariff board, and who
is an expert in foreign markets, especially for
cotton textiles. It will be his duty to make
investigations for tho promotion of commerce in
all tho southern territory from Richmond to Now
Orleans.
Probably other offices in Important commer
cial centers will also bo established at a later
date.
Tho bureau has sent ono of its commercial
agents, Mr. Ralph M. Odoll, an expert on cotton
textiles, to the Orient, India, Straits Settlements,
Java, Sumatra, French Indo-Chlna, Australia and
New Zealand with a view to promoting the in
terests of that important Industry.
BUREAU OF FISHERIES
Tho socrotary has boon informed by the com
missioner of fisheries that advance reports re
ceived from the fish-cultural stations of the
bureau in all parts of the country Indicate that
during tbe fiscal year which closod June 30,
1914, the number of food and game fishes prop
agated and distributed by the bureau was con
siderably In excess of that of any previous year.
Tho output was approximately four billion, of
which 485 million represented" the migratory
fishes of tho Atlantic coast streams, one billion
the commercial fishes of tho Great Lakes, two
and one-quarter billion the important food fishes
of the North Atlantic coast, over 200 million the
salmons of the Pacific seaboard, and the re
mainder the fishes of the minor interior waters.
Distribution of flBhes suitable for stocking
barren public waters, or for restocking public
waters which have become depleted, were made
In practically every state of tho union and In
Alaska, while thousands of small Inland ponds
and lakes, the majority of them located on farms,
were stocked with black bass, crapples, sunfishes,
catfishes, and other desirable species.
Of the enormous output for the year, 98 per
cent represents the commercial food fishes .and
a very large percentage of these were hatched
from eggs which would have been entirely lost
had it not been for the activities of tho bureau
of fisheries.
Coincident with the augmented output there
has been a decided improvement In the effective
ness of various branches of the fish-cultural
work, as an example of which may be mentioned
tho rearing to the finererllng and yearly stages
of many millions of fish formerly distributed as
fry. Ths feature of the work is to receive even
greater attention hereafter, as most decided ad
vances may be made along this line.
TRT3 SILENCES
The silences are these: The twilight gloom,
The calm before tho dawning when earth waits
The lifle-flood surging through the morn's
pearl gates,
The solemn brooding of a cell of doom,
The slumber shrouding round the crumbling
tomb
Of some great queen of long ago, who mates
No 'mor6 with conquerors, whose loves and
hates
Are ono with her dark hair's rose-sweet per
fume. In silence of the peaks white-crowned with
snow,
Of mountain lake whose midnight mocks the
sky
There weary hearts a silence sweet they know;
But more than these, far more serene, sublime
The restful sleep of those who nobly die!
Arthur Wallace Peacm,
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