The Daily News FRIDAY, JULY 17. WASTE OF WEALTH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 177, 17 July 1908, Page 2

The Daily News FRIDAY, JULY 17. WASTE OF WEALTH.

Other countries than the United States will profit from a conference that was hold at the White House under 11mable presidency <if .Mr. Kousevclt a few weeks ago, wlien the Governments of various States met to confer on methods of conserving the national resources of the country. They were addressed by ] experts, who were agreed for the most part that the people of the L'nited States were, squandering their patrimony more recklessly than any other nation'in the world. The Tacts brought mil. were startling enough to convey a lesson lo other peoples than the Americans, anil here hi New Zealand where Nature has provided for us in abundance we may well pause to consider whether we are using of that abundance economically and well. Discussing the wasteful methods of coalmining and consumption al the conference referred to. Mr. Andrew Carnegie predicted that without careful or revolutionising invention.- the greater part of the estimated 2..->no.OOO,ODO,OOU tons of coal forming the original heritage of the American people would be gone within 200 years. Still more waste. fill than the process of mining are the methods of consuming coal. Of all the coal burned in the power plants of the United Stales, not more than from 5 to 10 per cent, of the potential energy is actually used. Mr. Carnegie hopes, however, for discoveries that may convert potential into mechanical energy direct. When those discoveries are made, the coal supply of the country may he considered inexhaustible.

•lames J. Hill, the great liiiancial genius of the North-west, whose vast operations in railroads and mining lands entitle him to speak with authority, asserted that the tidal supply of standing merchantable timber was less than 2,111)0.0110. 1100.000 feet, while the annual cut was about 40.000,0011.000 -three or Jour times as much as forest growth restored. "Our supply of some varieties." he said, " will he practically exhausted in 10 or 1£ years." More ruinous than all else, according to Mr. Hill, is the process of soil wast'e which is going on throughout the country. Single-cropping and other agricultural abuses have materially reduced the average yield of wheat, both east and west. "We are robbing illsoil," he says, ''in an effort to get the largest cash returns from each acre of ground in the shortest possible time,and with the least possible labour." Mr. Hill's figures are supported by a forcible article in the current issue of Everybody's Magazine, wherein the writer points to the tremendous slaughter of forest that has been permitted to take place. "The highest estimate of our remaining hardwood." he says, •' is four hundred billion feet. For lumber, sleepers, posts, manufactures, fuel, etc., we use 25 billion feet per annum or more. At thai rate it will take us sixteen years to use up all the rest of our hardwoo I of we do not burn it. and if the demand remains the .same. A pleasant prosper!, is it nut'!"

It is further staled that a big Sumlav newspaper requires 20 acres of pulp wood lo make the paper for one edition, ana it is estimated four million cords of wood were cut last year for pulp purposes, which means something like a million acres a year for pulp. "Call il half a million for close measure,*' says the writer. "Ho some figuring. If it cost twenty acres a- Sunday, or forty acres a week, or 2.0K0 acres a year to print one daily newspaper, what does it. cost in acreage to print all the newspapers in all the cities and towns of America? Add to (his the enormous editions of our magazines. Add to this tin' paper used in books. The total staggers the imagination, and yet the amount of timber cut for pulp in til" t'nited States annually is less than live per cent, of what is cut for lumber. If would seem that we cannot afford much longer to read. Xeither shall we long lie able to write. Last vear we mnnV more- than Sin.DOO.OOn lead pencils. A lead-pencil is not very large, but the total number of lead-pencils required 7,300,000 cubic feel of cedar. We have cedar euoue.li to last us just, twelve vears. More than 11111.011(1 acres of timber, in the whole I'nited States, are cut out cverv working day." The writer goes into the history of the ilcsirucliiin of the American forests, and it makes sorry reading, but perhaps not n e sorr'v rrtidimr than the history of the departed New Zealand forests will appear fifty years hence. His words convey a warning to our administration.

""Whose boumleii duty was the safeguarding of the national liirthright? Tinfiovernmenl's. Through whoso remissness was it that our resources were grabbed anil lilched ami sneaked and burglarised? Surclv the .men wo plae.-d in high oltioe tu take rare of our Commonwealth." Resolutions were .adopted at the t'uiled States .Conference, recommending the appoint men! by each State of a Commission on the conservation of natural resources to co-operate with' those of other States, and with any similar Commission of the Federal flovcrnmont: urging the continuation and I'N'oiisiiin of forest- -policies adapted to seci 'e the husbanding and renewal of the t ; mber supply, the |irevention of soil erosion, the protection of headwaters, and the maintenance of the navigability of stream-: and the enactment of laws looking to the prevention of waste in the mining and extraction of coal, oil. gas, and other minerals. Throughout the Conference the President was the dominating Ugure, and few liner'tributes to his loftiness of purpose and vigorous personality have been paid than those accorded by the enthusiasm- and willing co-opera lion in his plans on the part of the <t-l chief executives from all parts of the country, some of them, of course, dill'ering widelv from him in articles of political faith.' The New Vork Times says of the gathering: "Jluch as Tloosevelt has done, we are inclined to think that this will go down in history as his greatest service to the tuition."