Show PRESIDENT ROOSEVEL TS reforestation PLAN one of president Roosevel ts relief measures meas urea the employment ot at men to in tile tho nation at al forests Is regarded by many us as a worthy timely and practical undertaking professor it G tugwell assistant nt secretary of agriculture speaking of tile the plan stated wo we have a magnificent opportunity now hore are millions of acres needing the labor of mon mail and here throughout the land are millions of men looking tor for a chance to work the forests need the tha men mail and tho the men need the work the forests otter offer there Is a vast amount ot of conservation work to be done in tile the t national forests such as replacing ot at trees building loo lookout lout stations for tire fire prevention and establishing trails moreover there are millions ot of acres acrea ot of land that was abandoned and became a part of the public domain during the palt pa at quarter ot of a century much at 0 this land was once cleared ot of timber but because of erosion and bad farming fanning became non productive many tatna thin jit that tills lils land should bo be planted in the kind ot of trees which when grown would be most valuable in Industry spruce for paper making white pine which Is becoming almost extinct oakl oak walnut hickory and other trees from which finishing cabinet and toot tool handle material is made out but they point out that the value of the forest foiest Is not alone in the timber trees help to maintain equable climatic so ea sentiel to health agricultural and horticultural pursuits forests arrest the drainage of water which chic 11 if not checked causes swollen streams floods and violent ilot soli soil erosion that ruins our productive land clogs clogg our streams tills fills our city sewers water conduits and reservoirs forests forest a also tabs absorb orb and release the water into the atmosphere mo sphere gradually thus influencing rainfall to a marked degree the presidents plan it la Is contended would conserve throe three great national purposes one the preservation and extension of our forests another the employment ot of rl a maximum of a quarter million ot of men and third the r of tito morale ot of thousands of men who have had to accept alms and many of whom are undernourished and broken in spirit well night might this great army of workers be designated as ae the presidents national conservation Conserva tian corps the estimated annual appropriation required to maintain a full corps 0 of men Is 13 around the cost would in continued on page 2 president x pre aident Roosevel ts reforestation plan continued from page 1 elude a base salary of 30 per month per man i working v tools and fit sustenance isto nance which 1 i would include food lodging clothing laundry and medical mell cal attention the labor item would be and tools sustenance Busten ance etc would be about per annum the senate committee on milu cation and labor ro reported ported a revised bill in which tho 1 a day wage was eliminated leaving the president to bix the wage and other details this was objected to by william P connery jr chairman of tile the house labor committee who proposed a substitute which would fix an 80 monthly wage for married persons and single persons with dependents and SO 60 for single persons without dependents but tilts was wag defeated in committee the national conservation corps would not bo be regarded as either a charitable or emergency under tak ing A feature of thoi president 03 idea Is to give men an opportunity to volunteer in 0 a great nat national lonal economic project patriotic in character which would bo be healthful creative and social in its ita aspects it Is time he thinks for citizens to see patriotism in in the civilian service of preserving the natural resources of the country for posterity he feels feela that an esprit do de corps could be created in the service which would redound to the individual and national welfare of tho people the secretary of labor would select from volunteers those most worthy and able to do the desired work for a given period of service the wages which the president proposed would bo about equal to that of farm hands who receive lodging food and laundry but n not at clothing and medical attention with the vast number of men out of employment and the conviction that even with a return to prosperity there would be from to people constantly unemployed it Is hold held that the presidents conservation project would not materially disturb the tha labor babot situation in fit farming and the industries the principal opposition appeared to be the american federation of labor and certain industrial groups the labor group feels that aa l a aay wage would sot set a low standard for common labor the industrialists tear fear that the plan would draw tile the surplus supply of labor from industrial centers thus crea titis a scarcity those who have studied the plan feel that union labor should be the tha last to object to it tor for it if the plan had any effect upon the general wage scale the tendency would bo be to reduce the supply of labor in alln du centers and thus make the union scale easier tr to maintain most industrialists under the capitalistic system as it existed until a decade or two ago thought they prospered ed better with a large surplus of laborers standing a round competing with one another for work but it Is only those with sweatshop psychology who think so today the enlightened industrialists tria lists have seen the value of a relatively high wage scale and the maximum number of people 1 I employed presidents message does not inot osk ask for appropriations to start tho conservation plan thoro there are unallocated funds now aval ablo for public works which would bo be sufficient to keep tile proposed conservation corps corpa at work for sov crul months it Is quite certain it la is urged that unless some such national program as proposed by the prest preal dent la is carried out the country will continue to stiffer butter great economic loss logs for which our posterity will have reason to discredit our vision visto ilk and wisdom |