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Show We Must Stop Waste Almost from the day settlers landed on the shores of America we Americans have been wasteful with our national resources. In those historic earlier days, it appeared ap-peared to the settler that there was literally no end to the resource) he found. Consequently he went about using them without any thought of their running out. Perhaps.' In the beginning, he can be forgiven, for to him the new country stretching westward contained a never-ending supply of the resources he needed. need-ed. Today, in these history making days, we can see the end of many of our national resources. No longer long-er Is there a fresh supply Just over the next mountain range. No longer long-er can we afford to wear out our farms in the hope of moving forward for-ward to new virgin soil when they are gone; no longer can we afford to deplete our timber or our range resources without making provision for su.talnlng the resource; no longer can we live wastefully, carelessly, care-lessly, extravagantly without thot of the generations of tomorrow. Use of our resources U not the only way we deplete them. Hun-dreds Hun-dreds of thousands of acres of timber land and range land are burned over each year, a smouldering smoulder-ing monument to our age. it is true some of these fires start from causes beyond the control of man, but nine-tenths of them are man-caused. man-caused. In the United States there are an average of 210,970 forest and range fires per year that hum 31,233.000 acres, or an area almost as large as the State of New York. Ninety per cent of these flrea were man-caused and thirty per cent were caused by carelers smokers and campers. These figures are national In scope. They apply to Utah and Iron county only in part' They show what can happen and some times does happen here. In that sense, we cannot afford to overlook over-look their significance. But they apply more than that You had a share in that resource that wis destroyed. One of our bouts as Americans is that we "own a share of America". That is more literally liter-ally true than we generally realize. real-ize. We own a share In all the natural na-tural resources of America. Not In the sense that we can graze our stock where we wish, or cut timber where we wish, or dig minerals where we wish; but in the sense that every natural resource Is making mak-ing America what she is. Right now these resources are protecting America from hordes that would overrun her. They are not protecting protect-ing only the man or woman who happens to claim ownership of them, but they are protetlcng you and me. Our Interest in them is vital. Takv care of this forest and range land In which you own a sha:e. A carelessly thrown match or neglected camp fire can destroy them. Do not be guilty of such carelessness or thoughtlessness. Break your match in two before you throw it away so that you know it is out. Put your camp- fire out wltK water or bury It in mineral soil Don't miss a single spark. Don't flip that cigarette butt-crush it out. And remember: America is oun. We intend to keep It ours. Potect it so we can be proud of what we have saved. Use it. Don't abuse It. Pass it on to the next generation as good as it came to us. |