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Show CONSERVED TO PERFECTION I p ONSERVATION in the United v-' States is a complete success. The coal of Alaska is so carefully conserved that the Pacific Coast ports, where it is needed, cannot get it. Pacific Coast people might use water power in place of the coal which they cannot get, but that, too, is admirably conserved, says the Portland Oregonian. Or they might use much more oil as fuel than is now used, and might get it cheaper, but all the oil on Government land is also conserved. con-served. The Government itself needs that oil for use on its warships and on the freight ships which it is building, or in the shape of gasoline on the auto trucks, motor boats and aircraft which are to fight in the war zones, but it cannot can-not get its own oil. The nation needs to increase food production, phosphate would help amazingly, and the Government Govern-ment owns great beds of phosphates, , but they, too, are conserved. The Government is in the ludicrous position of a man who has locked a large fortune in a fireproof, burglar-proof burglar-proof safe and then has lost the combination. combi-nation. He is absolutely secure from fire and robbery, but he cannot get any benefit from his own wealth. It is equally safe from his spendthrift proclivities. pro-clivities. The only satisfaction he de- rives from his ownership is the knowledge knowl-edge that it is in that safe, and that, though he cannot get at it, no other person can. . v This is the finest tribute which could possibly be offered to Gifford Pinchot as the conserver of our natural resources. re-sources. It might be added that due to these policies a fuel famine is staring the nation in the face. Roseberg (Ore-gqon) (Ore-gqon) Review. |
