Report of the Oregon Conservation Commission to the Governor/1910

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1909

Report of the Oregon Conservation Commission to the Governor

1910

1911

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2814885Report of the Oregon Conservation Commission to the Governor — 1910

REPORT

OF THE

OREGON

CONSERVATION COMMISSION

TO THE

Governor

November

1910

"Oregon is rich in countless resources. Upon them depend the wealth and growth of her people.

"The fullest use of all these resources, now and always, is what every citizen wants, or ought to want.

"Anything else means arrested development, depressed prosperity, harder conditions of life for all.

"And, to reduce theory to practice, we must lose no time in knowing what we have and in protecting it from destruction and waste. To be sincere we must accomplish. Let who will be critical, but let Oregon be constructive."

REPORT

OF THE

OREGON CONSERVATION COMMISSION

TO THE

Governor

November
1910

Salem, Oregon
Willis S. Duniway, State Printer
1910

{{c|CONTENTS

Letter of Transmittal 4 Introduction 5 Conservation and the State—

R€cat Advance of the Movement 7 Oregon Has a Good &ginning 7 Reaching the School Children The Canimisiai’s Duty 8 Fcrts— What the Topic Involves 9 Our Forest Resaoren 10 Than Relation to the Average Citiz.n it Pre..nt Waste 12 Existing Protective Effort 13 Wh,t is Needed 16 Lesson,fromOtherstata 1? Land and Stream Surveys— The Need to Know What We Have 28 Agricultural land Water Ecrnjrre 24 how to Encourage DeveIopm,t 24 Best Wv Le Get and Dineminate Information 26 Topozraphic Maps 27 Water Supply Data 29 Good Roads— Importance of Good Roads to tue Commonwealth SO Oregon a Great Awrtr”]tural Stale no Railroad Financial System an Object Lesoon SI Cost of Haulage on Dofoctive Roads 31 First Cost of Good Roads in Europe and U,dt.d States 32 Cost of Maintenance 32 Ratio of Rozd to Area of Country and Population 33 Mileage Ratio of Roads to RaIroads 38 Mileage of Roads in Oreznn 34 Table of Road Statistics for ()regn 34 Climatic Condit on 35 Wetet Trsnsporistion— - A Consbtent Policy D’rabIe 36 L.gi.Lative Tendencies 37 ImpoFtance of Terminals 87 Co-ordination and Co-operation Navigable Milng ol the ColumbiR and Tributari 40 Progress of River Improvements 41 Harbor Improvements 44 Stak and Municipal Co-operation 46 Port District Activities 46 Conclu&on 50 Water Laws— Oregon’. Water Code Ofi9e of the State Engineer 51 Wat.r Power RkgllIatiozl 53 Recommendations of Coramision (ZIO gle •.lN•.E (A A

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

Portland, Oregon, November 15, 1910.

To His Excellency, F. W. Benson, Governor of Oregon:

Sir: In accordance with section 4 of chapter 81, Laws of 1909, which provides that 'The Commission shall prepare and deliver to the Governor, on or before November 30th of each year, a full report of its work, investigations and expenditures, setting forth the condition of the natural resources of the State, together with such recommendations for legislation as may be deemed advisable, or other means of protecting or promoting the development and use of the same, your Commission respectfully submits the accompanying report and recommends that it be published aa provided by law.

Respectfully, J. N. TEAL, Chairman. THIRD ANNUAL REPORT of the

Oregon Conservation Commission to the GOVERNOR

INTRODUCTION.

In submitting the following report the Oregon Conservation Commission calls attention to its duties as prescribed by Jaw; ‘the setting forth of the condition of the natural resources of the State, together with such recommendations for legislation as may be deemed advisable, or other means of protecting or promoting the development and use of the same.”

The term "conservation" as applied by the legislature in naming the Commission so charged, clearly carried the most practical meaning. It would have been almost equally appropriate to call it a "development" commission. The object was to constitute an official agency to act in behalf of the State and its people in formulating a definite policy for the fullest and most permanent use by the people of Oregon’s natural resources. Such a policy requires that these resources shall be developed and not wasted, just as it requires that the greatest number shall profit therefrom.

Therefore, whatever significance may be ascribed to the term in other connections, in this Commission’s authorized state capacity it is applied to the development, use, protection and perpetuation of Oregon’s resources, for the highest benefit of Oregon’s people, now and always.

Oregon's need and duty in this respect is urgent, clear-cut, and not to be confused by other issues. It is for honest and thorough information of what we have and what we are doing with it, and for doing as much better as we can, individually and as a State.