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<br />, <br /> <br />, <br />II. <br /> <br />OIJ22Sf <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Chairman of the Commission. <br /> <br />. <br />Senator Newlands had also <br /> <br />Newlands of Nevada, Vice <br /> <br />been a leader in the passage of the Reclamation Act of 1902, just five years <br /> <br />previous. <br /> <br />At Memphis, the President, Mr. Pinchot, Mr. Newell, and others were talking <br /> <br />of the need for a conservation program which would permit the wise development of <br /> <br />our natural resources. Mr. Newell suggested that the President call a conference <br /> <br />of all of the State Governors to consider the needs and make appropriate recom- <br /> <br />mendations for a resources policy. <br /> <br />The suggestion was promptly seized upon by President Roosevelt and a conser- <br /> <br />vat ion conference was called in which all but three of the Nation's Governors <br /> <br />participated. From this conference came the impetus for the great efforts which <br /> <br />have been made in the last half century to develop and use our natural resources <br /> <br />wisely. <br /> <br />I emphasize development and use of our natural resources, for nowhere in <br /> <br />this conservation conference was there a thought of not utilizing our resources, <br /> <br />particularly those of a perpetually renewable nature, such as water. These <br /> <br />pioneers in conservation were aware that our growth and long-range prosperity <br /> <br />depend in large measure on the manner in which we put our resources to work--not <br /> <br />how we ~eep them on the shelf or funnel them to the oceans. <br /> <br />The Reclamation Act of 1902 was a forerunner of this series of conservation <br /> <br />meetings. The later concept of integrated multipurpose development received <br /> <br />powerful impetus from these conferences, as did such ideas as managed forest for <br /> <br />sustained yield and range management and good soil practices to curtail erosion. <br /> <br />I mention this historical background to put into true perspective the meaning <br /> <br />of the term conservation as it applies to natural resources. It is notable that <br /> <br />Mr. Webster's antonyms for conserve are to exhaust, waste, and deplete. We here <br /> <br />today know that Reclamation is not seeking to exhaust, waste, or deplete our water <br /> <br />resources. Exactly the contrary is true. <br /> <br />9 <br />