Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-27
PACIFIC COAST.
Arid Land Committee Get
ting Down to Business.
THE CHARLEsTON'S RETURN TRIh
Great Fire at Port COsta-Char9e
Against Justice Field Re-
moved. :
Associated Press, dispatches to the HERALD

Associated Press, dispatches to the HERALD. {
SAN Francisco, August 26.-The Sen.
ate Committee on Irrigation and Reclan4
alton of Arid Lands, which arrived OH
Saturday from Reno, New, held a meet
ing at the Board of Trade rooms thai
afternoon. Senators Stewart and Joness
Major Powell, of the Geological Survey,
and Colonel Hinton, of the Corps of En-
gineers, represented the committee,
while prominent men from Arizona, Ner
vada and all parts OF California were
present. Senator Stanford and Congress-
man Morrow sat with the committee.
Senator Stewart called the committee to
order and said he would listen to the
statements of those gentlemen who had
prepared report upon the subject of
irrigation for the State Board of Trade.
Hon. NJ. M. Estee, one Of the board's
committee, presented the report and in
troduced ex. State Engineer Hall, who
entered into the history of irrigation in
this Sta'e, and submitted his own re-
ports on the subject from 1880 to 1889.
Irrigation had advanced the value of
lands, he said, in many instances from
practically nothing to $500 or 81 900 an
acre. By crude methods the farmers
had irrigated their lands at a cost Of 81
per acre, while by better methods Of cor
porations the cost was 50 80 to $40 an
acre.
RECLAIMABLE LANDS IN SUD CALIFORNIA,
Eugene Hall drew attention to the
&c lad Il
San Bernardino counties that cound be
irrigated by diverting the waters of the
Colorado river. This was work OF
too great magnitude, however, for pri-
vste enterprise. A great deal of water
was wasted in this State, he said,
because of poorly constructed bitches.
w. s. Green, of Colusa, said irrigation
had proved great success i'll Colusa
county, largely increasing the wheat
output. He denied the statement that
irrigation was OF itself responsible for
malaria.
George s. Morrell, of Fresno, said that
certain lands in Fresno, which, in 1870,
were assessed at from 81 to $4 an acre,
in 1888 were assess ed at from $75 to 5000
an acre.
L. NJ. Holt, of Riverside, gave stats
tics concerning the amount of water
furnished by Southern California water
companies and the amount required for
irrigation purposes in the different dis
tricts. He said that some of the land
around Riverside has produced crops
that brought 81 100 for the product of an
acre and quarter. He then explained
the peculiar formation of the artesian
belt in San Bernardiuo county.
DIR. Blowers, of Woodland, said if
Clear lake, in Lake county, could be
used for reservoir, 100000 more acres
could be brought under cultivation than
by the present system.
SAN DIEGO CoUNTY's SHOWING.
William Collier, of San Diego, stated
that he had been delegated by the
Cham Der of Commerce of that city to
meet the committee and extend hearty
invitation to them to visit San Diego
county, where they could be shown the
practical workings of the storage system.
I. Fl. Cunningham. of San Diego, re-
ferred to the dam, stating that it irrigated
20 900 acres of lands, which formerly was
worthless, but was now selling at $3.50 an
acre and upward. He also referred to
the Cuyamaca fume and the immense
area supplied by it.
CHANGE IN PROGRAMME.
The programme of the movements Of
the committee has been somewhat
changed from that previously an
nounced. The committee will remain
here until Friday, leaving at
on the morning of that day,
arriving at Fresno about noon and at
Tulare in the evening Leaving Tulare
Saturday morning they will arrive at
Sumner in the forenoon. The committee
will spend part OF Saturday in Kern
county and will reach Los Angeles Sat
urday night. They go to San Diego Mon
day, returning to Riverside Tuesday. On
Wednesday the committee will be in
Phoenix, Arizona.