Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-04-05

The Senate Committee on Irriga-
 tion, which has made a thorough in- quiry into the subject with which it
 is charged, has nearly completed it's
 report. The report, accompanied by a bill, will probably be submitted to Congress in the course of next week. The following are some of the con clusions at which the committee has arrived: The committee will recom- mend that there shall be established a bureau of immigration in the Agricul- tural Department. The committee, in fact, is disposed to help to build up that new department upon the theory
 that everything that relates to the soil and the products of the soil shall
 ultimately be transferred to it. In accordance with this general theory, which is entertained by many Vest ern men, it will be recommended in different bills that subjects relating to land and food shall be transferred
 to this department. This will probab- ly involve a proposition to transfer the General Land Office to the Agri- cultural Department. The commit tee has decided practically upon an experiment. in the artesian well system and underhow of the rivers in the region between Dakota and Kansas as preliminary to the general inquiry. An appropriation of $20,000 is to be recommended for this purpose. The expectation is that the persons in charge of this experiment will have their work completed by June 15, so that Congress can then determine
 whether it will be expedient to make the appropriation necessary for the broader experiment. They wish to find out whether there is water and
 whether it will be found reasonably sufficient for agricultural purposes, or whether that vast region must be left permanently as mere pasturage. If the report is favorable they will ask $200,000 for that particular work, which will include the sinking of wells as experiments and the construction of some experimental tanks, so as to show what can be done by the aid oi
 the farmers. Another bill, which the
 committee has already reported, is
 for the appointment of commission
 With view to negotiating with Mexi
 co about tlle construction of an inter
 national dam at Fl Paso. It is prob
 able that when this is agreed to the
 construction of the work will be Jeff
 to the geological survey. The mos
 permanent measure which will be re
 commended by the committee is ont
 which departs from the theory, which
 has many influential advocates, tha
 a typographical survey and the plat
 ting of the country is an essential pre-
 requisite to hydrographic or irriga
 ton survey. That bill will be prepar
 ed by Senator Plumb. It will contain the following provisions: l. Tha
 all water on public land shall be in
 alienable from the land and be uset for beneficial purposes under tn
 aws of the States where located. That there shall be right of acces at all times for man and beast to tn
 water and for purposes of irrigation , 3. That there shall be permanen right of way over all public land t
 the water supply, and that provision 5 to this effect shall be inserted in al land patents. 4. The United State 3 is to exercise such jurisdiction as 3 can over interstate waters. 5. 1 repeals, as far as arabic land goes, al s land laws except the homestead law
 It provides that the unit of land shaI be 40 acres, and the largest disposabl - tract shall be 160 acres. The Con { missioner of Irrigation is to decid l for each district which unit sha 9 prevail His decision is to be base
 upon the climate and products of tn $ district. In the semi-tropical region < the forty acres unit shall prevail I : the grain region the unit may be l6 1 acres. Tlie engineer force under th
 Bureaul oi Irrigatioh is to ascertai 3 and sursoysthe hydrographic basin ' to segrcgnte the arable lands, m r to feiine tife rercrvofr, sites HTld tf i. principal lines of distribution | canals. x9 4 aa talEsa