Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-07-19
Arid Lana Reclamation.

From an extended Washington cores poudence on the subject of the handling of our arid land in the Globe Democrat, we make th8 following excerpt indicative of the situation at the presen. time The core spondeut writes:
 The Senate committee on appropriation is having a rather lively time with Direct or Powell of the Geological Survey. Ever since the arid lands in the west were segregated by the act of 1883 a vigorous protest has come from the pe0- pie of the Western States and Territories in which these lands lie This act was passed at the suggestion Of Director Powell, and its effect has been to with draw from settlement a large portion of the public domain in the two DakOtas. Montana, Idaho, Wyoming. Utah. Colo rado, and Western Nebraska. Director Powell then put his increased force of "expert ge0logists' and topo0raphers" at work to make q complete JopOErapmcal survey of these lands As he explains in a report to Congress it was his purpose to make a typographical survey of these segregated lands by sections. He got an appropriation Of S35JO30, and with this as a basis for increasing the already num- erOuS and unnecessary employees of the Geological Survey, he began the work The result of the first years experiments demonstrated to everybody except Direc- tor Powell and the scientific expert con nected with the Geological Survey, that if would take from fifty to one hundred years to mako complete typographical survey of the arid regions such as had been contemplated
 Meanwhile settlers were to be kept of I-a- IL. ] ls,r- n arid region was to stop until the survey could be completed and the Government could lay on an elaborate system Of re- sery0irs and canals. It was natural that the western people interested in the de yelopment Of this vast region should pro- | test, and during the present Congress their 1 representatives have waged warfare upon Director Poweu's pet scheme. Some l time ago the department of agriculture | was authorized to make an investigation | of the subject of irrigation and to report | to Congress. 1t was calculated that by l this plan some practical information on ! this subject could be obtaiuel 4 force was organized to investigate particularly | the pracicabiiity of the irrigation by ar | tesian wells, and was arranged into en- ] giueerilg, geological and statistical di- 1 visions Mr. R. J. Hinton was placed in ! Washington, and the field work was i placed under the imme5iata supervision of Edward S. Nettleton. They were in
 structed to examine the territory lying iu
 the DaEotas, Western Kansas and Ne
 braska, Wyoming east Of tho fo3t hills
 the Public Land stip west of the 97tl
 degree Colorado and New Mexico eas-
 of the foot hills of the rocky m0uutans
 aud the division of Texas between Z7tL
 and 18th degrees west longitude
 The investigation has been concluded
 and preliminary report prepared las
 week has just been submitted througl
 Secretary Rusk to Congress. The com ! plete report will be submitted in a shor
 time The appropriation under whic'
 the investigation was authorized did 10
 become available until the 18th oi April
 but the work has been practically com
 pleted in eleven weeks.