The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-05-15

| 10. MANY COnlllcIS are arising De-
tween communities in relation to the
use of water on the land and between
individuals in the same community
The waters should be divided by some
just method.
II. Speculative water rights, where
work OF value has not actually been
done, should be summarily extin.
guished.
Is. Existing water rights should be
maintained, but those that are i'm.
provident and obstructive must ulti
mately be condemned and the owners
justly remunerated.
10. Waters that are to be stored
have to be divided among the COM
munities.
20. In many regions the people are
developing agriculture where it can
not be permanently maintained and
the foundations for large claims
against the general government are
being laid.
81. Both the waters and the lands
of the arid region are rapidly being
aggregated in the hands of few per-
sons or in the possession of great cor
porations. Thus result is being Sc
cured unfavorable to the welfare of
the great body of people who perform
the labor on the farms-the actual
farmers themselves.
%. The government need not con-
struct irrigating works. The increase
given to the value of the land is more
than sufficient for the purpose.
%. 1t is possible to divide the arid
region dependent upon perennial
stream waters into irrigation dis
tricts so that each one may have a
catchment area, and corresponding
irrigable area where the waters of the
district can be used to the best adj
vantage and where water rights can
be permanently maintained. Such
districts have been Professionally
planned and mapped by the director
of the geological survey.
"a. Irrigation districts should be
composed of compact bodies of irri-
gable lands, with the pasturage and
timber lands of the catchment area
about them, and the farmers on the
irrigable lands should control the
catchment areas with all their values.
%. Interstate complications make
it necessary for the general govern
ments to provide q solution of the
problems; and the United States and
| the several States are interested in
the waters and lands; hence, the
United States and the several States
must alike make concessions and
reach an agreement.
26. The population in each of the
Irrigation districts planned seems
usually to be sufficient to take charge
of the interest involved in such dis
trict in relation to the use
of waters, forests and pastur-
age. The district with the smallest
population is that of Bill Williams
Fork in Arizona. The district with
the largest population is that of the
Upper South Platte, which includes
the city of Denver, and probably has
a population of more than $4,000
people.
27. The solution of the foregoing
problems is very simple. 1t consists
in organizing natural irrigation dis,
tricts through the agency of a survey
by the general government and neces-
sary legislation by the States, and in
turning over the problems of irrigation
to such districts.
%. The present irrigation survey is
performing its duties in compliance
with law and in an efficient and thor
ough manner, and the work under it
should proceed at a reasonable rate of
progress until it is finished. 1t is es-
timated that the irrigation survey will
cost 81 900, 600, but that in making the
maps it will save $4,000,000 to the
geological survey. Thus, the real cost
of the irrigation survey is but $4,000
600 over and above the cost of the
geological survey. The work per-
formed in two years demonstrates that
this estimate was reasonable.
30. The survey needed for the sub
humid region of the great plains is
purely geological survey based on
topography. 1t should be made as
rapidly as possible in order to serve
the wants of the farmers OF that
region who are already suffering by
reason of their neglect of irrigation.
Another reason for its prompt COM
pletion is to give to new settlers in
these regions necessary information
of the conditions under which success
and prosperity may be secured.
80. To accomplish the solution of
the problems by the method proposed
a bill has been drafted, which is
printed with this report.
81. An analysis of the bill is made
by sections and the effect of each
section pointed out. The sections
may here be characterized summarily. |
Section l of the bill provides for a
survey of the arid lands into natural
irrigation districts. Section 2 OF the
bill provides for the segregation of the
irrlgable lands. Section 3 Of the bill |
provides that lands already irrigated |
shall be declared irrigable for the pur-
poses contemplated in the bill. Sec
ton 4 of the bill provides that certain
Of the irrigation works shall be con-
o,,l., ~, e,toe Jos,r, otoJ on1 |