Arizona silver belt., 1890-03-29

nOSrapHieai survey naS Dcen fe1ecteu as too elaborate and expensive, and pronounced unnecessary by Capt. Dut- ton, Col. Nettleton and Col. Hinton, engineers who have been connected with the irrigation surveys.
 THE PLUMB BILL,
 The two Congressional committees are quite in accord as to what they will recommend. The main bill from the Senate committee will be present. ed by Senator Plumb. It will first de- clare all natural waters west of meri- dian ninety-seyen, on public land, to be pubhc property, inalienable from the soil and to be used only fer bene- ficlal purposes. This provision in- cludes undertlow as well as surface water and all water collected by stor- age.
 Next IS provision making inallen- able the access to water for men and animals. This is the old Spanish law for an arid country.
 In the third place, right of way for all irrigation works over public lands IS provided. ThIs provision is to be retained sr guarded in all future land patents.
 The fourth point Is the retention of jurisdiction by the Federal Govern ment over the distribution of inter. state waters. This is to be accom- phshed by such courts or processes as may hereafter be determined by Con grsSS.
 When States and Territories have by legislation given to local commissions and irrigation districts all of the pow CT necessary to make them civic cor porahons for the management of wa ter and Its distribution, for the levy ing of rates and taxes, for the condem- nation of property and for the issue of bonds, then the United States cove nants to permit for these purposes the taxation of public lands Tn irrigation districts it will make surveys for IT, rigation purposes in each district when called on; it will insert lien Tn land patents upon the evidences of the equity of the charges for the protec- ton of all taxes and for the cost of construction. When each irrigation district is settled to the extent of its arabic land by citizens of the United States, the United States will transfer to the said district all reservations within it designed by hydropathic and irrigation purposes,
 A NEW HOMESTEAD LAW.
 All land laws relating to arable lands west of meridian 97 are to be repealed. A new homestead law is to be adopted Under It, homssteads are to be forty, eighty or l20 acres in ex- tent. The amount of the homestead in each irrigation district will be de- termned by reports of the Depart ment of Agriculture as to the capacity of the district for production. For in- stance, Tn fruit-growing districts only the smaller or forty y-acre homesteaas will be permitted, In the irrigation districts where grain must be grown or depended upon from the nature of the climate and soil, the larger home stsads will be authorized.
 The protection of timber and graz ing lands will be dealt with separate ly from the irrigation bill, by the Con- mittee of Public Lands. Mineral lands are not intersered with by the bill.
 The sixth notable provision in the Plumb bIll IS the creation of Bureau of Irrigation, with Commissioner and a chief engineer. This bureau is to be attached to the Department of Agriculture.
 l ARTEsIAN WATER. 1 The urgent deficiency bill will make an appropriation of.S20,000 for an im- mediate preliminary examination of the artesian wells and underhsw re- zion of the great plains. This exam instion will take place under the De partment of Agriculture. The report | is tn ha ready for ConoreSs not later