The record-union., 1891-09-24
IRRIGATION.
Significant Features of the Recent
Utah Conference.
Advantages of Public Irrigation sys-
tems-Trans-Misso States VIII
Act in Harmony.
[san Francisco BulletIn. september 2sd.l

fSan Francisco Bulletin, September 23d.]
1.-THE convention was great success"
said w. H. Mills to-day, in speaking of
the recent irrigation conference at Salt
Lake, to which he was delegate. 1.-The
convention certainly did all it set out to
accomplish. It's results will be heard
from during the next session OF Congress,
q special committee having been ap-
pointed to go to Washington. There
were $40 delegates, representing sixteen
States and Territories. We had two days
of solid discussion. Senator Stewart of
Nevada presided over us as Committee
of the Whole most of the time, although
G. C. Wright Of Modesto was President
of the convention.
MANY interesting points were brought
out in the discussion. but the sentiment
of the convention crystallized on the fol-
lowing features: % That all Govern
ment land capable of irrigation should
be ceded to the several States for the de-
velopment of irrigation and indirectly
the promotion of education. ~ That the
forest lands should be regulated by a sys-
tematic forestry system. 81 That the
plains and grazing lands should not be
barred by continuous grazing and entire
destruction of vegetation, thus increasing
the radiating surface. a. That all capital
invested in irrigation works should be
public capital, never to be returned or
repaid, and that lands irrigated should
not be devised in any greater quantity
than may employ the industry OF one
agricultural holder and his family.
''The Government is to be asked simply
to give such State all the arid lands now
n 4,,r lnS
pose of the development of irrigation.
This legislation is simply supplemental
to that of last Congress relative to irTiga-
ton surveys, location Of reservoirs, etc,
and in no way conflicting. During the
convention letters expressive of SYM
pathy with its plans were read from Sec
retary Noble and from the Commissioner
of the Land Office. The idea is that in
each State there shall be a trust fund
created. Suppose for example, we could
manage to irrigate by some system 200, ,000
acres of public land in California. The
idea is to sell it in small holdings to actual
settlers at such price that the cost of the
irrigating system would not only be de-
frayed, but surplus created which would
be turned into the school fund.
SIT was brought out very clearly that
private capital in irrigation systems is
not so desirable by any means as public
capital. In private systems the water
privilege becomes perpetual mortgage
on the land. One Utah system requires
every land-purchaser to pay IS an acre
for water and S3 an acre rent every
year thereafter. Settlers Will hesitate at
such investments. 1t is considerably diff
ferent from pre-empting or paying 81 25
an acre or $500 for l60 acres, and relying
on the rains for irrigation. The water
must go with the land forever in order to
sell it readily. The landowners must be
water owners. II was this that made all
the convention pleased with our Wright
law. 1t was admitted that our system
is in advance of all others.
''The barring of forest and grazing lands
is an important feature in considering the
conservation of moisture. In Texas over
100000 acres, once covered with luxuriant
grass, is now entirely bare. Forestry
methods were discussed at length
"A significant point of this convention
politically was the indication that all the
trans Missouri country desires to work in
harmony and TO act together politically in
this regard. The assembly was referred
to not as the Irrigation Convention, but
as the Trans-Missouri Conference. Steno-
graphic reports of the proceedings will
be published and widely circulated"