Arizona republican., 1896-12-16

c. D. Booth of Los Angeles, Cal, for president; Frank A. Briggs, governor elect of North Dakota, vice-president; James H. McClintock, Phoenix, secre- tary; George A. Mintz, assistant sec retary. The election was by acclama- tion.
 The newly elected chairman was es- corted to his seat and the gavel was surrendered by MT. Frost. MT. Booth made a short, but appropriate, speech of acknowledgement, in which he thanked the convention for the honor of being selected as the president of such an organization.
 W. T. Blythe, local weather observer, though not on the programme, stated to the convention that Wilbur l.. Moore, chief of the United States weather bureau, had compiled and printed a report on Some Climatic Features of the Arid Regions" The report was especially dedicated to the fifth National irrigation congress. MT. Moore sent 1000 copies of the circular for gratuitous distribution to the del egates.
 A vote of thanks was extended to the chief of the weather bureau.
 Emory F. Best, assistant commits sioner of the general land office at Washington, delivered an address on National Legislation With Reference to the Carey Act"
 Mr. Best explained that he was ap- pointed by the secretary of the in terior to represent that department of the government service in the conven- tion. He said that Secretary Francis was deeply interested in the congress and authorized Mr. Best to say that he hoped the congress would be product i've of much good in securing needed legislation for the purposes for which the body was organized.
 The speaker said that the homestead law was no longer applicable in the arid regions for the reasons that the water of the streams is utilized to the 1 fullest capacity and new lands can not be supplied. There is no lack of I land, but the supply of water is lim- ] ited The only possible solution to overcome the scarcity is that the wat CTS of the perennial streams must be stored during the winter months, so | that the reclaimed land can be irri- gated and the remainder held for other uses.
 There are three agencies through which arid lands can be reclaimed-to determine the water supply, to build storage reservoirs and the appointment | by congress of a National irrigation commission, whose sole object would l be to look into the water supply and irrigation methods adopted in the arid and semi-arid regions.
 The speaker thought that the easi- est solution of the problem was to
 have congress cede all arid lands to the states and territories, as under
 the present system the arid lands would remain unreclaimed by water for ages. He urged the necessity of the body forming itself into a perma- nent organization.
 1 At the conclusion of MT. Best's ad- dress the following committee on rules
 and order was appointed B. R.
 Moses, c. M Heintz, W. o. O'Neill
 John E. Frost, G. W. Watson, G. B
 Hudson and L. B. Brainerd.
 The next speaker was F. H. Newell chief of the Photographic survey. His
 subject was the Irrigation of Arid
 Lands in Humid America" He said
 the subject affords an opportunity fol showing the breadth of irrigation since
 the matter has interest not only in
 all great agricultural divisions of the
 country, but is also bound up with nearly every department, both in the science and practice of agriculture
 Even more than this, irrigation in its broadest phase affords aid to the in ternal forces of the government, anG influences the methods and policies o1 administering it's great natural re-
 sources in the lands and waters, 1T
 grazing and in timber.
 l There is probably not a state in the Union where some form of irrigation is not presented, despite the wide
 range of the soil and climate. Ever damp New England meadows ant grazing lands are to some extent wat
 cred by ditches.
 In the discussions of the irrigation congress the mistake is sometimes
 made of assuming that irrigation is { local matter, confined solely to DOT tions of the arid regions. This mar
 row view must give way to a broader treatment of the subject if we are tt have what the name implies-an ir
 rigation congress.
 The problems of irrigation are Ma tional in character and are too broat to be treated in a complete manner b. a sectional body. Never can they b.
 mastered in one congress. or in many The needs and opportunities of !;
 broader treatment of irrigation ar' obvious and cannot be satisfactoril. filled by an organization of intermit Itent character
 !, After the reading of Mr. Newell tha cnDpraSS a0iOurnpd nDti