The evening times., 1897-09-29
ARID LANDS OF AMERICA
Provisions to Be Suggested for
Their Reclamation.
MILLIONS OF ACRES WAITING
The Secretary of the Interior Will
Recommend That Reservoir Sites
BE Utilized for the Purpose OF
Watering the Desert Region.

The Secretary of the Interior isinterested
In the matter of irrigation, and it is likely
that In his next annual report he will ur
for legislation upon the subject of the
reclamation and disposal OF Lands within
the arid region. When II is considered that
five-sixtLs of the vacant public lands lie
within n region where the rainfall is not
sufficient TO prodace agricultural crops
without artificial irrigation, that con-
parat,yely small Per cent of this territory
can be utilized by rea son OF the limited sup
pl Y of the water subject to control, and that
existing laws are ineffective TO secure
the reclamation Of the lands susceptible o.
irrigation, the demand for Congressional
action, IL is thought by the Secretary, viii
come with great force.
Ithas ( cen calculated by ytheGeneral Land
Office that of the 50o,0oo,o00 acres pf
arid lands. about 100000 900 acres might
be reclaimed by the most conservative use
OF water, and 10y the Judlcioas seiection
Of the lands to be reclaimed The only way
to accomplish this, ill the opinion OF the de
pa,tTneht, is to adopt some plan by which
the waters of the perennial streams which
are wasted curing the winter months stall
De stored, and reservoirs constructed upon
appropriate sites to impound the storm
waters
1t is not practicable, under the oper-
alive laws, To control the reclamation OF
lands in arid regioIs 80 as TO prevent the
wanton use OF water over which the ger.-
fral Government has no control. This
can only he accomplished by system
which c0ntenplates the reclamation OF the
entire Territories from common source
Of supply. and the utilization of that sup
ply. y
secretary Hoke Smith, in his report for
1896, sGggPsled that, in view OF the fact
that the states control the water which
is more valuable chiefly in the reclamation
of the arid lands. that the practical solu'
ton of this question would be to plsne the
lands under tfie direct control OF the states
ia which they lie, under such restrictions
and limitations as viii insure their recla
nation for the benefit Of the actual set
tiers, to the end that the States may con-
troll both elements necessary to their de-
vclopmr ut.
Secretary David R. Francis, in his rep.rt
1896, also recommended plenty OF GOV
efnment water for Government lands.
The act OF August is, 1894. known as
the Carey act authorized the Secretary
OF the Interior. with the approval of the
Iresdeur, and under proper application of
each OF the States in which there may "a.
situated desert lands. to agree to donate
and patent 10 the STATE free of cost, such
desert lands, not exceeding 1eo,Ooo.ooo
acres. TO each State, conditioned upon tie
reclamation aud settlement Of she land
before title shall pass out OF the Unite!
States.
Secretary Francis thought that the
Carey act, If properly amended SO as TO
give to tile State the power TO pledge the
iandssorih ihei- reClan al ion mi mightaccomplish
tue work of reclamation to the extent of
the donation as effectuaIly as il the
lands We're granted to the State uli-
oonditionally; but unless the bill could
be SO amended, he believed il better to
place tie lands under direct control OF
the States, only so far as might bc
necessary TO secure their reclamation for
the benefi. OF actual settlers
a hiIl. dawn in accordance with the recon-
nfeudati0n of the Department "f the In
terror. to the effect that after the lands
have been segregated, which is now pro-
vided for, the SECRETARY of the Interim
shall cause an investigation 10 lie made IL
to their character and all lands Embraced
in such segregation which are found 10 be
desert lands within the meaning of the
act of March s. ST. and to which no ad
verse claim existed at the date of the
fling of the map provided for, shall he
certified To the States.
T1noeT the Joint resolution Of March 20,
1858, tie Geological Survey made an eX-
animation of the arid region where agri-
culture is carried on by means of irrigation.
This examination was made TO determine
the natural advantages for storing water
and the practica bility and cost OF construct
ing reservoirs. Ono hundred and twenty
reservoir siGes We re selected and approved
by the y Depa rtment but so far no provision
has peen made by Congress for the utiliza tion
of these sites. The Secretary of the Inte-
rior viii recon mend that something he done
in this matter 10y the coming Congress.