The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-12-06
OFFICIAL URGES
IRRIGATION
Secretary Of Interior Fav0rs
Government Aid.
TREATS SUBJECT
IN ANNUAL REPORT
Fort Hall Reservation Affairs
Are Discussed.


today. 1t is a voiuminous document The
secretary urges the organization among
other things Of a commission to recon-
mend a plan for the government TO re
claim the arid lands by means of storage
reservoirs ana irrigation bitches. On this
point he says:
The subject OF the reclamation and
utilization OF the arid public domain has
received more attention during the last
year than at any previous time A large
correspondence in relation thereto has
arisen in those bureaus of the department.
which have to q . with facts bearing upon
the water supply, the location of reser-
NoIT sites and the methods and cost of
bringing water TO the arid land. The in
terest Of the public has been manifested
Ia a practical way by the lorna ton in
different parts of the country of asSocia-
tlons designed to Promote the examina ton
on the resources OF the country IN It's
waters and forests. Large sums of money
nave been subscribed Tor the dissemina-
ton Of Information concerning thes- mat
leTS ana Tor cooperation with various
/ bureaus, notably the geological survey.
/ The appropria ton for the division of
photography in this bureau was in
! creased By the last congress from $4,000
: 70 Slt1090. A still further increase 10 an
amount commensurate with the imuOrt-
ance OF the subject. Is being urged By the
/ citizens who have contributed their funds
to the furtheTance Of this work
Private Enterprise Fails.
'Deyel0pments Of irrigation have pro
/ ceeded almost wholly along the line OF
/ building small individual or cooperative
bitches. The opportunities for extending
and multiplying these are however
I limited, as the lands most easily ac-
I cessible for water supply have already
I passed into the possession of individuals
mere remain large bodies of public land
/ Tor which water can be obtained only at
/ great expense. although the cost per acre
nav not exceed that Of the small systems
/ Further extension of the irrigable area
depends upon the building of great stOr-
/ age reservoirs and of canals 10 take
water from the larger rivers. Progress in
I the construction OF these large works Of
/ reclana ton has come practically TO q
/ standstill as it has been found by exper-
renee ana SHOWN oy statistics that these
{ reclamation works are not a source of
/ individual profit Capital has been ia
duceG to undertake the construction of
/ such works in different parts of the west
/ but almost without exception these nave
! been financial failures, while the small
/ cooperative bitches built bv the land
! owners have, on the other hand, been Of
/ great advantage 10 the communities and
/ 70 the states, IS Wen as to the nation.
] out II IS 1upr obable that investors will
/ continue these as philanthrOpic enter
I prlses- The cause of financial failure with
! these large works has been the fact that
/ the increase in value which has accrued
! directly or indirectly through the build
J ing Of the works In some respects the
/ case is COMPARE BILE to that of a CITY whose
/ harbor has been improved The land
/ values are increased. but the work if car
/ Tied on by private enterprise, may not be
] remunerative to the builders.
Commission Is Urged.
The Importance of providing. through
/ wise administration. the opportunities
Tor homes for many millions OF citizens
/ Is SO great that some steps should be
takeu toward completing our knowledge
OF the extent to which the arid lands may
be redeemed. and putting this knowledge
To practical application. As a step in this
F-rr1rar ar ion f-e
I made mat the amount allotted for work
OF TINS character under the geological
| survey be increased considerably. As a
/ further step a commission, composed Of
experts now engaged in various tines Of
examination Of water and foT6s resources
Z should be formed, to assemble and digest
{ the data acquired BIZ the various bureaus
and present these recommended lions TO
congress. The question of irrigation has
passed beyond the experimental stage,
and both theory and practice have dem
OnstTated the necessity of the reciama ton
of the vast quantities of arid land now
neglected y hlch. as was once said about
Australia. viii IF tickled with a straw
be taught to laugh harvest the straw
in this instance being water The estah-
Hshment of a division having charge of
matters relating to irriga ton is now IN
der consideration
Mineral Product Increases.
The. section as to mineral resources is
a. follows:
The division of mineral. resources col
nOn-metallic products of the country for
the calendar year 1879. and published them
win eommendaoie Dromptness, first as
/ separate advance pamphlets and later
Z combined into one of the parts of the
n twentieth annual report The remark
I 2 Die activity III recent years in the coal
! and iron industries has made especially
Interesting 10 the public the complete re-
ports OF these subjects published by this
In my report for last year special at
, IGNITION was called 10 the desirability OF
organizing IN the geological survey. by
statute a DIVISION of mines and mining
the purpose being to increase the scoDe
I of the work of the division of mineral re
sources, which was already well or
gauized by authorizing the collection OF
figures of the production of gold and sill
b yer and OF data concerning labor and
wages In the mining industries. Whils
> Lhe organization desired was not author
z lZtG by congress, the appropriation fOl
me division OF mineral resources was in
: creased sufficiently to warrant the ex
pansiOn of the work so that II should in.
clude the collection of the statistics O
gold and silver. separating the product,
won by placer mining and by deep or weir
mining. which viii be a feature of thl
, next report on the mineral resources,
VIII be possible, also, under the preseu
appropriation to do considerable WO-k ID
/ Identifying and classifying the u.0c
, Veloped useful mineral deposits of TT,
! country The name of the division ha,
2 therefore been changed from the division
! I Of mineral resources to the division .
. mining and mineral resources, to indicat
us increased SCOPE
D The total value of the mineral product
t of the United States ia 1888 as shown b.
p the work of this division, was $685. 4GJ SO
D the largest output ever attained by an
Country-as compared with 1851, So ~ Fl
, f 1895, a gain Of Sz62, 6sS. 80. or 40 per cent
= About one-half of this great increase wa
: contributed by the coal and iron indus
I tries In 1850 the total value of our min
- eTai products was S567,S1T,o00 and il 1SS
il was S559, SI0.Ss5"
Fort Hall Is Discussed.
The relations of the government wit
. the Indians are discussed at length. Tn
= following is said in regard 10 the For
7 Han reservation
Il "A portion OF the canal cons ructe
- ny the Idaho Canal company on the For
4, Han Indian reservation Idaho. Ia
- proved failure. OWNS to faulty cor
Z StruCtiOn, and further payments under IN
y contract nave been suspended The CON
pany is IN the hands OF a receiver an
Q several thousand dollars Of liens hav
a been dled on the work. As long as tn
/ the contract and so long as claims on az
!, count of the work on the canal renal
( unsatisned. which might be enforced
9 the injury of the Indians. 80 payment
y will be made.
f The default of the Idaho Canal con
pany. under its contract. IS now bsin
considered by the department. and sue
fully protect the Interests of the II
dams and the government in the matte
= Indian Affairs.
Is "The commissioner gives "a detailed hi
tory OF the attempt begun in 1856 70 CIV
the Fort Hall reserve a water suppl,
and suggests that some arrangements
III