The Courier. (Genoa, Nev.) 1899-1904, 1900-09-28
stupendous Possibilities of Irrigation.

The vista that the possibilities of ir-
rigation reveals, says the Los Angeles
Herald, is almost stupendous, as few
facts and figures prepared by the Ma
tional Irrigation Association demon
strate. The Federal Government to-
day owns 100, 200, 900 acres of land,
which is worthless only because it is
arid. This "unwatered empire can
be reclaimed byirrigation and rendered
capable of sustaining a population Of
at least 90, 600, 600 people. In the word
of the Secretary of Agriculture in hi
last annual report: "More than one
third of the country depends upon tn,
success of irrigation to maintain tn,
people, the industries, and the political
institutions of that area, and future
growth will also be measured by the
increase of the reclaimed area. In a
region which, in the extent and diver
sity of its mineral wealth, has no equal
on the globe, the riches of the mines
in the hills are already surpassed by
the productions of the irrigated farms
in the valleys, and the nation at
large is at last awakening to the fact
that the development of the use of the
constitute one of the most important
epochs in our increase in population
and material wealth.
WORK FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
These stupendous possibilities also
present colossal problem. How may
this gigantic desert be transformed in
to land of prosperity Who Is to re-
deem the national domain by COM
prehensive system of reservoirs? It
has been demonstrated by twenty years
of experience in irrigation develop
ment and by the reports of Govern
ment experts and engineers that the
great problem can only be solved by
the Federal Government. Captain
Hiram M. Chittenden, Engineer Corps,
u. S. A., in his report on Surveys for
Reservoir Sites" declares emphatically
that reservoir construction in the arid
regions of the West can properly be
carried out only through public agen-
cies. "Private enterprises can never
accomplish the work successfully. AS
between State and nation, it falls more
properly under the domain of the
latter.n
TEN YEARS WOULD RECLAIM THE WEST
1t is estimated that $143, 600, 900 would
reclaim the arid lands of the West;
that an expenditure by the Federal
Government of $15,000,O0O a year for
ten years would open up lands for the
settlement of population as big as
that of the entire country at present
An appropriation of 500, 900 was made
at the last session of Congress for pre-
liminary surveys to discover the best
locations for the immense reservoirs
The assistance of every organization
and of every individual in forwarding
this all-important work should be well
coined and assisted in every possible
way by the citizens of California, who
will substantially derive more benefit
from its contamination than the in
habitants of any other section of the
country.
A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION.
''The National Irrigation Associa-
tion," continues the Herald, ''is doing
most valuable work in awakening in
terest throughout the country, East
aud West, in the cause. The policy
that the Association advocates is, in
brief, that the Federal Government
shall build, wherever necessary, the
irrigation works required for the recla-
nation of the arid public lands, reim-
bursting itself from sales of the land re-
claimed; and that a fair share of each
river and harbor bill shall hereafter go
for building storage reservoirs. To
carry out such policy requires an
effective national organization, which
can only be realized by active and gen
eral support. Commercial organiza-
tions are asked to endorse this policy
and cooperate with The National Irri
CATION Asso citation. Personal cooper
alton and membership in the Associa-
ton are necessary for the success of