Arizona silver belt., 1900-12-06
TO WATER THE ARID LANDS
Congress Expected 10 flake a Large Appropriation 10 Continue
 tine Surveys.

X Washington, D. C., special tu the
 Chlcago Record says: The secretary
 oi the interior wlll ask for an dppro-
 priatiOn oI s250 UO0 for irngaJIng sur
 yeys curing the next fiscal yea aud
 wIil probably get s2OO, GOO, wh.ch is
 double the appropriation made al the
 last session oI congress. The members
 oi congress, as well as the pubnc, are
 being gradually enlightened as to the
 Importance of che work, and many are
 beginning JU appreciate its value, al-
 though there viz be more or iess op-
 puslbOn from Une selfish and narrow
 minded. When Gen. Hancock said
 that the tariff was "a local issuen
 every body laughed, but a simpler
 truth Was never uttered, and IL might
 be applied to all lcgislauon. Mlth a
 few notable exceptions, members of congress usually grab all they can get ana try to prevent other feilows from
 getting any more. Inc interests of It.
 Jie cummuuIties often 5Jand in Jhe Way
 Oi the puDlIc welfare. Eor example,
 Representative Neeuham oi California, in an interview published III the local papers yesterday, sa5s that the dele kaJIun from his state viii fight the reciprocity treaties now penang in
 the aena.e becduse JneIr ratification vii inJure men who grow wdlnuts.
 For sImnar reasons the lrngatIou poIICJ ot the administration wiIl De opposed Dy the representa- oI Uer- tan ulsLricJs in the Mississippi valley Tor fear or uverproducGIun. SeuaJOr o4,DunCr made a dcJermned nght against Jbe last appropriation because ne thought there Was danger UnaC tue people WnO hereafter setGle upon the irrigated lands of Montana, WVom- Ing, Idaho anu other arid states might competo wIth the farmers of Miscun- sln, but that selfish policy is not gen erdiiy approved, ana puUlic sentiment is beginning to recognize Che neces- slty as Well as Une importance of the irrigation movement.
 Inc a2UU,UUO ,o De appropriated for next year will be expended in con tlnulng the surveys of Jne water courses. The engineers Of the geo logical survey are making irrigation maps of tite ard regipno, juso ;is they have made mInerdIoglcai maps ot Une | mountain states. These maps will | show the different irrigation basins, the watersht ds dhu the vOIume oI sup | ply, and lnuledte the pest sites for | storage reservoirs. Enc agricultural 1 department h making other maps thn iucdJion dsiu area of lauds | in the arid states JHaG may be irrl- | gated. That ls, while the geological r survey IS sascertainlng now much water | can be obaIned lur irrigation and | where 1t comes from, the agricultural i departnIcnJ h showing wucro lG cIn be applied to Jne greatest advantage. | There is no rivalry or le,t.ousy be- tween the two departments. iJh are working ln harmony Iu their own way. The geological survey has an engineering proolem; the agricultural an economic prob lem, and | when their work IS done the people of the arid states will have maps to guide them in the development of the re- sources of the water and the soil.
 The president, Secretary Hitchcock and Secretary Wilson all take deep interest in this work. and it is encour- aging to know that it will be one of the chief features of the presentad-