El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-29

| From the San Francisco Call.
Shafroth of Colorado has introduced
| into the house of representatives a bill
providing for the construction of res
| ervoirS in the arid land states and for
the disposal of the public lands re-
claimed thereby" 1t has been referred
| to the committee on public lands. and
while it is not likely to be adopted this
session, it will serve the purpose of
bringing the irrigation problem defii-
nitely before congress.
Under the terms of the bill the geo
logical survey is directed to survey at
| least four practical reservoir sites and
irrigation bitches from the reservoirs
to the public lands to be irrigated. in
each of the arid land states; and to
| make a report to the secretary of the
interior. who. if he deem the project
practicable, shall have the works con-
structed, provided that the cost of
them in any one state shall not ex-
coed 81 100000 The states to be con-
sidered as arid lands states within the
meaning of the act are California, Ore
gon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Mon
tana, Wyoming. Colorado, Kansas, Ne
braska, South Dakota and North Da-
kota. The SUM of $4,000 900 is to be
appropriated for the work.
Upon the completion of each irriga-
ton project the lands to be irrigated
thereby are to be subject to homestead
entry after notice by the secretary of
the interior, upon condition that the
entryman, after making final proof of
settlement shall pay to the government
tho slim of $3.50 an acre. and no single
entry shall exceed eighty acres. 1t is
further provided THAT when the ma
jor part of the land intended to be ir-
rigated from each reservoir has been
located afnracovd
| management of the reservoir and ir-
rigation bitches connected with the ir-
rigation project shall be turned over to
the said homesteaders. who shall man
age and maintain the same either as
a body or through a corporation to be
! formed by them
1t will be perceived the bill is of an
experimental nature. 1t provides, not
| for the beginning of a comprehensive
system of irrigation. but only for max
ing certain tests. Moreover, the terms
| under which the tests are to be made
| are not of a wholly satisfactory char
| acter. Not less than four reservoirs
| with attendant bitches are to be con-
| structed in each state. and yet the to-
tai expenditure for the state is no to
| exceed 81 .0O0, 900. That will be an av-
erage of but S250.00O for each set of
| works. 1t is safe to say beforehand
| that such tests will not be adequate to
| determine the problem of retaining
| our arid lands 1t will be but a repe-
| tition of that scattered and wasteful
expenditure which has so often marked
| the undertaking of governmental work
| Many reservoirs will be begun, none
| of them will fully conserve the waters
of the district. and some or them may
| never be completely finished.
Even as it is, however, the bill mer-
its commendation. It serves at least
to raise The question of conserving our
flood waters and redeeming our arid
lands. Perhaps it would be impossible
to procure the passage of a better
measure at this time. The main thing
now is to get the work begun. and for
that purpose the Shafroth bill may be