The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-01
ARID LAND ARTISTS
Work On Irrigation Under Federal
] Auspices Taking the Usual
Slow Course.
Conflicts Between the Government
Bureaus Which Duplicate
One Another's Work.
From The journal Bureau, Room, IS. Pos
Building, iWusItin0tOs.. - ~" IN

+ From. Tho Journal bureau, Room, IS, Pos
Building, Was1ington s,-,~'s:H,,lg t7.'',.e..7,
/ Washington, Nov. lit will be spring
before there is any decision by the in
terror department as to where the begin
ming is to be made in the work of reclaim
ing arid lands by irrigation under federal
auspices. The work is In charge, Of the
( geological survey bureau of the depart
ment, and :, F.. H. Newell chief hydro
grapher.s has most to say. Mr.. Newell
has been travelling all over the west IA
miliarizing himself with the local condl-
tions, not only Of geography, but Of any
/ thing which might tend to aid or impede
the work. For example, there might be
squatters or settlers, or there might be
antiquities of survey or of title grants
which would make 1t troublesome or
tedious for the government to come into
possession and to deal with the land as
wished. - In such event the site might, be
passed over In favor Of some other site
with no better. geographical conforma-
/ lions, but having no such membranes.
| At the same time, engineers are at work
making surveys and estimates, and ~ex-
perts are AT work making elaborate call
culations and comparisons. to determine
the relation of cost to profit anticipated.
and all SUCH Questions. These pre-
| liminaries take time, and Professor New
ell says now he will hardly be, able to get
to- the stage of making a recommends
ton before, spring. It was hoped for a
/ time that the annual report of the secre-
tary of the interior would contain some
thing definite as, to the beginning of the
work. 49,.
Considerable hard feeling has been gen.
Grated among some Of the irrigs ton eX-
perts Of the different government depart
ments by. the action of the secretary of
| the interior In turning over the whole
work to the geological survey The de-
rxirff TINS nj inf I,oe
irriga tfonlstsawho make Investigations and
turn out literature on the subject from
time to. time.> and they think they should
be. consulted: Under the general direc-
ton Of Elwood Mead there is department
of Irrigation employing as experts the
following. c. T. Johnson, J. M. Wilson,
RE Teele,> Clarence E. TAFT, A. P. Stow
err, j.. N. .Stannard, Frank Adams and
Frank Bond.
..r" New Department Needed.
The new department of commerce,
which congress will create this winter,
will bring together many bureaus which
are duplicating one another's work. That
Is one of the. chief purposes, and Incl
dentally =, this fact has been one Of the
chief obstacles to the creation of the new
I portfolio: Each bureau Is Jealous of the
other and is anxious to be regarded as the
best and most important in its line The
treasury, war and state departing nts are
all ma intaininga statistic bureaus, and they
all think theirs is the best and most i'm
portant. Meantime the census is dupli-
eating much of the ground which they are
covering, and each is trespassing more or
less on the ground of the other The
| marine hospital bureau of the treas ury
Is duplicating chemical and bacteriologi-
cal work of the agricultural department
and so 1T goes through score Of other
specialties. = ."'
I It will probably fall to the lot of George
B. Cortelyou to: bring order and system
out OF this confusion and pickering
President Roosevelt shares the opinion
held by President McKinle ythat Cortelyou
is deserving Of 81 cabinet position Cor
teyou is conceded to he big enough man
I for such a position and citq was, the Nc
T Kinley plan to make him the first score
ta.ry. of commerce. The bill which creates
this department has passed the senate
| and is now before the house committee on
interstate and foreign commerce. This
| summer a special committee has been al
work trying to- arrange for the consolida-
ton of the, various conflicting bureaus, ir
order that the obstruction from these
| quarters may be -minimized, and the bill