The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-08-11
talk ABOUT
| IRRIGATION
Government Officials Confer
With State Board.
ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING HELD TODAY
Reclamation Schemes in Southeastern
Washington Receive Attention.
From Commission.
ENTHUSIASTIC MEE1IM6 HELD TODAY

Chief Engineer +. u Newell, Of tho
of the interior, and a number of other
gentlemen connected with the depart
ternOOn in the rooms of the Walla
Walla club with the irrigation commits
and Oregon. Many points in leglsla-
ton needed TO obtain the best results
of the national irrigation act are being
discussed at length.
The members of the Oregon commits
ing and as Il result of the conference
the board from that state and the one
from Washington will carry out similar
plans in meeting the requirements of
the general government in the matter
of irrigation work
Engineer Newell and his party, ac-
companied by the members of the Ore
la at II o'clock from Pendleton, where
a meeting was neld yesterday. They
were met at the depot by DR.. N. G.
Blalock of the Washington commits
sion and taken to the club rooms where
an informal meeting was held to out
line the work for this afternoons ses-
sion.
The members of the Washington
commission reached Walla Walla at IL
O'Clock and were met by DR.. N. G. Bla-
lock and taken to the Dacres hotel.
The meeting of the joint commits
sions WAS held this afternoon and was
attended not only by all the members
of the two commissions and the gov
ernment officials, but many other per
sons from southeastern Washington
who are interested in the various irri-
cation projects that are now being
prosecuted in this state.
The Walla Walla Commercial club
had Il large representation present and
many of the local business men. farm
ers, gardeners and fruit growers were
interested listeners at what was said
by the government officials.
The meeting was called to order at
> o'clock DR.. y. G. Blalock who intro
duced Mayor Hunt. The mayor made
= short address of welcome to the Wis
itors and offered them the freedom Of
the city while they We're its guests.
At the conclusion of the mayors re-
marks f. A. Bryan. president of the
Pullman Agricultural college was
chosen chairman of the meeting and
Walter n Granger of Zillah, secretary
Chief Engineer Newell addressed
the meeting. giving in detail the
salient points of the national irrigation
act and pointed out what was abso-
luteIy necessary in the way OF state
legislation on irrigation in order that
the great projects could be successfully
carried on. He stated that the gov
ernment stood ready to take up the
work and push it vigorously as soon as
the laws of the state were put in shape
for them to proceed. He said that he
had found the keenest interest among
the people in reclamation work IN the
e+atac that he had visited and this had
caused him to issue a general warning.
Irrigation had inspired all sorts OF
schemes, honest and disreputable, ana
he thought the interest of the people In
this work may cause them TO be impos-
ed upon by INSCRIPTIONS people.
There are many instances, he SAID
..of honest. effective and legitimate 1r-
rigation works where the settlers
themselves. or their capital to some ex-
tent. have gone in and built the works,
owning or controlling them along with
tho reclaimed land: but l do not know
of any of the big private irrigation
schemes which are wnat might be call
ed legitimate development enterprises