Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-07-18
IRRIGATION CONGRESS.
The Thirteenth National Irriga=
tion Congress in Portland
Aug. 2l=4, 1905.

The official cali for this great
congress has been sent out and it
is to be hoped that matters may
be arranged SO that Benton may
have respectable representation
present. This is really matter
of great Importance and in order
to give an idea of its magnitude
we quote part of Chief Engin-
eer Newell's letter to Tom Rich
ardson-the latter is manager of
the Portland Commercial Club.
The letter in part is as follows:
''In connection with the call
for the Trans Mississippi Com
mercial Congress, held here
August 16 to 10 inclusive, and
the National Irrigation Congress,
to be held here August 21-24,
1905, 1 desire to suggest that you
extend a cordial invitation to all
persons to visit the Irrigation Ex-
hibit of the Reclamation Service.
This is located in the Forestry
and Irrigation Building, near the
main Government Building on
the Island. A special building
was erected for the joint occu-
pancy of the Forestry Service
and the Reclamation Service,
and in this are placed models,
photographs and other exhibits,
showing not merely the intimate
relation of forestry and irriga-
ton, but bringing out the magni-
tude of the work undertaken by
the Government in both of these
lines. This is the FIRST attempt
made by the Government to ex-
hibit its operations under the Re-
clamation Act of June II, 1902.
In the three years which have
elapsed since the passage of this
act the Reclamation Service has
been organized, consisting of up
wards of 400 engineers, assistants
and experts in various lines; each
man carefully selected through
competitive civil service exam
ination. At the same time sur
veys have been carried on in all
parts of the West, and the rela-
tive merits of various projects
compared. Construction has been
pushed forward on the most i'm
portant of these projects and con-
tracts involving the expenditure
of many million dollars have
been entered into.
'sThere is now available in the
Reclamation Fund the sum O.
nearly $50, 900, 900. Plans have
been made for the expenditure o1
this amount in fourteen Western
States and three Territories. The
work is greatly scattered, each
project being usually hundreds
of miles from any other project,
hence great responsibility ha:
been put upon the local engin
eers in charge. In the three
years which have elapsed the
great questions of policy have
been outlined and works have
been designed whose construction
will require at least ten years.
"On the Seventeenth OF June
the third anniversary of the Re
clamation Act, occurred the for
NAL opening of the first Govern
ment project constructed under
this law, the Truckee-Carsor
Project, by which $500 acre:
of desert will be brought unde'
ditch. It is expected that or
each succeeding anniversary o
the Act at least one large projec
will be completed and lands open
ed to public settlement and cuI
tivation.
''The undertakings alreadyout
lined, while not as expensive a
the Panama Canal, involves a
great, if not greater, question
of engineering and business judg
ment. The law requires no
merely that irrigation works shal
be built, more than this, th'
country reclaimed must be set
tied in small tracts and the cos
of the work ultimately returne'
in ten annual installments. Their
is probably no undertaking il
the United States upon whicl
the future of the nation SO mucl
depends. The successful execu
ton of the Reclamation Ac
means not merely creating thou