Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-12-05
NATIONALDRAIN.
AGE CONFERENCE
EXPERTS AAo oTaERs INTER
EsTED FLOCK TO OKLA
~0MA ctTs.
PLAN GREAT CAMPAIGN
National Government will &c caiiea
upen 60 cemsntt ltseit 70 Pc'ley os
osaan.ns s~a~sp Lands-

oklahoma Clty. Ohla-. l,tr 3 -
as,uut q hundred a+Is&as"s 10 the Ma
tional Drainage and Reclamation com
grcss All preseG,. r>n1y f"r 'h' "pen
Ing session a, . this attrrno"n.
Anung those already h~Fe are Geo.
r.. Rarntow. president NJ the RArslo"
Irrigation company, BarstUw. Texas:
e. !. Blanchard. Washington, D. G..
sta;ls,ictan II government reclama'
lion. Thomas l.. Cannon. ~, Louis
secretary of the National Irrigation
association, Col. J j Jarvis. Fort
Worth. and Governor Frank FrantE.
governor of Oklahoma.
Governor Fran,z ana II 4 Mellow
an, president of the Oklahoma irrIea'
ton association. viii deliver welcome
addresses, after which organization
will be- effected aud committees ap-
pointed,
Plan Great Campaign
Oklahoma CITY. Dec BIN response
To a call issued by Governor Frank
Frantx Of Oklahoma drainage experts
and others Interested In the move
ment from all parts of the country
are here today TO participate In the
National Drainage congress. which
has for lis object the discussion os
plans for the Inauguration Of n gen.
cral movement for the reclamation
of swamp lands by the construction
Of drainage works. and 10 begin
campaign of education for the pur-
pose OF making the public aware OF
the importance of this work. The
congress Is being held under the aus
pices of the Oklahoma City chamber
Of commerce and that body has spar.
ed no expense to make the stay OF
the visitors pleasant and profitable.
The fall festivities are now In prog.
ress and many special entertainment
features have been arranged for the
benefit of the visitors.
Among the prominent men here or
who are expected TO arrive later in
the day are Clifford Pinchot. OF the
bureau of forestry at Washington:
Representative Halvor Steenerson,
author of the first national drainage
bill: +, r. Newell. chief engineer Of
the United States reclamation serv.
ice: DR. a. c. True. director of eXper.
iment stations, department Of agricnl.
ture; President J. H. Worst. of the
North Dakota Agricultural college: A.
l., Fellows. state engineer Of North
Dakota: NJ. V Richards, land COM
missioner of the Southern railway;
James G. Melluish. Of the Illinois
drainage department; !. NJ. Mallory,
industrial commissioner of the Cen
tral of Georgia railway: Wesley Mer.
ritt, of the Santa Fe system. and NJ.
Schulter, of the Rock Island-Frisco
lines. Many other prominent men
will probably be here during the three
days of the congress. The constitu'
tional convention has been invited to
attend the conference In q body on
Friday.
Oklahoma Is to be admitted into
the union under an enabling act
which makes no grant for drainage
purposes. although there are within
the borders of the new state thous-
ands of acres of land which will ulti.
mately have to be fitted for agricul.
tural purposes by the construction of
drainage works This fact led the
people of Oklahoma to make common
cause with the older states through
the medium of the present congress,
which will probably be organized into
a permanent body. Norfolk. Va. and
Atlantic City are candidates for the
meeting next year.
Will Call on Government
According to the statements Of
drainage authorities, there are now
in this country over sixty millions of
acres of swamp lands. practically all
of which could be rendered product.
i've by the construction of adequate
drainage works. The government
will soon complete its reclamation of