The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1908-11-12
LAWS ON USE OF WATER
ALL IN A SINGLE VOLUME.

The National Conservation Commits
sion is compiling for publication in a
single colume all the laws and court
decisions, both state and federal,
which relate to the use of water in the
United States. This manual will be of
immense practical value and 1t is
somewhat remarkable, considering the
wide numbed of interests which are
touched by these laws, that no such
compilation has been made before this.
With the constantly growing demand
for Interstate waterways, the increas-
ing utilization of water power for the
development of electricity, and the
widening areas of semi-arid western
plains that are being made arabic
through irrigation, these laws at the
present time affect the interests OF
wide variety of individuals and cor
porations, and in the immediate flu
ture the number whose business is
directly touched will beyond doubt be
greatly increased.
The work which the National Con-
servation commission is doing along
this line is extremely thorough and
the compilation will be complete. 1t
will include all state and national sta
tutes and all court decisions which
concern water rights and kindred
questions on both navigable and non
navigable streams and lakes. The cl-
tations will include all acts which re-
late to riparian rights, and public use
of water, and all statutes which con-
Germ mills, pollution Of water, inter-
ference with navigation or the use OF
streams for power, dammlng or
streams, diverting streamflow, and so
CHI oil ut yxyhJ
use of waters and their private appro-
priation to power or other purposes.
In the book will be included also some
authoritative discussion of the prlncl-
pies involved in these laws.
The National Conservation commits
sion in it's endeavor to make the COM
pilation absolutely complete and ac-
curate has called upon the governors
of all the states for assistance and
the replies in every instance have
promised support. Considerably more
than half the states have already APP
pointed state conservation commits
sions for the specific purpose OF CO.
operating with the national commits
| sion in it's work of gathering the ma
terial which will be embodied in the
report to the president the first of the
year. In the other states the state
officials whose work most nearly
touches this project are at work.
A single volume containing all the
laws which bear upon the use O.
waters in the various parts of thu
country, will be an exceedingly usefu
reference handbook 1t holds possib1l
tiles Of an even greater usefulness II
that it will exhibit within limits tina
make ready comparison possible, no
only the general tendencies OF th'
laws and decisions on this subject blu
the discrepancies that exist between
1.-THE regulations of different states.
The fear is frequently expressed
that the tendency towards monopoli
4 cation of water power, which has al
| ready made very great progress II
some parts of the country, will 'resul
in practically all OF this extremel.
valuable resource passing from tn
people as a whole into the hands Q
comparatively a few men, with result
ing higher cost Of water power an
acknowledgement electricity t
consumers and tremendous advant
age to the few possessoEs. II thi
danger is justified by the present laws
1t is a matter OF great Importance T.
make this fact appear at once. Fo
this purpose nothing could be NOR
effective than such presentation o
all the laws on the subject as tina
4 which- the commission 4 preparing