The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-13
interesting parts of this report fol.

this source our running standing, and | ground waters are derived The habit.
 ability of the country depends en thes' | cluding the rainfall on water areas, is | 21b,000. .000. 000. 900 cubic feet. Of the
 total rainfall. over half fs evaporated
 about third flows into the sea; the re.
 uaining. sixth is either consumed oi | absorbed.
 What We Use And Waste.
 Of the 70,000 900. 900, 900 cubic feet | annually flowing into the sea, less than
 l per cent is restfained and utilized
 for municipal and community supply
 and related purposes; less than per
 cent Cor some 10 per cent of that ir i the arid and semi-arid regions,) Is used Tor irrigation; perhaps per cent is
 currently used for navigation; and less
 than pey cent is utilized for power | It Is estimated that S5 per cent to 95 I per cent of the volume is wasted in
 freshets or destructive floods.
 There are in mainland United States SSz streams navigated for an aggregate of 26,115 miles. and as much more navigabfe by Improvement: there are | also forty-ffve canals with a mileage
 or 2,lse.05, besides numerous abandon ed canals. On lake. and sound routes | there is large traffic, but the naviga- | ton of rivers and canals is too small for definite record. The cost of water
 carriage averaging about one-fourth that of rail carriage. and our railway | o0O,O00,000 ton miles at an average rate i or O.77 cent. the shipping of cne-fifth I or our freight by water would have saved over $26o.0o0.0oo to our produc- CTS and consumers
 The theoretical power of the streams I IS over 230.000.000s horsepower; the amount now In use is b,230,00 horse power The amount available at a cost comparable with that of steam install lation Is estimated at 37, ,000, GOO horse- l power, and the amount available at reasonable cost at 75, 5,000,0 900 to 15g, ,000.- 900 horsepower. The 37.0o0.000 horse power exceeds our entire mechanical | power now in use and would operate every mill. drive every spindle. propel every train and boat. and light every | city, town and village in the country. The direct yearly damage by floods since 1900 has increased steadily from | 4b.000. 900 to $253. .000. 900: the indirect loss through depreciation of property IS probably greater; while the largest loss Is that arising in the impedimcnt or navigation and terminal transfers. The freshets are attended by desfruc- tive soil erosion. The soil-matter arl- nually carried into lower rivers and
 1arbors or into the sea reaches 7s3, ,000,- | 900 tons- It's removal seriously re- duces the productivity of upland farms i and increases channei-cuttinR and par building In the rivers. It Is estimated
 that, soil. erosion reduces farm pro- duction 10 per cent to 20 per cent: and l that the annual loss to the farms alone | is $500, 900. 900; and that large losses | follow the pollution of the waters and
 the diminution of navigabiIity in the Through imperfect control of the
 running waters. lowlands arc tenn l porarily,' or permanently flooded. It
 IS estimated that there are in mainland united states 7s.000.000 to s0,0Oo. .o0U acres of overflow and swamp lands re- auirfng drainage. that by systematic | operations these can be drained at
 moderate expense; and that they would
 then be worth two or three times the present value and cost of drainage, and
 would furnish homes for 1O,00o, GOO | people.
 waht We Need to Do.
 In considering the uses and bene- M nts too be derived from the 5000, GOO,
 100000 cubic feet Of water ann,ss iiv I'recetved. the paramount use sbouid be
 that or water-supply; next should fol- low navigation in humid regions and
 lrrigatioE in arid regions. The devel-
 opment of power on the naviga bIe and
 source streams, should be kept subnr- dlnate to thu primary and secondary
 uses Of the waters: though other thinrs
 equal. the development of power should
 be encouraged, not only to reduce fine
 draIn on other resources. but because properly designed reservoirs ana now
 CT plants retard the rUn-off and so aid
 m Inc control of the streams for nav-
 igation anG other uses
 The broad plan already framed. by statesmen snd experts and approved by
 the executive should be enacted into
 iaw; Y provides for a system of wa
 terMay improvement extending to all Of the uses of the waters afld benefits
 10 be derived from their control frl
 cluding the ciarfffcation of the water an dthe abatement of floods, for the benent of navigation. the extension of irrigation. the development and appli- cation Of power, the prevention of soil wash. the purihcation of streams TOT Water-supply, and the drainage and utilization of the waters for swamp and overflow lands.
 :, In the Atlantic Interior system there should be a deep waterway. from Gulf of Meixco to the Great Lakes and 8 deep and continuous Atlantic inner passage from New England to Flor Ida; the present plan for improving the Ohio should be carried out promptly and should be perfected by any for estation and reservoirs required to control the headwaters; the upper Mis- sissippt and the Missouri should be improved and canaiized; the .ower Mis- sissippi should be connected with the Rio Grande and with the waters of Florida by inner passages; the navi- gable rivers, flowing into GuIf uf Mex leo and Atlantic Ocean should be i'm. proved; and all appropriate links in the system should be adapted to ves- sels of standard draft. and should be connected with one another and with the Great Lakes by canals of stand ard dimensions. In the columbIa-pu- get system. the rivers should be im- proved and requisite connecting canals should be constructed; and in the Cal- Hornia. Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Feather Rivers should be so Improved as to open the country to interstate and foreign commerce.
 It has been roughly estimated that the inland waterways of the country could be improved in ten years al A cost of $50.00O.000 annually in such manner as to promone interstate com merce and, at the same time greatly reduce the waste and extend the use of the waters. If done at the cost of the people. the burden wouLd be $O.62 l-2 per capita per year. or s6.25 In all.
 It Is roughly estimated that the di- rect benefits would comprise an an- nual saving in transportation of S25O.- 100000: an annual saving in flood dam in forest fires of at least S25000, ,000i an annual benefit through eheapened power of fully $75.000, 900; and an an- nual saving in soil erosion Cor corre-> farm production) of. $500. O.000, ,000-a to- tai of $1.000,000. .0O0. or Sl250 per cap ita annually, I. e., twenty times the cost. In addition. large benefits would result from extended irrigation, from the-drafnage and settlement of swamp and overflow lands. and from purified and cheapened water supply with con sequent diminution of diseases and saving of human life.
 Various indirect benefits would arise through the interrelations among the natural resources. The development of water traffic in lien of rail carriages would reduce the constantly increasing consumption of ties and mine tfn1hers nowl a heavy drain on our forests; 1t would reduce the consumption of iron faw hflIA