The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1908-10-08
NATIONAL GATHERING OF THOSE
INTERESTED IN THE GREAT IR-
CATION PROBLEM.
MANY COSTLY WORKS
ELEVEN NATIONAL PROJECTS
COMPLETED THIS YEAR AND
SEVENTEEN UNDER WAY.

Washington.-The sixteenth annual
session of the National Irrigation Con
gress, which will be held at Albuquer-
que, New Mexico, from September
23th to October 10th, is attracting at
tention in the East as well as in the
West. Vice President Fairbanks, GIN
ford Pinchot, chief of the Bureau of
Forestry, and F. H. Newell, director
OF the Reclamation service, will at
tend the meeting
The National Irrigation Congress,
from small beginning in 1891, when
IL was instituted at Salt Lake City,
| Utah, has grown into an organization
of national importance and a recog-
nized force in directing legislation by
the Congress of the United States for
the reclamation of the arid and semi
arid lands of the West. Yearly the at
tendance of delegates and spectators
has been increasing.
There will be C. large industrial eX-
| position at Albuquerque, Indian and
cowboy parades and races, cadet drills
and other characteristic western
ey ents large sums having been do
nated for prizes in the industrial de-
partments.
The Irrigation Congress will have
before it the lesson of eleven reclama-
ton projects completed, or to be COM
pleted this year. These projects will
cost $1S,740,0O0. and will reclaim one
nalf million acres of land.
The eleven projects, and seventeen
=, - !. ~Iok~ t..
direct result of the National Irrigation
Congress. Altogether the twenty-elght
projects will reclaim and subject to
the uses Of man 100000 acres, and
will cost In round numbers 10000
GOO. The sum of $30,665,570 already
has been expended. To perform the.
work thus far the government has en-
rloyed in the classified and registered
service, including the office force at
Washington, 4,44S men and women
upon the work The contractors havA
employed 1878 laborers. This is
total, all forces. of 1898 persons.
The expenditures are nearly 100000
month.
Mr.. Blanchard, statistician of the
Reclamation Service, says these opera
tons have resulted in the establish
ment of eight towns, the construction
OF 100 miles of branch railroad, and the
settlement of $4,000 persons in the
desert" These settlers have made
homes where it was impossible to pro-
Guce crops before the water came.
In 1907 the Reclamation Service dug
,SS1 miles of canals, some OF which
t,o1o
waited during the year 1872 miles of
tunnels and erected 2S1 large struc
tIres, including dams. 1t completed
1000 headworks and fumes.
1t built Gil miles of wagon road in
mountainous regions. 1t made and
used $4,000 barrels of cement and pur-
chased 100000 barrels. 1t strung $50
miles of telephone wires. Its own saw
mills cut 3,O36,OOO feet of lumber, and
it purchased 23,6S5,O00 feet.
In March, 1908, the service owned
and had at work 1900 horses and
mules. 1t operated 9 locomotives, Gil
cars and 90 miles of railroad, 81 gaso-
line engines and 70 steam engines 1t
has constructed and is operating >
electric light plants.
Such is the work and usefulness OF
the United States Reclamation Ser
vice. indisputably the child of the
National Irrigation Congress -
Seven of the governments reclaim.
ton projects are in the Southwest
the Santa Fe Southwest-ths region
tributary to Albuquerque. Mr.. Elanch-
ards estimates are that they will cost
Will