Bisbee daily review., 1908-02-14

The National Irrigation congress will hold its sixteenth session at AL buquerque, New Mexico, next Octo- Der. This great assembly is one of the most important unofficial organ izations in the United States. Its purpose is, to promote the wise de velopment of governmental policies relating to the conservation, develop ment and best use of the forests,
 Nreams and lands of the country, says the Las Vegas Optic.
 .s t sseeks to save the forests, store the Hoods, reclaifA the deserts and make homes on the land.
 It's annual sessions have had an i'm portant influence on national legisla- ton and national prosperity.
 The congress is composed of dele gates representing the states and territories of the union, counties. municipalities, organized bodies Of many Kinds.
 It's personnel includes the highest officials of the national government, senators representatives and admin istratiye ofhcial5.
 Prominent men from every portion of the United States attend and par ticipate in the proceedings. Among these gre governors of states and men who stand at the head of the great manufacturing, commercial and tinan- ! cial interests q the country, leading professional men, educators, en- gineers and scientists.
 The national reclaHation act, through which there has been an ac- emulation in the national treasury a revolving fund of approximately 1 forty million dollars, now being ex- pended in the construction of great irrigation systems that will reclaim millions of acres of semi-arid lands, is a direct result of a public senti- ment developed by the annual s,5- sions of this congress.
 The new national policy Of forest preservation, under which more than hundred millions of forest area and grazing lands of the public domain have been reserved from sale for the purpose of preventing denudation and destruction, insuring their proper use and conserving the timber and range resources of the country and the pro tection of watersheds, is largely due to the discussions which have an
 nually been had at the National Irri. gation congress.
 The participation of high officials of the general government who are charged with the administration of the National Irrigation and Forestry 1 laws, gives to this congress a semi official character It Is the one place where these officials meet the people and discuss with t5em the details of | the great work which the government has undertaken.
 | fn it's membership, the National lr rigation congress is the most broadly representative of any of our national gatherings. It deals with questions of national policy and representation | is accorded to practically every body | of citizens in the United States. Locally we are yitaIly interested. | The national government, unoer tne provisions of the reclamation act, IS
 to construct in the lower Rio Grande valley, the greatest dam and reser- voir in the world-the Elephant Butte project-which when completed will reclaim 1s0,000 acres oa New adexi- can soil, will furnish water to 10000 acres in Texas and a similar area
 across the border to our sister repub- lie of Mexico This new Mexico proposition gives an internaJiolia. character and color to the work to
 be performed on New Mexican soil under the reclamation act. lnasmuch
 as the furnishing of water to foreign country has been made 8 matter of treaty with that country, the con-
 struction of the Elephant Butte dam
 is as certain as is The construction
 of the Panama canal The reciama-
 ton oF 180,OO0 acres of southern New Mexico soil will increase the assess
 ed valuation of property in New Mex
 ico to figures which will decreass the
 tax rate in the territory onr saif Every acre of land under tn Ele phant Butte will have a minimt val
 ue of s1O0 and the product the
 soil annually will equal the teal tural and horticultural product z the
 entire state of Colorado toda an
 amount greater than the tota of ai
 gold, silver and copper mines sf ths
 Centennial state. And the Eis phan'
 kuIte project is only one Of 1T gre | outCoE,es or governmental al. in r1f