The Holly chieftain., 1908-10-09
WORK OF FOREST SERVICE. RE-
cLAMAr'oN AND GEOLOGICAL
SURVEY INoossEo.
WANT TIMBER CENSUS
PROPOSE AN INTERNATIONAL
CONGRESS ON IRRIGATION TO.
BE HELD AT WASHINGTON.

Albuquerque, n. M.--The sixteenth
hational irrigation congress i'll this city
practically completed its work Thurs
day with the adoption of the report of
the comnnuee on resolutions and the
election OF officers of the seventeenth
congress
The report of The committee uS per-
manent organization was adopted with
out debate. electing George II. Bar
stow OF Texas president, re-electing b.
a. Fowler of Arizona secretary; H. d.
l-oveand of California, r. f. Twitchel
OF New Mexico and l. ID. O'Donald of
Montana vice presidents. and creating
the office of foreign secretary, TO
which f. Mcqueen Gray of New Mex
leo was elected -
At the closing session Friday Spo
kane was selected as the next place of
meeting. Pueblo, Withdrew her claims
and the vote was made unanimous.
After long contest before the, COM.
mittee, the critics of the forestry SER
vice were satisfied with the follow
ing:
Be II resolved, That ii is the sense
OF this congress that such legislation
should be had, in justice to the forest
service and claimants to property
rights within the national forests, as
Will provide for ~ review at the in
stance Of any marty affected, by a
competent tribunal, of controversies re-
latlng to homestead entries, or forest
control or regulation, arising from any
action, regulation. or ruling of the for
ester's office.
That whenever large tracts of land
suitable for agriculture and which are
not naturally forest, and which are not
intended to be.made forests and which
are NOT necessary or proper for the
preservation OF the forests or the
watersheds or water supplies for the
purposes'tts which they have been de.
voted, lie within forest reserye boun-
sdary, such. tracts should be RESTORED to,
entry as public lands.
Another resolution is that bearing
upon the. utiliza don OF streams for the
,creatins'of electric power and ia goring
the removal Of restrictions. upon such
= leResoited. That the necessary rights
of way, and rights for construction of
reservoirs and other uses of the public
lands for Development of electric pow
er. should be encouraged and aided in
every possible way and all such rights
and uses should be granted and al
lowed upon equal terms with similar
rights granted for the direct purpose
of irrigation
That census of the standing tim
Der in the United States should be au-
thorized by congress and that the
states SHOULD be urgedGto cooperate
with the nation for, the preservation
and enlargement of. our forest re.
;,sgurces by adoption 1f uniform forest
laws and that forestry irrigation,
drainage. flood protection, water stor-
age and river regulation and control
for navigation and water power
should be regarded as one great inter-
related subject Iii all legislative and
executive policies
The resolutions give sweeping in.
dorsement to the work of the reclama-
tion service, the forest service and the
geological survey, and urge on con,
gfess the continued support and in.
creased appropriations for all of these
bureaus; urge the repeal of the tim
ber and stone act ito the end that the
accumulation of the public timber
lands in the hands of a few great cor
poratiOns may besarrested;" urge the
speedy creation OF the southern Appa-
lachian and White Mountain national
forests; ask congress for an adequate
appropriation for the use of the hydro
graphic division of the geological sur
vey to determine by Experiment land
measurement and observation. the
practical effects of grazing and lum.
berng on the supply Gf water for 'irri-,
CATION and on the erosion of the soil
and that "such investigation extend
over the entire watersheds, both in and
out of the national forest. and that
such investigation be prosecuted sim.
ultaneously throughout all the States
and territories of the arid and semi
arid West"
| A strong resolution against free Sill
gar is included, as are also resolutions
reaus by the Western states and terri
tories; requesting cooperation with
the national conservation commission,
conservation committee Of the Irriga-
tion congress being authorized; urging
that the Carey act be made applicable
to theaterritories; indorsing the move
ment to hold session Of the congress
in Washington in 1870. toibe Known, as
an international congress on Irrigation
and asking appropriations from the
state and federal governments for this
congress- and authorizing the present.
congress to appoint committee of five
to be known as the congressional COM
mittee, charged with the duty Of urging
tho vacnn mon 4 al tiong ~ tho orr,,,},o