The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1909-03-02
PROBLEM OF
WATER CONSERVATION.

WATER CONSERVATION.
Spokane, Wash, March 2.-Water
conservation cannot be accomplished
unless we know the flow of the
streams and have suitable maps from
which storage facilities can be obtain
ed; forest conservation cannot be in
t~elligently pursued without knowing
the extent and value of the forests,
and the conservation of our mineral
resources is a hopeless task unless
we know their extent. The first step
in the conservation movement is to
take a rational inventory of our re-
sources, upon which definite plans for
their economical use a lbe based"
]. C. Stevens, district engineer of
the water resources branch of the I'm
tied States geological survey, station
ed at Portland, Ore, says this in a let
ter to r.. Insinger, chairman OF the To-
cal board of control of the National
Irrigation Congress-, which will meet
in Spokane August 9 to II. He adds
among other things:
"This congress can render the great
est service If it will make a specially
of furthering the conservation move-
ment, which is today so much alive
in the public mind. In fact, 1 would
favor changing the name from Nation
al Irrigation Congress to National
oAS NS0oS bAAAS
organization in the past has taken UP
the questions which lave led to the
necessity for the broad view of the
SUBJECT which would he embraced in a
conservation congress. j believe the
organization is now a conservation
congress in everything except the
name.
when we review and analyze the
present conservation movement We
Gn1 tho 10 t1fc tS-oo ~ hoe haon In ~o0
ly a matter of words and not actions,
and 1 believe this congress can now
take steps to c~rystalize some of the
sentiments that have been expressed
into definite lines whereby some &C
tual results a be obtained.
The wastes in numbering and in
mining should be stopped at once. By
mining 1 mean particularly the extrac
ton of fuel-Coal, Oil and gas. The
best methods of stopping this waste
can only be ascertained by careful
study of the situation by experts, but
it can be Ut province of the congress
to create a sentiment in favor of a de
finite movement having for it's object
the prevention of these wastes.
Il have not been alarmed at the ra-
ther peSsimistic predictions that have
been made of the exhaustion of our
oil, gas and coal, for / know there are
large areas OF this country which have
not yet been Investigated as produc-
ers of these fuels. The congress could
create a sentiment in favor of inves-
LEGATIONS and examinations for such
deposits and simultaneously further
methods of withholding them, when
found, monopoliZation by indi-
viduals and corporations. believe
that the people are better custodians
Of these than are individu-
ais and corporations.
I'm regard to water conservation,
it is evident that QUIZ streams would
serve us best if they were uniformly
flowing. Even a slight approach to
this condition of flow renders them far
more useful than where they are un-
controlled. Such a condition can only
be obtained through artificial storage
in which such storage as may be fur
nished by forest should be given due
weight and such other storage as can
be obtained through artificial reserve
IRIS shoul be provided wherever prac-
ticable. This makes h problem a To-
cal one and will have to be solved ON
the merits of each individual drainage
rear.
GAS / see it these questions of O
servation as far as an irrigation con-
gress is concerned should he taken up
in an educational way, as Through this
means we reach many people who
would not otherw@- give the matter
the attention it required"