The San Francisco call., 1909-09-29

sale of public lands and reimbursed
from time TO time by the installments
the irrigated land and also provides
that no part. of a project is to be con-
tracted for and begun until the money
project contracted for shall be in the
reclamation fund.
TEN MILLIONS NEEDED
Now. it appears that it will take
SIC. .000,00e or more which is not avail
able in the reclamation fund at pres
ent. fully to complete the projects and
1t also appears that great number OF
persons by reason of the beginning of
the projects have been led into the
making of settlements, the expenditure
of time and labor, with the hope and
upon the reliance that such reclama-
tion enterprise would be carried through
in reasonable time.
] think tfrat there is no doubt that it
was the intention of congress that
projects should not be multiplied in
such way that they could not be eom-
reclamation funds provided by the sale
of public lands, and it would probably
have been wiser to adhere strictly to
the limitation thus construed, even
though the language of the act. by di-
viding up the project into parts on
terms. seemed to permit the beginning
of more projects than there was likely
TO be money enough TO complete within
a reasonable time. The pressure was
doubtless very great and the reciama-
IlOn service NlGiQed 10 the pItSSuFe
within the letter of the law and now
find themselves in the situation de-
scribed. The work has been we'll done
and reflects great credit upon the en-
gineers who have had charge of it.
BIG BOND ISSUE FAVORED
But something must be done to re-
lieve the present situation. which is one
of disappointed hopes to many settlers
upon the arid lands, who counted upon
an early completion of the projects un-
dertaken and invested their money and
spent their time and seemed to be no
nearer the goal of satisfactory frriga-
ton than they were when the projects
were begun.
think it wise TO apply to congress
for relief by urging the passage of an
enabling act which shall permit the
in the sum of s10,000,000 or more to
complete all the projects now projected.
These bonds should be redeemed from
the money paid into the reclamation
funds after the completion of the
projects.
From conversation with the senator's
who have visited much of the reclama
tion work and given an examination TO
its progress / infer that such porposal
way out of the present difficulty, and !
shall take pleasure in recommending
the passage of such q remedial meas
ure by the next congress.
NECESSITY FOR IRRIGATION
No one can visit this western country
vinced of the urgent necessity for the
proper treatment of arid and semiarid
lands by the extension of systems of
irrigation The results in the produc-
tivity of the soil when irrigated are
marvellous. The mere fact that the
reclamation service has gone ahead too
tast ought not to prevent congress from
lending its aid to overcome the diff
cultv.
We shall know better in the future
treatment of the subject and in the
further use of available funds how to
avoid putting ourselves in similar po-
sltion 1n again. Meantime. irrigation
works under private auspices are being
projected in every direction and the
prospect of reclaiming millions of acres
from the deserts is most encouraging.
The examples of government engineer
ing and of ingenuity in planning the
structures in these various government
projects for irrigation are of immense
utility as models for private enterprise
One subject that is now being agf-
tated IN some quarters calls for no
uce. Payment for irrigated lands is
required in 10 annual installments
these should be heightened into a
longer term. l sincerely hope that con-
II may be well to make the first three
or four installments nominal but after
that time the installments should be
large enough to pay the total amount
lated in 10 years. Another course Will
encourage lack of thrift and industry
and Will greatly embarrass the extern
sion and continuance of the work of
irrigation.
WATER POWER SITES
When the government became nos
sessed of its public domain and took
measures to secure its settlement by
the passage of the homestead act and
other acts Offering, after certain steps
prescribed, to vest title to SPECIFIC
part of the public land in individuals.
the chief object of congress seemed to
mr. hrr ind. -
TO settle on public lands and ACQUIRE
II for themselves. No thought of con-
serving the resources which were thus
opened to private acquisition hardly
to the Pacific railroads in Offering the
pubic lands in such extensive grants
TO them is an instance of the spirit
which actuated congress 80 and 40 and
80 years ago.
am not criticising congress in the
slightest for this policy 1t certainly
to secure the construction of q rail-
road which should unite the Pacific
coast with the Atlantic coast and bring
closer to the eastern seaboard the far
distant regions of this country.
merely refer to it In historical way
to explain the character of the statutes
now upon the statute books, with ref
erence to the sale and disposition of
public lands.
SALE OF PUBLIC LANDS
Never until now has adequate pro-
vision been made for a classification of
lands so as to show distinctly what
are mineral lands and what are arri-
cultural lands. The truth is that the
needs of the country have deyeIoped
so and the demand for land has so much
increased that in order to secure a
sensible. businesslike disposition of
the lands remaining in the public
domain, there must be an authoritative
classification of lands by the proper
bureau.
AS to lands which are purely agri-
cultural. there would seem to be no
reason for departing from the ordinary
method of disposition under the home
stead and other laws, including the
reclamation acts, by which citizens
acquire title in them.
With respect to forest lands owned
by the public, they should be surveyed
and held by the government under the
regulation of the forestry bureau per-
mitting a sale of such timber as shall
be necessary in the proper forestry
preservation.
PUBLIC NEEDS PROTECTION
AS to water power sites, there has
been such a change in conditions that
a special provision should be made in
the interest of the public for their
transfer to private control. know it
has been the course in the past to
give these water sites away under ex-
listing inadequate acts; but we have
reached a time now when the i'm
portance of these water power sites has
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