The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-05
IRRIGATION CONGRESS PLANS.

| The Seventeenth Irrigation Congress
is to meet at Spokane, August 9th to
| 14th. with claimed indications that the
session will be the most largely at
tended and the most representative IN
| tho history of the organization. IF it
is all tha It's said it will be, it will
certainly be n hummer, because the
session held in Ogden was really the
great session of the congress. That
session was sort Of reorganization Of
the irrigation congress. which had just
escaped being swallowed by the Trans
mississippi congress, due TO the votes
and the protests of tho Utah delegates.
The interest aroused thereupon caused
the Ogden session to be one of ex-
| traordinary interest and of large at
tendance.
The congress has shown at times an
erratic tendency, as where, at the
meeting in FL Paso it voted that the
benefits of the national irrigation laws
should be extended to the State of
Texas. where, as a matter Of fact,
there is no government land, the public
domain there being the property OF the
State Of Texas.
We notice similar erratic tendency
in the programme Of the coming irri-
cation congress at Spokane. 1t seems
that this congress is going to take up
besides the irrigation and reclama-
tion of arid lands, the reclamation of
the swamp lands, deep waterways, for
estry, conservation Of the country's re-
sources, good roads, and home build
ing. This will be spreading out the
functions of the congress very wide
and will make the spread rather thin
The swamp land proposition is an an.
tagonistIc proposition altogether, to the
proposition for reclaiming the arid
lands. Deep waterways have nothing
TO do with the arid belt, where we do
not have enough water for cutiva-
tion purposes. Forestry, for the most
part, has no function in the arid re
gions because such tree growth as we
have In the hills is not forest growth
in any true sense of the word nor as
rule, are the trees so grown of much
value for commercial purposes. Con-
servation of the country s resources is
Il general and vague proposition which
may mean something or nothing Good
roads are especially taken care Of by
good-roads propagandas. and the irriga-
finn ,ybila ,rnIn,ht nll,-
ing good roads, would do well not to
include it in its programme. Home
building is natural and proper out
growth Of irrigation and the reelama-
tion service. In fact. the chief pur.
pose and object of irrigation is for
home building. And this, of course, is
we'll to include in the work OF the ir-
Tlgation congress; it has necessarily
been included from the first by the con
gress, but to recognize it separately
and especially is also we'll, The other
propositions. however, will swamp the
congress if it takes them up.
Fourteen sessions are arranged for
in the six days of the session, and the
| dlScHSStoHS anu papers 10 De JCdu VIII
no doubt be worthy of the congress and
of the great interests it represents.
The delegates attending the congress
will be appointed as heretofore, by
States, cities, counties, commercial
bodies, farm associations, etc. 1t is
stated that railroad presidents, fnan.
ciers. scientists, government officials
engineers, and practical men in other
lines Of activity have accepted places
on the programme, and indications arc
that there will be from four to five
thousand delegates in attendance.
IT should be "A great congress, and
perhaps the hopes of those who are
preparing for ii viii be realized in
making it the greatest of all of the
congresses, since the country is grow
ing all the time, more and more land
- being reclaimed, more homes being
built, and settlers being added by the
tens OF thousands. 1t is a good many
years since the irrigation congress met
at Ogden. That was the record break
ing congress, and has been so up to the
present time, and if the Spokane ses
sion beats it, Spokane will certainly
have occasion for pride,