The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-08-09

The idea that gave birth to the con-
gress soon caught the popular imagina-
tion because of its inherent merit and
obvious Importance. The country read
lily grasped the true significance of the
purpose which animated the organizers
of this congress and it's bearing on the
future welfare of the nation. The intel
ligent and effective agitation struck a
sympathetic chord, which reacted direct
ly on the national legislature, resulting
in the passage of the government recla-
nation act of 1902. This act, known as
the Newlands bill, committed the fed
eral government to a comprehensive plan
Of reclaiming by irrigation those vast
tracts Of arabic land otherwise waste
and useless.
THE passage of this bill and the SUBJ
sequent activity Of the government In
carrying out it's provisions can be cred
tied to the efforts of this congress, and
it is work comparable in its far reach
ing importance to the Declaration Of In
dependence and the framing Of the fed
eral Constitution. Great as was that
achievement, however, this congress was
not content to cease it's efforts with a
single victory. The reclamation act rep
resents only beginning of the work.
There is still broad field of endeavor
stretching before this body, which will
necessitate much labor before its aims
are fulfilled. The problems Of irriga-
tion and drainage are only a portion of
the work embraced in the scope Of the
National Irrigation congress-. Cosely re-
lated to the subject Of reclamation is
that Of conservation These two prob
lens are interdependent, and tn former
can not carried to it's possible extent
without regarding and practicing the
latter"
Governor Hay spoke Of the waste Of
timber and the threatened shortage
with which the country is confronted. OF
his own state he said: Western Wash
ington can boast the heaviest stand Of
timber in the world. It Is estimated
that at the present time there are two
hundred billion feet Of merchantable
timber standing in this portion of the
state. This is a magnificent resource
and 1t is little wonder that it appeared
unlimited to the pioneers in the lumber
industry here. But today, if the heed
less methods Of the past are to con-
tinue, we can approximate with fair ac-
curacy the time when this great body Of
timber will be exhausted. In the past
fifty years fully one hundred million
feet Of timber has been either cut or
destroyed by forest fire, by far the
greater portion of which has disappear
ed In the last decade. The lumberman
and the logger, however, have awakened
to the gravity of the situation. and
there is reason to believe that from
henceforth more scientific and econom-
fca1 methods will be adopted in the har-
vesting OF the timber Of this state"
The governor closed by saying: 1.-THE
great and noble work for which this
congress was organized has already seen
partial fruition in the passage of the
Newlands act and the organization Of
the national reclamation service For
this alone the country owes a debt Of
gratitude to the men who organized the
congress and who have so ably directed
It's efforts. With past achievements for
the National Irrigation con-
sress can continue the great work in
which it is engaged, confident of meet
ing with still further success, to the
glory Of the organization and the en-
during benefit Of the nation"
That time between the conventions
of the National Irrigation congress
was practically wasted because of the
lack of business-like plan of pro-
cedure was the declaration of R. In
singer chairman of the board of con-
,rol, in his address today at the OPEN
ng session. Mr.. Insinger spoke of
he vast amount of business which |
annually comes before the officers of |
he organization and which is divided |
without an orderly procedure between |
he executive heads and board of |
control. He asserted that while the
congress has every year placed itself |
more and more in the position of do
ng good still its possibilities are
crippled badly because there is no
PRACTICAL method used in the stand
ng organization This statement
rom Chairman Insinger is the fore
unner of change in the constitu-
lon which it Is believed will be pro-
'osed during the congress and which
will give the congress the latitude
esired.