Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-29

estry, and greatly regret that 1t was not
begun years before.
Congress has come fully to recognize the
necessity Of pursuing forestry reform by
making liberal appropriations for the pur-
pose. The forest lands of the United States
ought to be surveyed and carefully pre-
served, and its Jurisdiction in respect to
them clearly defined.
The regulation OF forests In private own
ership within state boundaries is not
plainly within the range of federal turis-
diction and 1t should be undertaken by the
states. l don't think the states have taken
up the matter with as much energy as
they ought and have not improved the OPP
portunity which was given them by way
Of example by the forestry bureau Of the
United States.
IRRIGATION Projects Need Funds.
The plan of the government to reclaim
the arid and semi-arid lands. manifested
in the reclamation act, has been carried
out most rapidly by the bureau charged
with it's execution. I had the honor the
other day, in Colorado, of opening the
most ambitious of these projects-at least
the most difficult Of them-the Gunnison
! which is to bring water into a valley in
Colorado. known as the Uncompahgre val
ley, with some $50, 0OO acres. and to put 1t
in a condition to grow fruit and cereals.
There are some thirty projects which
have been entered upon by the reclamation
bureau, and believe that all of them are
TO be commended for their excellent adap-
tation for the purposes for which they
we're erected, and for the speed will which
the work has been done.
era - A,Ifn,rna hnuraga1. that in the MAN
ming Of a number Of these improvements,
the enthusiasm of the projectors has car
ried them TO a point where they begin to
feel embarrassed in the matter Of resources
with which to complete the projects, and
begin to show that the strict limitations of
the reclamation act were not closely OBJ
served by those engaged in executing
them: that the projects were too many and
more than could be completed in a reason
able time after their beginning, because Of
a lack of funds.
Ten Millions More.
THE reclamation act provides for the ex-
penditures Of funds made up by the sale
of public lands and reimbursed from time
to time by the i~nstaIlment TO be paid by
the settlers who take up the irrigated
land and also provides that no part of a
/ project is 70 be contracted for and begun
untiI the money for the completion Of that
! part Of the project contracted for shall
be i'm the reclamation fund.
Nov. it appears that it will take $4,000,
900 or more, which is not available in the
reclamation fund at present, fully to com
plete the projects. and II also appears that
a great number of persons, by reason OF
the beginning Of the projects, have been
led into making settlements, the eXpendi-
ture Of time and labor, with the hope that
such enterprise would be carried through
In a reasonable time.
Il think there is no doubt that it Will
be the intention OF congress that pro-
gress should not be multiplied in such a
way that they could not be completed
within a reasonable time with the reclaim
alton funds provided by the sale of public
lands and it probably would have been
wiser to adhere strictly To- the limitation
thus construed, even though the language
Of the act, by dividing up the projects into
parts on terms. seemed to permit the be
ginning Of more projects than there was
likely 10 be money enough to complete
within a reasonable time.
The pressure was doubtless great and
the reclamation service yielded 10 the
pressure within the letter Of the law and
now find themselves in the situation de-
scribed. The work has been well done
and reflects credit upon the engineers who
have charge Of II.
QuestiOn Up 10 Congress.
Blu something must be done TO relieve
the present situation which is one Of dis
appointed hopes to many settlers upon the
arid lands, who counted upon an early
completion Of the projects undertaken and
invested their money and spent their time
and seemd TO be no nearer the goal Of sat
isfactoTy irrigation than they were when