The daily sentinel., 1910-01-14
.aIrsady,,gran.ed. ma ny, a4ater-power

| tl SlH Ahu tttti wv oht " W
erS1li d. $50 that ailf tn e-swater power
tunder private ownership shall be
monopoly. If, however. the water
power sites now owned by the gov
ernment-and there are enough of
them,-shall be disposed of to pri-
vate persons for the investment of
their capital in such a way as to pre-
vent their union for purposes of mo-
nopoly with other water-power sites.
and under conditions that shall limit
the right of use to not exceeding so
years. with proper means for deter
mining a reasonable graduated rent
al and with some equitable provision
/ for fixing terms and renewal, it
would seem entirely possible TO pre-
vent the absorption of these most
useful lands by a power monopoly.
As long as the government retains
control and can prevent their i'm
proper union with other plants, COM
I petition must be maintained and the
prices kept reasonable"
The president then deals with the
question of the conservation of the
soils. which he regards as the most
important resource of all.
The president declares that the act
OF enlarging the area of the home
stead from 160 to 800 acres has been
a great boon to dry farming He
then declares that millions of acres
may be made more productive by the
establishment of reservoirs.
The message then continues as fol-
lows:
THE proceeds of the public lands
creates a fund to build the works
needed to store and furnish the ne
cessary water. and 1t was left to the
secretary of the interior to determine
what projects should be selected
among those suggested and to direct
the reclamation service with the
funds at hand and through the en-
gineers in it's employ to construct the
works.
mo one can visit the far west and
the country of arid and semi-arid
lands without being convinced that
this is one of the most important
methods of the conservation of our
natural resources that the govern
ment has entered upon. 1t would ap-
pear that over thirty projects have
been undertaken. and that a few of
these are likely to be unsuccessful
because of the lack of water or for
other reasons; but, generally, the
work which has been done has been
well done, and many important en-
gineering problems have been met
and solved.
zone of the difficulties which has
arisen is that too many projects. in
view of the available funds, have
been set on foot. The funds availa-
Bile under the reclamation statute are
inadequate to complete these projects
within reasonable time. And yet
the projects have been begun; set
tiers have been invited to take up,
and in many instances have taken up,
the pit land within the projects, re-
lying upon their prompt completion.
The failure to complete the projects
for their benefit Is, in effect, a breach
of faith, and leaves them in a most
distressing condition. III. ,l-
Il urge that the nation ought to
afford the means to lift them out of
the very desperate condition in which
they are now This condition does
not indicate any excessive waste or
any corruption on the part of the re-
ciamation service. 1t only indicates
an over-zealous desire to extend the
benefit of reclamation to as many
acres and as many states as possible
| recommend therefore that authority
be given to issue not exceeding $780,
100000 of bonds from time to time
as the secretary of the interior shall
hnd 1t necessary, the proceeds to be
applied to the completion of the pro-
1ects already begun. and their proper
extension, and the bonds running 10
years or more. to be taken up by the
proceeds of returns to the reclama-
tion fund which returns, as the
years go on, will increase rapidly in
amount.
There is no doubt at all that, if
these bonds were to be allowed to run
10 years, the proceeds from the pub
lie lands, together with the rentals
for water furnished through the COM
pleted enterprises. would quickly Gre
ate sinking fun large enough to re-
tire the bonds within the time speci-
fed. l hope that, while the statute
shall provide that these bonds are to
be paid out of the reclamation fund,
1t will be drawn in such a way as to
secure interest at the lowest rate,
and that the credit of the United
States will be pledged for their re-
demption.
Il urge consideration of the recon-
mendations of the secretary of the
interior in his annual report for
amendments of the reclamation act
proposing other relief for settlers on
these projects.
Respecting the comparatively
small timbered areas on the public
domain not included in national for
ests because of their isolation or
their special value for agricultural
or mineral purposes. it is apparent
from the evils resulting by virtue of
the imperfections of existing laws
for the disposition of timber lands
that the acts of June 3. 1SS, should
be repealed and a law enacted for
the disposition of the timber to be
subject to appropriation under the
agricultural or mineral lands laws.
What l have said is really an
epitome of the recommendations of
the secretary of the interior in re-
spect to the future conservation of
the public domain in it's present an
nual rennrt He has niyen closa OF