Montpelier examiner., 1912-10-11
DISCUSS PROBLEMS
OF THE |RR|GA1OR
TWENTIETH SESSION OF THE Ma
TIoNAL IRRIGATION CONGRESS
HELD IN SALT LAKE.
Questions of Vital Interest to the Far
mers of the Nation Considered by
Delegates From Every Section OF
America and Foreign Countries.

Salt Lake City.-The twentieth ses-
sion of the National Irrigation con-
gress came to close on Thursday
with the selection of Phoenix, Arizona,
as the meeting place next year and
the election of a new set of officers.
The officers chosen were: Major
Richard w. Young of Salt Lake, pres
ident; ]. B. Case of Abilene, kans''
first vice-president; John Fairweathef
of Fresno, CAL, second vice-president;
s. H. Lea OF Pierre, 8. D., third vice.
president; Richard F. Burgess OF Ell
Paso, Texas, fourth vice-president;
Kurt Grunwald OF Pueblo, Colo, fifth
vice-persident; Arthur Hooker OF Spo
kane, Wash, secretary; executive COM
mittee, George A. Snow OF Salt Lake.
chairman; Arthur Hooker, secretaryi
national board Of governors, Richard
w. Young, chairman; Arthur Hooker,
secretary; George A. Snow; Douglas
White of California, L. Newman OF
Montana, Louis E. Sweet Of Colorado.
1t was in Salt Lake on September
is, 1891, that the first session OF the
National Irrigation congress was held,
The session just held in the city
where the organization was founded
was one of the most successful in the
annals of the congress, which was
changed during the week from ma
tional to international scope. From
the great pageant and the rendition or
the Ode to Irrigation which marked
its first session to the meetings OF
Thursday all plans have been carried
to complete fruition.
Administration of government recla'
nation projects, referred to for the
most part in adverse criticism, occu-
pied a large amount of attention at
the Thursday session. Delegate Hoag.
land of Nebraska led in the discussion
during the thirty minutes allowed for
consideration of such matters. He
said that land in the North Platte pro
ject in Nebraska was settled upon the
basis of $35 an acre, but that this price
had increased to $55 an acre. In his
opinion the $75,O00,00O expended by
the government reclamation projects
should be charged off to development
by the government, as in the case oi
river and harbor improvements.
| At the close of the discussion, Sen
ator Newlands urged tolerance on the
part of settlers upon reclamation pro
| jects in face of serious problems en-
countered by the government in ad
ministration of such affairs. These
settlers should also avoid any sem
blance of repudiation of sums due the
government, declared the senator, Il
they wished to preserve the integrity
of promises by the men who urged
the passage of the reclamation act.
Don Bark of Idaho, irrigation ex
pert of the department of agriculture
delivered an address on "The Duty Of
Water in Idaho" He was followed
by Professor Lewis A. Merrill, who
spoke on Stock Raising and Dairy
ing in the Irrigated Region" Profes
sor Henry s. Graves, United State.
forester, delivered an address on "Tht
Nation and the, States in Forestry
DR.. w. e. Garrison, president of the
New Mexico College of Agriculture
read paper on Good Roads as 9
State and National Problem" He de
clared good roads necessity and more
than local in value as overcoming iso
lation.
H. s. Lea of South Dakota, H. B
Walker of Kansas and Alex. McPher
son Of New Mexico each read a five
minute paper on pumping for irriga
tion.
The opening session was held in the
Tabernacle Monday morning, Septem
ber 30, with at least thousand dele
gates from every section of Americ;
any many from foreign countries pres
ent. The Tabernacle was filled, It be
ing estimated that twelve Thousand
people attended the opening session
AS suggested In the official speech
OF President Francis G. Newlands
United States senator from Neyaaa
and echoed in the preliminary discus
sions Of the delegates, the twentieth
irrigation congress included In It,
deliberations the most extensive MA,
for control of Americas water suppl,
in the broadcast sense ever contem
plated by a public body.
Revision of lands laws and home
stead acts to check the tremendou,
drain of capital and citizenship nov
resulting from the emigration move
ment to Canada, was another vita
question to be considered by the con
gress.
There was warm discussion on the
proposition to merge the National Irri
cation Congress with the Dry Farmins
Congress, but the merger plan wal
not approved.