Imperial Valley press., 1914-02-03
Tavenner's Views
From Washington

(From Congressman C. II. Tavenner) |.
Washington, Feb. 3.-The two di- !.
vergent theories of waterways i'm
provement--the scientific one of treat !
ing an entire river as unit and work. .
ing out it's problem from the scientific
standpoint as opposed to the present
log rolling method of voting appropri-
ations to districts whose representa-
tives have influence enough to land
them-are soon to come to an issue be-
fore congress. 1t is not impossible that
the rivers and harbors bill soon to be
introduced will be the last "pork bar
rel' measure of the sort which con-
gress will ever consider.
The new plan looming up on the
horizon is the Newlands bill for the
conservation of American streams.
This bill would put the work of car
ing for American waterways entirely
in the hands of the army engineers,
who would then ask congress annually
for lump sums for carrying on their
work. Individual members of congress
would then be unable to secure ap-
preparations by pull" but every pro-
ject would be considered on it's mer-
it's by corps of disinterested eX-
perts.
Under the Newlands plan every
stream would be considered and ham
died as a unit from it's source to its
mouth The stream would be devel
oped scientifically instead of in the
haphazard fashion that is likely to re-
suit from appropriating piecemeal for
it's needs. The forests at its headwa
ters would be conserved. Flood preven-
ton would be carried on by means of
headwater reservoirs, slack water la
goons, dams, and levees. The needs of
navigation would be guarded by CIV
ing the controlling powers authority
to supervise the types of bridges to
be erected and to prevent other chan
mel distractions.
There is reason to believe that the
administration approves of the New
lands bill. The imminence of this meas
ure is bringing to the surface the old
fight between the two schools of scien-
fists in the government service over
the efficacy of forests on the control
of the run off of rainfall. The Pnchot
theory on this subject, which exists
in the forest service and in the va
rious technical branches of the depart
ment of the interior, is that forests at
headwaters retard the run off, reduce
| the height of flood crests, and tend to
conserve the rainfall to the uses of
farming and navigation.
The opposite theory-that forests
have little to do with the case-is
held, curiously enough, by the very
men who will be called upon to ad-
minister the Newlands plan if it be-
comes law-the army engineers. Other
scientific government bureaus also
hold this theory, including the weather
bureau. These opponents of the Pin
chot theory have good deal of evil
dence to back up their claims. They
show, for instance, by geographical
evidences, that disastrous floods oc-
Cured in the Mississippi valley be-
fore white men came 20 American and
when the entire valley was one vast.
forest.
Congress, however, has previously
recognized the Pinchot theory by pas
sing the law creating the Appalachian
forest reserve to conserve the waters
of the streams of the Atlantic sea-
board. 1t is believed that President
Wilson also believes in the efficacy of
forests in holding back floods.
A curious incident happened when
the controversy over forest conserva-
tion was raging in Washington few
ger case was in progress and the op-
ponents of Clifford Pinchot were trying
to discredit his policies. The weather
bureau was pro-Ballinger and anti
Pinchot, and during the excitement
it issued an official bulleting showing
by much data that forests at head.
waters do not prevent floods.
The bulletin was just off the pres
ses when the Seine river in France
went on a rampage and flooded Paris,
doing tremendous damage. The French
scientific commission, appointed to in
vestigate the causes of this disaster,
reported that the flood was attribu-
table to the fact that the upper basin
of the Seine has been denuded of it's
forests.