The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-02-02
CONGRESS PLANS TO
IMPROVE STREAMS
Bill Suggests That Work Of Caring
For Waterways Be Left Entirely In
Hands Of Army Engineers
STREAMS HANDLED AS A UNIT
Another Theory, That Forests Have
Little To Do With Floods, Is Held
BY Many Who Have Control

Washington February 2.-The
two divergent theories of waterways
improvement-the scientific one of
treating an entire river as unit and
working out it's problem from the
scientific standpoint as opposed to
the present log rolling method of
voting appropriations to districts
whose representatives have influ-
ence enough to land them-are soon
to come to an issue before Congress.
1t Is not impossible that the riv-
ers and harbors bill soon to be in
troduced will be the last pork bar
reP' 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 an
nually for lump sums for carrying on
their work. Individual members Of
congress would then be unable to Sc
cure appropriations by, quill" but
every project would be considered on
it's merits by corps of disinterested
experts.
y1or Al
stream would be considered and
handled as unit from it's source to
its mouth. The stream would be de-
veloped scientifically instead of in
the haphazard fashion that is likely
to result from appropriating piece
meal for it's needs. The forests as
it's headwaters would be conserved.
Flood prevention would be carried
on by means of headwater reservoirs,
slack water lagoons, dams, and le-
wees. The needs of navigation would
be guarded by giving the controlling
powers authority to supervise the
types of bridges to be erected and to
prevent other channel distractions
There is reason to believe that the
administration approves of the New
lands bill. The immnence of this
measure is bringing to the surface the
old fight between the two schools of
scientists in the government service
over the efficacy of forests on the
control of the run-off of rainfall.
The Pinchot theory on this subject,
which exists in the, Forest Service
and in the various technical
branches Of the Department of the
Interior, is that forests at headwa-
ters 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 Pinchot theory have a good
deal of evidence to back up their
claims. They show, for instance by
geological evidences, that disastrous
floods occurred in the Mississippi val
ley before white men came to Ameri-
ca and when the entire valley was
one vast forest.
Congress, however, has previously
recognized the Pinchot theory by
passing the law creating the Appla-
achian Forest Reserve to conserve
the waters of the streams of the At
lantic seaboard. 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 forests conser-
Walton raging in Washington a few
years ago. This was when the Bal
linger case was in progress and the
opponents of Clifford Pinchot were
trying to discredit his policies. The
Weather Bureau was pro-Ballinger
and anti-Pinchot, and during the ex-
element it issued an official bulle-
tin showing by much data that for
ests at headwaters do not prevent
floods. I'LL #.
The bulletin was just off the pres.
ses when the Seine River in France
went on a rampage and flooded Par.
is, doing tremendous damage. The
French scientific commission, ap.
pointed to investigate the causes OF
this disaster, reported that the f1ooe
was attributable to the fact that the
upper basin of the Seine has beer
denuded of it's forests.
.,4-e nnntro TAI oN,o,s