El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-10-17
RECLAMATION
HEAD SPEAKS
Arthur P. Davis Delivers
Address at International
Irrigation Congress.

! order TO finish the projects more
: promptly congress has advanced $50
10000" from the general fund This
| has now been nearly consumed and
under the provisions of the law. must
I be returned to the general fund by the
! payment Of Oue-haIf the receiutS Of
/ the reclamation fund beginning Novem-
! Der. 1918.
Hence, after the present fiscal year.
! not only VIII the regular receipts be
I greatly depleted. but onc-half of this
. must be paid back into the general
J fund These facts. together with the
J slow return of construction charges
= under the provisions Of the reclama-
: tion extension act foreshadows "a con-
/ dition under which it viii he imDos-
! Slhle FOR some years to take NO new
Z projects Of any magnitude unless tho
I fund can he in some way repleuiShedi
4 or other means OF financing can be
/ devised.
Changes Are UnwiSe.
In others it has been the practice
( t. make frequent changes in this office,
I and II is impossible sufficiently 10
! condemn this wastefUl and uubusiness-
| like policy Oregon has set an eN-
! ample by first making the term Of
Z the state engineer a long one. and sec
Ond- by reappointimg the competent Of
fetal in spite of the opposition Il
Q selfish interests symptoms are not
. wanting that other states are begin
ming to appreciate the wisdom OF such
! a course. and il is hoped that the in
fluence of the Irrigation congress VIII
3 tt exercised 10 Ll1- uLltlt~h IN AlALlllA
/ the office of state engineer out of
/ politics in every state Of the arid
region"
! Cen Jacinto B. Trevino's band of
/ s. pieces, from Chihuahua City. which
: has been playing AT the International
Soil Products exposition. rendered "a
short concert complimentary 10 A. 4.
/ jones. representative of president VIII
son. president r 7. Burgess, and the
members of the Irrigation congress
Upon motion of William z Smythe, a
rising vote of thanks was rendered
the Mexican officials and the band FOR
: the concert
Canadian Engineer Speaks
Development Of the Irrigated Farm
vas the subject of an address by A =.
Dawson, Of Calgary, Alberta chief
engineer. department Of natural re-
sources of the Canadian Pacific Rail-
way company. He expressed the graft
tude Of Canada for the invitation 10
participate in the congress. and out
lined the work OF the Canadian So
c5ety Of Civil Engineers. as compared
Z with the similar organizations in Eng
, land and the United States Calgary.
he said. is the center of one Of the
worlds granaries-
The war in Europe is really battle
between engineers" he said -Irrisa-
tion projects are numbered among the
first works of engineers
7 bring greetings from the West
ern Canada Irrigation association.
which met in British Columbia in
July"
Praises Cooperative plan.
Mr.. Dawson praised the cooperative
business organizations Of farmers IN
der irrigation projects common
mistake of the settler IS his desire
for too much land. according to Mr.
Dawson. The average settler is able
to develop so acres. and pay for IL
within a few years. where the interest
charges on $50 or go acres would ruin
Mel Nielsen Of New Soutb Wales
Australia Australian trade commits
sioner 10 America was the next
speaker.
state Control of Water
state control OF irrigation an ad-
dress by Mel Nelson. trade commits
sloner to America. representing the
government of New South Wales. Aus
tralia, was one Of the features Of Mon
day afternoon.
The ancient irrigation systems he
said. show by their magnitude that
they We're the work not Of individuals
but were the combined efforts Of the
community-in fact were state con-
Germs
Il put forward another assertion
that the aridity Of certain portions Of
the earth's surface was really the
greatest help towards civilization
Mans Gradual Progress.
Whether we accept the theories of
the evolution Of man in their entirety
or otherwise We are all agreed upon
the facts proven 10y geological and
written history that man gradually
progressed from the stage Of the no.
madic hunter to that Of the uomadic
keeper Of animals which he domesti-
ticsted instead of hunting He prog
ressed until he depended for his liv-
ing not solely On the chase nor the
fruits and seeds Of the forest. but upon /
his own power Of organizing and i'm
proving the provisions which a bonn
tiful nature had supplied for him. I
Thus the basis of civilization was /
brought into existence in the first 7
place by the necessity OF aggression I
and in the second by the necessities Of /
defence
Community Action.
Individual action had to subordin- |
ate itself to the community welfare |
and for these reasons the community !
became instead Of the individual the !
Defence at Bottom Of Il.
The life OF the agriculturist com !
munity which Of necessity had to be I
y upon adequate defence and there
fore before such a community settled !
in any particular place. the leaders !
studied fully the possibilities Of its 4
.-One Of the greatest helps towards
defence in the early days Of settlement ]
was isolation and arid lands provided ]
the most valuable form Of isolation /
An isolated community had TO become 1
absolutely self contained and thus 4
necessity became the mother Of inven-
ton
The objection to a community set
Ting in an arid country was of course
fully apparent but these objections
could be neutraliZed but only in one
way by providing for irrigation
Thus the science Of irrigation orig
mated in the necessity for defence |
Basis of Wealth.
The basis of all the wealth OF the
community are the lands and waters
occupied by il. Monopoly must not he
allowed 10 exist in regard TO those
things which are q necessity TO the
existence of the people Natures forces
especially can be fairly claimed as the
birthright OF the people and therefore !
the people should have the freest ac-
cess to natures forces SO long as such ,
freedom does not interfere with the
Erander and greater freedom Of the
community.
The two great essentials to pro- I
duction are land and water-the whole
life of the people Of every country IS
based upon the proper utilization o.
these great primary elements Of nature.
We therefore must not allow individ-
uals to monopoli-e either the one or
the other
Water Holds The Value.
in all arid or semi arid countries ]
the land is Of comparatively negative /
value without water. SO the first prin-
ciule in arid countries should be com l