Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-14
GOVERNOR URGES
WATER INVENTORY
Declares Pennsylvania Should
Protect Itself From Floods
in the Future

Governor Brumbaugh late yester-
day came out in favor of an immedi-
ate inventory of the water resources
of the State as a means of enabling
the Commonwealth to establish sys-
tenn of flood control. His address
was made at the meeting of the spec
ial Water Conservation Committee
over which Commissioner of Health
Dixon presided and the bills for $780,
600 for the inventory and S25, 900 for
the geological survey were approved.
i think it is time for the people
who are competent to do so, to tell the
entire Commonwealth the truth about
its needs and the importance of this
matter" said Governor Brumbaugh.
We are such a practical people and
we live so much in the present. and
think only of the things of to-day,
that when you project a large prob
lem and sense it as a great service to
this great Commonwealth, thousands
OF people turn it down as a matter of
Indifference and say let the next gen.
Grafton handle Insufficient Unto
the Day is the Evil Thereof That
seems to me the worst doctrine. We
have a definite obligation here to this
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
we have gone out for the past fifty
years and literally robbed 1t of thou
sands and thousands of resources
which can never again come back TO
us, and the practice continues IN Il
modified form simply because deple-
ton gives us less opportunity to rob.
l think the time has come when we
should call n halt.
1T does seem to me that with tile
restoration of our forests and the I'M
pounding of our mountain waters We
can evolve here q system of control of
our waters that will be an intestimable
blessing to the people OF Pennsylvania,
instead of what it now is, a menace
during a part of the season and a
dirth during the other part. 1 would
like to see that come to pass.
I hope you will make some pro-
vision for geological and Topographic
cal survey for Pennsylvania. 1t seems
to be fundamental. something upon
which any engineering project would
have to be based.
Get after the water problem and
put the hand of the Commonwealth
strongly upon the control of the
streams now, so that no private iu-
terests or corporation or other
creature shall further inflict restric-
tions upon the rights of the common
people. Let us keep it and conserve
it and increase it, If we can, for our
people in the future
But it was not my intention, DR..
Dixon, to talk so much as it was to
come here and say to you how i'm
portant this whole matter seems to
me, greater than your highway prob
lem. greater than the agricultural
problem, great as those are
II could die happy If in my ad-
ministration I could see a program
established for the centuries to come
in this great need. more important
than anything think of at the present
Chairman Dixon told his hearers
that there was nothing left for the
chairman to say after the broad and
comprehensive outline of the subject
of the meeting which the Governor
had made.
Among some of those who attended
were John d. Richenauer, S. b.
Elliott. member of the Forestry COM
mission, County Commissioner Ad-
Olson c. Gumbert, Pittsburgh w. NJ.
Jacoby of the Pittsburgh Flood COM
mission; Lieutenant Colonel Edgar
Jadwin, of the United States Engineer
ing Corps, Morris Knowles, of the
Pittsburgh Flood Commission: Clifford
Pinchot. c. f. Ryder, George s.
Webster. Chief of the Bureau of
Wharves,. Docks and Ferries. of
Philadelphia, and Robert A. Zent-
myer, chairman of the Water Supply
Commission.