NEWS AND NOTES 



Resolutions 



Following are the principal resolutions 

 adopted by the National Irrigation Congress : 



Resolved, That the homestead law should 

 be amended so that the entryman upon pub 

 lie land under a Government project shall 

 not be required to established residence 

 thereon before the Government is prepared 

 to furnish him water ; and that the honorable 

 Secretary of the Interior be requested to 

 recommend such an amendment in his forth- 

 coming annual report. 



Whereas, The amount of money now 

 available or likely hereafter to become avail- 

 able under the Reclamation Act is inadequate 

 to reclaim the arid lands of the Union; 



Resolved, That the president of this Con- 

 gress is authorized to memorialize the Con- 

 gress and the President of the United States 

 to augment the reclamation fund by an an- 

 nual appropriation of ten million dollars 

 ($10,000,000) for the period of five years, 

 for use under the provisions of the Reclama- 

 tion Act, to be covered back into the National 

 Treasury in due time by the homebuilders. 



We urge legislation to the end that mort- 

 gagees who in good faith have been com- 

 pelled to foreclose their liens on lands within 

 the limits of such irrigation projects rnay 

 have a reasonable time after acquiring title 

 to such lands under foreclosure proceedings 

 to dispose of the same to qualified persons 

 under the Reclamation Act. 



Resolved, That we memorialize the Federal 

 Government immediately to inaugiirate drain- 

 age measures for the reclamation of the 

 swamp-land and overflow lands of the Union 

 in the interest of public health and the crea- 

 tion of homes, and we urge the cooperation 

 of the states and Federal Government to 

 this end. 



Resolved, That the better utilization of our 

 waters for water supply, irrigation, naviga- 

 tion, and power demands a unification of the 

 various administrative agencies of the Gov- 

 ernment having charge of the Federal regu- 

 lation and control of water and waterways 

 into a single agency ; therefore, we urge upon 

 the Congress of the United States legislation 

 looking to the early creation of such 

 agency. 



Resolved, That the Congress be requested 

 to enact a law providing for the immediate 

 survey and estimates of the cost of reclama- 

 tion of submerged lands, where the work is 

 international in character, or where part of 

 the territory has been withdrawn from sale 

 by the Federal Government, or lies along the 

 banks of navigable lakes and streams. 



Resolved, That the National Irrigation Con- 



gress cooperate with the several sections inter- 

 ested to bring about broad, comprehensive, 

 yet conservative legislation whereby drain- 

 age, deep waterways, and forest conservation 

 together with the pressing needs of irriga- 

 tion may be provided during the coming 

 session of Congress by bond issue; such 

 bonds to be issued in small denomina- 

 tions bearing a low rate of interest, in order 

 that they may find their way into the hands 

 of the people. 



We urge the Congress of the United States 

 to extend the Reclamation Act to the terri- 

 tory of Hawaii. 



We approve of the honest, intelligent, and 

 efficient manner in which the work of the 

 Forest Service and Reclamation Service has 

 been carried on, and we are convinced that 

 the work of these bureaus has been to the 

 interest of the small landowner and settler. 



We indorse the work of the irrigation in- 

 vestigations branch of the Department of 

 Agriculture and urge that the states and the 

 Federal Government contribute liberally to its 

 support, in order that the water supplies 

 that have been and are being provided for 

 arid lands may be wisely used. 



We favor the enactment of laws by the 

 states to regulate the cutting of timber on 

 state and private lands, and laws reforminp 

 taxation on timber lands, cut-over lands, and 

 reforested lands, in order that the perpe- 

 tuity of the forests may be assured and the 

 flow of the streams be preserved. 



We commend and strongly urge the con- 

 tinuation of the work of the United States 

 Geological Survey, and recommend that more 

 liberal appropriations be made by the Fed- 

 eral Congress for the prosecution of the 

 work of the hydrographic and topographic 

 branches. 



Resolved. That there should be no political 

 divisional lines with reference to the right 

 to use water for irrigation or other benefi- 

 cial purpose in the United States. 



We approve the enactment of water laws 

 by the states along the lines pursued in sev- 

 eral western states during recent years. We 

 adhere to the principle incorporated in these 

 recent statutes that the waters belong to the 

 people, and hold that this right of the 

 people is inherent and indefeasible. Recog- 

 nizing the necessity for administering this 

 invaluable possession of the people by state 

 and Federal agencies, we deny the right of 

 state or Federal governments to alienate or 

 convey water by granting franchises for the 

 use thereof in perpetuity or without just com- 

 pensation in the interests of the people. 



We recognize the immeasurable importance 

 of the development of navigation through- 

 out the rivers and lakes of the United States 



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