EIGHTEENTH IRRIGATION CONGRESS 



677 



Congress to take suitable action looking to- 

 ward the reclamation of such lands under 

 a policy corresponding with that of the re- 

 clamation of arid lands by irrigation under 

 the Reclamation Service; such reclamation 

 of swamp and overflow lands to be carried 

 forward through co-operation between indi- 

 vidual owners, States, and the Federal Gov- 

 ernment. 



Viewing adequate and economical trans- 

 portation facilities as among the great and 

 growing needs of the irrigable region, 

 we approve the development of navigation 

 throughout the rivers and lakes of the United 

 States, in accordance with a comprehensive 

 plan beginning with a deep waterway from 

 the Great Lakes to the Gulf as the main 

 artery of our inland waterway system, and 

 extending to other natural waterways in 

 the order of their magnitude and commer- 

 cial importance. 



Recognizing the close natural connection 

 between forests and stream flow, especially 

 throughout the irrigable region, we_ heartily 

 commend the Federal Forest policy, and 

 favor its continuance and extension ; and we 

 re-aflirm our full confidence in the high inte- 

 grit}' and exceptional intelligence of the 

 past and present officers of the United 

 States Forest Service. 



Approving the progressive withdrawal of 

 lands suitable for homesteads from the na- 

 tional forests, we hold that such withdraw- 

 als should be made in the light of expert in- 

 vestigation showing that the agricultural 

 value of such lands is paramount to their 

 value both for forest production and for 

 stream protection. 



We reiterate the declaration of the Irri- 

 gation Congress of 1907, 1908 and 1909 m 

 'favor of establisliing national forests in 

 the Southern Appalachian and White Moun- 

 tains, and direct the attention of our repre- 

 sentatives in the Federal Congress to the 

 Bill for this purpose now awaiting final 

 action at the next session of the Sixty-first 

 Congress. 



We favor the enactment of laws by the 

 States to regulate the cutting of timber on 

 state and private lands, and laws reforming 

 taxation on timber lands, cut over lands 

 and re-forested lands, to the end that the 

 perpetuity of the forests may be assurea 

 and the flow of the streams be preserved. 



It is the sense of this Congress that in the 

 federal control essential to the equitable 

 utilization and distribution of interstate 

 streams, recognition must be given to the 

 rights of all citizens who have eflfected 

 A'alid rights of appropriation. 



We commend the work of the United 

 States Geological Survey, and strongly 



recommend that more liberal appropriations 

 be made by the Federal Congress and the 

 Legislatures of the States for co-operation 

 in the prosecution of the work of the topo- 

 graphic and water resources branches of 

 this Bureau, including stream measurement. 



We commend the irrigation investigations 

 of the oiificers of the Experiment Stations 

 of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture and of the Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Stations and State Engineering De- 

 partments, and urge more liberal appro- 

 priations by the Federal Congress and 

 by the States for the work and co-operation 

 of these agencies and for the more general 

 distribution of the reports and bulletins 

 recording their operations and results. 



Holding that the inclusion of public lands 

 in irrigation districts organized under state 

 irrigation district laws, will beneficially ex- 

 tend the operations of such districts and 

 materially aid in the reclamation of arid 

 lands, we recommend to the Congress of 

 the United States the enactment of a law 

 authorizing the inclusion of such lands with- 

 in such districts, with all the rights, _ lia- 

 bilities and exemptions of lands in private 

 ownership, under proper safeguards of the 

 rights of the United States in its public lands. 



It is the sense of this Congress that Fed- 

 eral and State Departments in charge of 

 reclamation and conservation work should 

 make accessible to the press the legitimate 

 news of such departments as their work de- 

 velops, to the end that the people may be in- 

 formed rapidly and widely 'as possible on 

 these important subjects. 



We recommend that the President of this 

 Congress appoint a commission of five to 

 make a systematic study of the irrigation laws 

 of the various states and to recommend to 

 tht legislatures thereof uniform' legislation 

 relating to irrigation. 



Since the Dry Farming Congress is work- 

 ing in the interest of scientific soil tillage 

 and conservation of moisture in order to re- 

 claim all possible arid land by saving and 

 utilizing all the available water, this Congress 

 extends hearty wishes for the success of that 

 organization, with the assurance that we 

 appreciate the value of every step that will 

 in any way result in placing a greater area 

 of land under cultivation. 



Since the expert knowledge of officers of 

 the Reclamation Service has in the past 

 been invaluable to the Congress at Large, 

 and especially to the Resolutions Committee, 

 we record our regret that this important 

 branch of the public service was not more 

 fully represented at the Eighteenth Congress. 



