THE IRRIGA TION A GE. 311 



The development of the vacant lands by pumping can be left 

 largely to itself, as it is a matter of growth and of the spread of infor- 

 mation. But the providing of great storage works is an entirely dif- 

 ferent question: it can come only through sustained effort and interest 

 on the part of the public as a whole. Pumping water may suffice for 

 the Great Plains and for some favored valleys, but for the arid west 

 as a whole water conservation is the only source of relief. It is use- 

 less to hope that this will come through private enterprise. Reser- 

 voirs, mostly small, may be built here or there by corporations having 

 large landed interests, or concerned with the increase of supplies for 

 a city or suburban population, but they cannot be constructed for a 

 development of great areas of improved, or partially improved farm- 

 ing land. These must either lie idle, or united action must be taken 

 along definite lines established by careful investigation and expert 

 report. 



The importance of water storage has already been recognized by 

 the Congress of the United States, but the efforts of Senator Warren, 

 of Wyoming, and other western senators, have not been as strongly 

 sustained as is necessary for ultimate success. They must be con- 

 tinually and strongly backed by the great commercial and transporta- 

 tion bodies of the country, as well as by the people at large. If the 

 localities are wisely selected and the structures are economically built, 

 there is no doubt but that storage works will return directly and indi- 

 rectly their cost, and ultimately a reasonable percentage on the in- 

 vestment, especially if we take the increased values of all taxable 

 property. The funds thus used, if appropriated by the state or nation 

 will ultimately come back", and can be used over and over again. 

 These funds cannot be made available until the united sentiment of 

 the country demands forward movement along definite lines. It is 

 waste of time to talk, about private capital constructing these great 

 works, and less than useless to argue that the capitalist ought to be 

 willing to take the risk of building great storage works with the pos- 

 sibility of receiving his money back again, if unsuccessful, after the 

 lapse of many years. 



