PULSE OF THE IRRIGATION INDUSTRY. 



STATE RESERVOIRS 



From the Redlands (Cal.) Citrography we 

 learn of a plan for a great irrigation move- 

 ment in California. The promoters of the 

 enterprise are leading men of San Fran- 

 cisco and it is proposed to secure the co- 

 operation of the large commercial bodies 

 of San Francisco and other cities in the 

 state with the great end in view of build- 

 ing reservoirs to store water for irrigating 

 purposes in time of drouth. The loss oc- 

 casioned by the extreme dry season of 

 1898 impressed the people with the neces- 

 sity of providing water for similar peri- 

 ods. The originators of the plan have ad- 

 dressed a letter to the commercial bodies, 

 whose purport is as follows: 



"Gentlemen: The drouth of 1898 cost 

 the State of California over $40,000,000. 

 For twenty-five years we have applied to 

 the National Legislature without relief. 

 It refuses to regard the question as a na- 

 tional one. No interstate questions are in- 

 volved in the sources of water supply of 

 our State, as such sources are almost all 

 within our geographical boundaries. 

 There is, therefore, no reason why we 

 should expect aid from the National Gov- 

 ernment, except possibly in assisting to 

 regulate the flow of the few streams in 

 the State which are called navigable and 

 which would come strictly within the pur- 

 poses and spirit of the river and harbor 

 bill. Of late years the attention of the 

 National Legislature has been turned to- 

 ward the irrigation by storage reservoirs 

 of lands still owned by the United States. 

 We have no such lands of any appreciable 

 amount in this State, therefore our chances 

 of relief from this quarter are less, in our 

 opinion, than they were years ago. If we 

 wait for it we will be dead before it comes. 



Private capital will not invest in stor- 

 age reservoirs, as the return must be small 

 or the public oppressed. The Wright Ir- 

 rigation Act has been a practical failure. 



Moreover, the control exercised by the 

 Boards of Supervisors over such invest- 

 ments frightens private capital. 



With State control over its winter flood 

 water California is capable of supporting 

 10,000,000 people or more. The possibil- 

 ity of drouth and uncertainty of crops de- 

 ' ters home seekers from coming here. The 

 State should step in at once. Its powers 

 are ample. It alone possesses adequate 

 powers. There is no reason why Califor- 

 nia should not do what France, Egypt, 

 Lombardy and India have already done 

 and done successfully. 



We believe that the State has the rem- 

 edy in its own hands and that it must now 

 take up the question of the storage of flood, 

 waters as the only means of its future sal- 

 vation. 



In our opinion San Francisco should 

 take the initiative in putting such a plan 

 into practical operation. It should con- 

 vince the people resident in the country 

 that it recognizes the fact that its very ex- 

 istence depends upon the success of the 

 country, and that it is willing, even eager, 

 to assume its proportion of a temporary 

 burden which will result in a direct benefi 

 to the State at large. 



When, early this year, another dry sea- 

 son seemed imminent we devoted serious 

 consideration to this matter. Several in- 

 formal conferences were held. 



Data was also collected convincing us 

 that it would only require a beginning of 

 disinterested, sincere and earnest men to 

 inaugurate a movement that would start 

 a gigantic, but perfectly feasible, plan to 

 a successful termination. 



All the plan needs behind it is influence, 

 energy, patriotism and removal from 

 jobbery and theft. The movement must 

 be non-partisan and with such force be- 

 hind it as to prevent it from falling into 

 the hands of politicians. The undertak- 

 ing is gigantic, but practical and feasible 



