18 



THE IRRIGA TION A GE. 



The National Irrigation Association is another organization 

 fighting in the same field, one of its purposes being forest preser- 

 vation. It is strongly advocating the inauguration of a leasing 

 system, which will enable the now wasted resources of our great 

 public domain to be utilized so as to yield a revenue for forest preser- 

 vation and irrigation development in the arid region. Several million 

 dollars annually could be realized from such a leasing system. Of 

 course the mountains of Southern California have too great a value 

 as sources of water supply to permit of their never being leased for 

 grazing. But after excluding all forest areas which should be 

 exclusively reserved for water conservation, there are still left in 

 California over 25,000,000 acres of public grazing land. 



Through this National Irrigation Association we must first unite 

 the West in favor of one district policy, and then turn to the work of 

 converting the East. It needs only concentration of purpose and 

 tireless work to accomplish this. The wage -earners of the East want 

 wider fields for labor. The manufacturers of the East want new 

 markets for their wares. Where can either get what they want so 

 fully as by the development of the great arid West which is capable, 

 with irrigation for its irrigable lands, of sustaining a greater popu- 

 lation than the whole United States holds to-day. 



And here in Southern California there is a local organization 

 which every one who has any interest in the welfare of the people of 

 this section should join. It should number its members not by tens 

 but by thousands. And its influence will grow as its membership 

 roll lengthens. 



