298 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



ing in Sacramento on August 31, two days before the 

 convening of the Irrigation Congress. The petition is 

 said to voice the protest of practically all the settlers 

 along the Colorado river in California. Among other 

 grievances of the settlers is one that charges the gov- 

 ernment agents with grossly misrepresenting and exag- 

 gerating the estimated cost of the irrigation works to 

 be constructed. Resolutions will be drawn up at the 

 meeting which will demand an investigation of the 

 work in the Yuma valley and convey to President Roose- 

 velt a formal protest against the manner in which the 

 signatures were obtained. It is not improbable that 

 the matter will have an airing in the Congress. En- 

 gineer J. B. Lippincott is the official of whose dealings 

 the investigation is asked. 



The visit of Secretary of the Interior 

 Secretary James R. Garfield and the three mem- 

 Garfield's bers of the Inland Waterways commis- 

 Western Trip, sion to the western states should result in 



much good to the west and establish ex- 

 cellent relations between the people of these regions and 

 the Department of the Interior. Personal contact and 

 acquaintance with the projects which the government 

 is undertaking cannot help but impress the secretary 

 and the members of the commission with the impor- 

 tance of the work. Not for one instant do we mean to 

 imply that the secretary is not fully capable of attend- 

 ing to the arduous duties of his office, but better un- 

 derstanding always tends to better labor and more in- 

 telligent management. On the other hand the people 

 of the west will learn that Mr. Garfield is earnest and 

 sincere in his efforts, and that while he is at the head 

 of the department the work which was so ably started 

 under the administration of Mr. Hitchcock will be 

 carried to completion by a competent official in whose 

 honesty and integrity there can be only the greatest 

 confidence. 



Before the AGE again appears the Fif- 

 Program Is teenth National Irrigation Congress will 

 Outlined. be a matter of history, but from the prep- 

 arations under way to make it a success 

 there is no doubt but that its influence will be wide- 

 spread and lasting. Not only have the local committees 

 been working zealously to make the gathering a record 

 breaker in every way, but a program has been roxighly 

 outlined which will undoubtedly be followed out. This 

 latter was done at the meeting of the executive com- 

 mittee in Chicago on July 6. At this meeting it was 

 determined to have two sessions of the Congress each 

 day with the exception of Monday, that day being given 

 over to the reception of delegates and the locating of 

 quarters. As national irrigation is the most important 

 feature of any congress, it is naturally entitled to first 

 consideration, and Tuesday's meetings will deal with 



the reclamation service and its work. The forestry serv- 

 ice is also given a day (two sessions) ; and the depart- 

 ment of irrigation and drainage, of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, and state experimental 

 "work will take another day. Half of the time in all 

 of these days is to be given over 'to papers by govern- 

 ment officials and others, while the remainder will be 

 taken up in the discussion of the various papers and 

 addresses. Under no conditions is any paper or address 

 to exceed fifteen minutes in duration. The inland 

 waterways commission of the government will occupy 

 one session, and other related subjects, such as private 

 irrigation projects, state laws, etc., will be discussed at 

 the other sessions. On Saturday morning the reports of 

 the committees will be given consideration and officers 

 will be elected. The executive committee also extended 

 formal invitations to President Roosevelt and Secre- 

 taries Garfield and Wilson, the President being asked 

 to address the gathering. The matter of planning a 

 discussion of the land and grazing questions was left 

 to the discretion of the executive chairman, Mr. W. A. 

 Beard. 



Dr. Elwood Mead, who for a number of 

 Dr. Mead's years has been the chief of the depart- 

 Resignation- ment of irrigation and drainage investi- 

 gations of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture, has recently resigned to accept a posi- 

 tion as consulting engineer for one of the large irriga- 

 tion companies of the West. The many friends of Dr. 

 Mead regret his action in that it cannot but tempo- 

 rarily, at least, lower the standard of efficiency which 

 his department has attained, for his work has been 

 most 'ably performed. He has become one of the fore- 

 most, if not the leading, authority on irrigation prac- 

 tice and law and his place will be a hard one to fill. 

 Dr. Mead was recently offered the position of chief 

 engineer of the irrigation institutions of Australia at a 

 salary of $8,500 a year and was somewhat inclined to 

 accept the offer. The ill health of one of the members 

 of his family, whom it would have been impossible 

 to have taken to that far off country, determined the 

 doctor to give his services to the western company and 

 remain in this country. The remunerative part of the 

 new position is- treble that of the position which he 

 resigned. It is rather a sad commentary on our national 

 institutions when a man of Dr. Mead's capacity and 

 ability must resign from government service in order 

 to obtain a proper remuneration. The best wishes of a 

 host of friends and admirers go with Dr. Mead in his 

 new work, and while it is to be deplored that the de- 

 partment of agriculture will lose his services it is sin- 

 cerely hoped that his influence may be felt in a larger 

 field. 



Apropos of the resignation of Dr. Mead is that of 

 Mr. C. E. Grunsky from the reclamation service to 



