334 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



country is already taxed to the utmost and the rapid de- 

 velopment of traffic makes it necessary that we should 

 largely augment the means of carrying it in the future. 

 Moreover, there is no better equalizer of rates than water 

 competition. Water transportation is a perpetual and 

 certain guaranty against monopoly on the part of com- 

 mon carriers." 



President Roosevelt sent his greetings and advice 

 to the congress by Gifford Pinchot, chief of the Depart- 

 ment of Forestry. Following is the message : 

 "To the Officers and Members of the National Irriga- 

 tion Congress, Sacramento, Cal.: 



"Gentlemen I send you hearty greetings and my 

 earnest wishes for the fullest success of your conven- 

 tion. I congratulate you on the progress of the great 

 movement you represent. There is no movement more 

 emphatically for the benefit of the small farmer and the 

 small ranchman. There is no other way to assist the 

 actual settler and home maker who owns and tills his 

 own land so powerfully as through this movement of 

 yours for the wise use and preservation of the waters 

 and the forests. The Reclamation Service and the For- 

 est Service are directly adapted to help the small man 

 make and maintain a prosperous home; and they are 

 doing it. These services were recently inspected on the 

 ground by the Secretary of the Interior and the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture, who have them in charge, and I 

 congratulate you on the high standard of integrity and 

 efficiency they have attained. 



"It is a matter of sincere satisfaction to learn that 

 you will not confine yourselves to 'questions of irriga- 

 tion and forestry, nor even to the control, use and con- 

 servation of streams, vastly important as these are to 

 every citizen of the United States. I am glad to know 

 that you. will give attention also to that problem of 

 which forestry and irrigation and water conservation 

 form but a part, the fundamental problem of the con- 

 servation of all natural resources. The work of the gov- 

 ernment along the line of this greater problem cannot be 

 made effective without the approval and support of the 

 whole body of citizens. 



"By educating, guiding and crystalizing public sen- 

 timent in this direction, by bringing the needs of the 

 people clearly and forcibly to the knowledge of their 

 representatives, you are rendering a service of the first 

 importance to the nation as a whole. 



"THEODORE ROOSEVELT." 



The only discordant note in the whole proceedings 

 came on the second day, when, following an address by 

 Pinchot, in which he stated that at the present rate of 

 consumption, the lumber resources of the United States 

 would be exhausted in thirty years, Judge J. E. Raker 

 moved that it be the sense of the convention that all 

 duties on lumber be repealed in order that the domestic 

 supply be conserved. This precipitated a lively discus- 

 sion, during which Delegate John Fairweather of 

 Fresno asked Pinchot if he was in favor of the repeal of 

 duties on lumber. 



In reply Pinchot said : "You have smoked me out." 

 He said he had declined to take a public stand on the 

 question for the reason that if the "Forest Service had 

 declared itself in favor of the admission of lumber free 

 into the United States it would have secured the united 

 opposition of the lumber interests, instead of what it has 

 now, the united support of these interests, who own 

 four-fifths of the forests of the country." 



This latter remark was used during the afternoon 



session by Delegate White Smith of Inyo county, Cal., 

 one of the protesting Owens valley members. He gave 

 an impassioned appeal, urging fair play and criticising 

 President lioosevelt for his attitude on the Imperial 

 valley matter. 



United States Senator Francis G. Newlands, of 

 Nevada, a member of the Inland Waterways Commis- 

 sion, received a warm welcome. He delivered an in- 

 teresting address on the subject with which the Inland 

 Waterways Commission deals. 



Senator Newlands said that the Inland Waterways 

 Commission had only been in existence a few months. 

 It had been engaged thus far in the work of investiga- 

 tion, and had not formulated its recommendations. 

 What he said, therefore, must be regarded as his indi- 

 vidual views rather than as the conclusions of the com- 

 mission. After referring to the appointment of the' 

 Inland Waterways Commission by President Roosevelt, 

 Senator Newlands said that the letter of instructions 

 from the President enjoined upon the commission the 

 study of all questions relating to inland waterways, 

 with a view to recommending practical legislation upon 

 the subject. The President's purpose was to undertake 

 now a plan of practical utilization, improvement and 

 development, which might in the coming years be 

 worked out comprehensively and successfully. 



"While the primary purpose of this inquiry," Mr. 

 Newlands said, "is to facilitate water transportation, it 

 is impossible to perfect the machinery of the waterways 

 without taking into consideration the related questions 

 of forest preservation, of irrigation of arid land, of 

 reclamation of swamp land, or bank protection, of 

 clarification of streams, and other kindred questions." 



The afternoon session was devoted principally to 

 addresses. Dr. W. J. McGee, of the Bureau of Soils, 

 and a member of the Inland Waterways Commission, 

 was one of the principal speakers. 



M. 0. Leighton, United States hydrographer, also 

 addressed the gathering, saying: 



"We could now use, with profit, all of the water 

 that goes to. waste. In a comparatively short time the 

 saving of that water will be a dire necessity. If start- 

 ed now, the conservation of water resources could be 

 accomplished with comparatively small expenditure. 

 Every year that it is postponed will add to the price. 

 This is a federal matter, conforming closely to the 

 accepted definition of a federal matter, and it would be 

 difficult to find a question that affects more specifically 

 every man, woman and child, without reference to lo- 

 cality, or that is so utterly regardless of state bounda- 

 ries. 



"The problems were laid down ages before state 

 1 oundaries were thought of, and it would be futile to 

 attempt to separate these problems according to state 

 boundaries, as it would be to bring about a distribiition 

 of the winds to conform to the specific needs of each 

 state." 



John A. Fox of Arkansas, representative of the Na- 

 tional Rivers and Harbors Congress, spoke at the open- 

 ing of the afternoon session on the important work of 

 his organization. 



Dr. W. J. McGee of the United States Bureau of 

 Soils and a member of the Inland Waterways Commis- 

 sion, then delivered an address on "Conservation of 

 Our Soils." 



J. A. Holmes of the Department of the Interior 

 followed with an address on the "Conservation of the 

 Minei'al Resources." He was followed by M. 0. Leigh- 



