338 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



That the National Irrigation Congress heartily approves 

 the recommendations of President Roosevelt and of the 

 American Forestry Association and of the many National 

 organizations in different -parts of the country ; that National 

 Forest Reserves be established by the Congress of the 

 United States in the southern Appalachian and the White 

 Mountain regions for the protection of the forests, the 

 soil and the streams in these important portions of the 

 eastern country. 



That the Fifteenth National Irrigation Congress urges 

 upon the people of California the need of enacting a law 

 giving the State Board of Forestry power to examine all 

 private forest holdings on the watersheds of irrigable streams 

 and to designate such rules for timber cutting as in its judg- 

 ment will secure the continuity of said forests and prevent 

 injury to said streams; and that this Congress also urges dele- 

 gates to use their influence to secure appropriate action re- 

 quiring County Supervisors or Commissioners to protect trees 

 on the public highways. 



That the action of the National Drainage Association in 

 seeking to have the National Congress pass the "FLINT 

 GENERAL DRAINAGE ACT" meets with the hearty ap- 

 proval and endorsement of the Fifteenth National Irrigation 

 Congress. 



That inasmuch as the irrigation and drainage investiga- 

 tions of the United States Department of Agriculture deal 

 with questions of such vital importance to the agricultural 

 development of the Nation and have assumed such rank and 

 standing in the Department as to warrant the establishment of 

 a separate and independent bureau, this Congress favors the 

 creation of such bureau and urges that legislation to this 

 effect be enacted at the forthcoming Congress of the United 

 States and authorizes the president of this Congress to appoint 

 a committee of five to urge the enactment of such legislation. 



That we recommend the transfer of the care and manage- 

 ment of the National Parks in the Western States to the 

 United States Forest Service in order that the same system 

 of forest extension and protection against forest fires may 

 be applied throughout both the parks and the adjacent Na- 

 tional forests. __ 



That the necessities of the irrigation of the arid and 

 semi-arid States and Territories have far exceeded the pre- 

 viously acquired ideas of its originators and have assumed so 

 much greater proportions than were, at first, deemed possible ; 

 and, that, therefore, in order that the people who desire to 

 make homes upon irrigated lands in such States and Terri- 

 tories may have the opportunity to do so, the Congress of 

 the United States be respectfully requested to extend such 

 further aid toward the purposes of the Reclamation Act as 

 may be possible. 



That the United States topographic and geologic maps 

 are of such great importance to the proper development of 

 the country and its forest and other resources that the Na- 

 tional Irrigation Congress urges upon the Congress of the 

 United States and the Legislatures of the various States and 

 Territories the more rapid extension of said maps. 



That we respectfully ask that steps be taken as early as 

 practicable toward the procuring of such international agree- 

 ment between this country and Mexico and the British Em- 

 pire as will enable the Reclamation Service to construct and 

 operate canals over Mexican and Canadian territory to such 

 extent as may be necessary for the successful construction and 

 operation of such systems of irrigation as may be undertaken 

 by this Government. 



Recognizing that the fundamental indutries of agriculture, 

 mining and commerce demand and deserve special and ex- 

 tended investigation and treatment under which the torrential 

 streams having their source in watersheds, such as the Sacra- 

 mento and San Joaquin valleys, from whose mountains many 

 millions of gold have been mined, and from whose storehouses 

 vast amounts of gold will be mined in the future, that the 

 Congress urge that the Government continue to select in such 

 watersheds the most favorable and available sites for reser- 

 voirs for the storage of water to the end that destructive 

 floods may be averted, and the waters of the streams stored 

 and utilied for agricultural, mining and transportation 

 purposes, and also to select suitable tracts of waste lands 

 and to formulate plans whereby the detritus from torren- 

 tial streams may be deposited on such waste lands so as to 

 reclaim the same and gradually convert them into lands suit- 

 able for forestry and agricultural purposes, and at the same 

 time remove from such streams their burden of detritus so 



that they may cease to be. a menace to the navigable portions 

 of such streams. 



That, recognizing the importance of fuel resources to the 

 larger development of the arid and semi-arid States under 

 modern irrigation and dry farming conditions, the National 

 Irrigation Congress joins the American Mining Congress in 

 commending the efforts of the President to secure such con- 

 servation of the mineral fuel lands still owned by the Govern- 

 ment as will permit the opening of the surface of the many 

 million acres of these lands for homestead and "agricultural 

 purposes, and the separate working of said underlying fuel 

 resources in these lands under such conditions as will best 

 promote their use, but for a time at least retain their owner- 

 ship in the United States for the benefit of the people. 



That, recognizing the importance of mining in connection 

 with the larger developments of the country, and especially of 

 the arid and semi-arid regions, the National Irrigation Con- 

 gress commends the efforts of the American Mining Congress 

 in behalf of the establishment of a National Bureau or De- 

 partment of Mines on a scale commensurate with the increas- 

 ing importance and diversity of this industry, and we ask 

 the Representatives and Senators from the various States to 

 use their best endeavors to secure at the next session of the 

 Federal Congress the passage of the legislation necessary in 

 carrying out this purpose. 



That the Government part with the title to its agricultural 

 lands to actual settlers only and should retain title to all other 

 lands (except those containing valuable metalliferous depos- 

 its), permitting the use of these lands or their underlying 

 mineral deposits under such regulations as will protect the 

 interests of the people. 



That^the Desert Land Act should be so amended that the 

 number of acres susceptible of entry by any one person shall 

 not exceed one hundred and sixty acres. 



That it is the sense of this Congress that the prices for 

 timber and grazing and for privileges within the National 

 Forests should not yield a profit to the Government, but that 

 bona fide miners, stockmen and farmers should be allowed to 

 acquire these products and enjoy these privileges for a con- 

 sideration not to exceed the cost of improvement and admin- 

 istration thereof. 



That the National Irrigation Congress urges upon the 

 Congress of the United States the necessity of providing bet- 

 ter and more numerous roads and trails through the National 

 Forests and Parks not only as a means of stopping the fires 

 and of disposing of the surplus forest products, but as a 

 means of travel across these large areas by the people in the 

 several States living on opposite sides of their areas ; it also 

 urges the Senators and Representatives in Washington from 

 the several States to endeavor to secure the appropriation 

 needed for this purpose. 



That the National Irrigation Congress again extends its 

 thanks, in behalf of the people of and the homeseekers in the 

 arid and semi-arid States and Territories of the Union, to 

 the President and the Congress of the United States for the 

 many blessings which have flowed and will flow to the people 

 of the United States from the Reclamation Act. 



That inasmuch as the acreage of sugar beets in arid 

 America has increased amazingly during the past ten years, 

 and such acreage will be greatly added to in the near future, 

 thus affording our farmers an annually growing and addi- 

 tional income if this wealth-producing resource of the Ameri- 

 can farmer, is not interfered with, we therefore protest against 

 the enactment of any further legislation favoring Philippine 

 sugar, and ursre that legislative agitation and attacks on the 

 sugar production of this country cease to the end that this 

 great industry of arid America may be rapidly and fully 

 developed. 



That the general policy of conserving all our natural re- 

 sources for the use and benefit of all our people be, and is 

 hereby adopted by the National Irrigation Congress as a basis 

 for future work; and that we urge on our representatives in 

 the Congress of the United States the adoption of a similar 

 national policy. 



Recognizing and appreciating the excellent work done by 

 the Publicity Committee created and appointed at the Boise 

 Convention, and believing that the work of such committee 

 should be continued, we recommend that the present com- 

 mittee be authorized to further prosecute its work and that 

 the president of this Congress be given authority to fill all 

 vacancies on .such committee. 



(Concluded on page 346.) 



