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THE 1 11 ii i G A T 1 N AGE. 



Mead. 



Mr. Elwood Mead, who will practically 

 have control of the various Government 

 irrigation schemes throughout Australia, 

 as chairman of the Water Supply Commission, arrived 

 at Melbourne, Australia, early in November. Mr. Mead 

 has not yet taken up his duties, but great things are 

 expected of him as he has had large experience in irriga- 

 tion work in the Uifited States and Canada. As soon 

 as Mr. Mead's work in that country is well under way 

 we hope to be able to publish some information con- 

 cerning it. 



An article in this issue of THE IRRIGA- 

 California TION AGE by a well known engineer, enti- 

 Reclamation tied "A Practical Solution of the Cali- 

 Solution. fornia Reclamation Problem," is well 



worthy of perusal by those interested in 

 this important subject. This article treats of the de- 

 plorable conditions existing in the Sacramento and San 

 Joaquin valleys, where over one million five hundred 

 thousand acres of the richest agricultural land on the 

 face of the globe has been rendered almost or altogether 

 worthless from the fact that it is either under water all 

 or part of the year, or is in constant danger of periodic 

 overflow. 



While THE IRRIGATION AGE is not, in any 

 Fairbanks. sense, in politics, it seems only proper to 



say a kindly word about a gentleman who 

 may possibly be a candidate for the highest honor in 

 the gift of the American people, the Presidency of the 

 United States. The gentleman referred to is Mr. Chas. 

 Warren Fairbanks, of Indiana, a man with whom the 

 editor of this journal is acquainted, and with whom he 

 has come in contact at various conventions and meet- 

 ings throughout the western country. 



Mr. Fairbanks, all criticisms in eastern papers to 

 the contrary, is a strong man in the West, and would 

 make an able President. He is in full touch with west- 

 ern conditions ; in fact, it is a question if any other man 

 who may be put up would have as good an insight to 

 the needs of the west as Mr. Fairbanks. He has shown 

 this knowledge in his various speeches before irrigation 

 congresses and other conventions throughout that coun- 

 try, and THE IRRIGATION AGE wishes to be understood 

 as saying these few kindly words concerning him to 

 counteract in a small way the effect of the many mis- 

 leading statements concerning him which have been pub- 

 lished from time to time during the past few years. It, 

 would be difficult to find a man more kindly disposed 

 towards the west than Mr. Fairbanks 3 , and our weak 

 tribute to him i offered with the hone that some of the 

 effect of many unfair statements may be corrected. 



A striking instance of the scarcity of tim- 

 ber suitable for railroad ties in the United 

 From Hawaii. , , . 



States is seen in the recent purchase of 



the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Hailway 

 Company of 2,800,000 ties of ohia wood from a lumber 

 company operating in the Hawaiian Islands. It has 

 been difficult for some time for the railroads of this 

 country to obtain wooden ties satisfactory both in quan- 

 tity and quality, and many of them have been looking 

 about for an opportunity to purchase tie timber in other 

 countries. 



During a recent trip of this kind by a representa- 

 tive of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Com- 

 pany arrangements were made for the purchase of these 

 ties, not only in the Hawaiian Islands, but also in 

 Japan. It is stated that ties from Japan will be made 

 from a certain species of oak which compares in lasting 

 qualities very favorably with the white oak of this coun- 

 try, which has been considered the most satisfactory- 

 wood for tie purposes. About a year ago, before the 

 representative of the railroad had started on his trip, 

 the United States Forest Service made a few tests on the 

 ohia wood. The results indicated that, in point of 

 strength, ohia wood will rank with the oaks. It was 

 thought from these tests that the wood was worthy of 

 further investigation, and the large order placed by the 

 railroad indicates that their agent is confident that 

 Hawaiian wood will prove to be a satisfactory material 

 for railroad ties under the conditions existing in this 

 country. 



Our readers will note, with pleasure, the 

 Shumway's return of Mr. Shumway by the appear- 

 Notes. ance of his editorial notes in this, the 



January issue. Mr. Shumway has been 

 traveling extensively in the West during the past sev- 

 eral months, building up the organization known as the 

 American Irrigation Federation, of which he is the ex- 

 ecutive chairman, and he will have considerable to say 

 about his work along that line in future issues of this 

 publication. 



In connection with the notes which are prepared by 

 Mr. Shumway, the editor of THE IRRIGATION AGE 

 wishes to announce a slight change in the policy of this 

 journal concerning the work of the Forestry Bureau of 

 the Department of Agriculture. We have seen fit dur- 

 ing the past several years to criticise severely the head 

 of the Forestry Bureau, Mr. Gifford Pinchot, and felt 

 justified in the expose of conditions concerning the con- 

 nection of that Bureau with other Bureaus in Washing- 

 ton, such as that of the Reclamation of Arid Lands. 

 Wo h-ivo ni-vor had anything: personal against Mr. Pin- 



