40 



THE 1 K E 1 G A T I N AGE. 



public lands in the West to protect headwaters of 

 streams. A definite and comprehensive water power 

 policy for streams in the public domain or otherwise 

 is urged as the most important subject pending be- 

 fore Congress and the country. 



The tendency of the full report is to carry on 

 the idea of conservation and its recommendations on 

 these subjects are definitely and clearly set forth. 



Secretary Fisher is, no doubt, finding it difficult 

 to get action on these various subjects owing to the 

 mixed condition of affairs in his department prior 

 to the time of the appointment of his predecessor, 

 Secretary Ballinger. It has always been the opinion 

 of the IRRIGATION AGE that Secretary Ballinger 

 would have made good headway in reforms along 

 certain lines had he not been hampered by criticism 

 within as well as outside of the department. 



It is well known that the Pinchot-Garfield 

 crowd used every effort to belittle Secretary Ball- 

 inger's work, and finally the Secretary withdrew 

 under this concentrated fire and Mr. Fisher was 

 given the office, with the idea, it is presumed, to 

 promote harmony and secure better work among 

 bureau heads in the department, as well as by the 

 withdrawal of severe criticism of the department by 

 leading journals throughout the country who were 

 evidently attempting to support and re-establish 

 conditions existing under the old regime. 



President Taft, in his .letter of acceptance to 

 the resignation of Secretary Ballinger, expressed 

 himself very clearly and forcibly on this subject. 

 The President had been in touch with all of the con- 

 ditions connected with this controversy and was, 

 no doubt, fully informed as to the various opposing 

 forces under the Ballinger tenure of office. 



Secretary Fisher's recommendation as to enlarged 

 application of the leasing laws as applied to the pub- 

 lic domain in general, is one that merits the con- 

 sideration of all who are interested in western de- 

 velopment. 



Concerning a water power policy, he says that 

 it must be made certain that those who receive spe- 

 cial privileges connected with water power develop- 

 ment shall, in fact, proceed by appropriate degrees 

 and within appropriate time to develop the available 

 water power to its highest capacity, having due re- 

 gard to the possibilities of marketing the power 

 produced. 



We note in scanning this report, that Secretary 

 Fisher fails to mention instances where settlers on 

 specific areas in the West are being hampered by 

 decisions which retard their development. As an 

 example of how some of the business of the country 

 is being handled by the department, we will cite the 

 fact that on February 23, 1911, President Taft 



ordered the restoration of the Owens Valley, Cali- 

 fornia, lands then held as alleged forests. That 

 order is still on file somewhere without any action 

 being taken by the Department of the Interior. 



Complaints reach us from time to time from this 

 section, and it is stated that judging from the course 

 of things heretofore it is not unlikely that this order 

 of restoration will remain ineffective so long as 

 there is a chance for the larger money interests of 

 Los Angeles to secure a continuance through con- 

 gressional action, of its domination over the devel- 

 opment and future of that valley. 



It is possible that in handling larger subjects, 

 Secretary Fisher has not had his attention called 

 to this particular case. 



The fact remains, however, that this condition 

 is hampering the development of Owens Valley, as 

 the records will show ; a case of that kind should be 

 made public either through the secretary's report 

 or by special exploitation, thereby giving the public 

 generally a clear and full knowledge of the efforts 

 which are being used by department heads to cir- 

 cumvent the efforts or will of the higher officials. 



It is not known just what means the people of 

 Los Angeles will take to secure its standing with 

 the new administration. That city was the "Bull 

 Moose" headquarters and stronghold in the state 

 of California, and is not in a good position to ask 

 favors from the incoming administration. 



We will look for some good work by Secretary 

 Fisher during the remainder of his term. It may 

 not be out of place to suggest, however, that he 

 could secure a lot of valuable data to the depart- 

 ment by an investigation of the taking over of the 

 water power of the western slopes of the Sierra 

 Nevada and Cascade ranges, as well as some of the 

 work that has been carried out along numerous 

 other streams in Idaho, Montana and Washington. 



Careful investigation of the control of avail- 

 able water powers along the Snake River in Idaho, 

 would furnish good material for the public to digest. 



BIDS WANTED. 



The director of the Reclamation Service is ask- 

 ing for proposals for the constructing of two miles 

 of the Dodson North canal, Milk river irrigation 

 project, Montana. The work involves the excava- 

 tion of about 205,000 cubic yards of material, and 

 is situated on the north side of Milk river and ad- 

 jacent to the main line of the Great Northern Rail- 

 way near AVagner and Exeter. The bids will be 

 opened at the office of the Reclamation Service at 

 Malts, Montana, on January 10, 1913. 



Send $1.00 for 1 year's subscription to the IRRIGA- 

 TION AGE and bound copy of THE PRIMER OF IRRIGA- 

 TION. If you desire a copy of The Primer of Hy- 

 draulics add $2.50 to above price. 



