THE IREIGATION AGE. 



which no doubt fitted him for some of his later in- 

 vestigations. Governor Haines takes the attitude 

 that Mr. Bohm's article is unjust to the officials of 

 the State of Idaho, who, he states, are attempting 

 to settle the important questions involved and to 

 bring order out of chaos. Perhaps the publication 

 of both sides of the case may be beneficial to all 

 concerned, and we trust that there may be no de- 

 sire on the part of either gentleman, other than for 

 the best good to the greatest number. We shall 

 be glad at any time in the future to publish other 

 articles from the pen of either Governor Haines or 

 Mr. Bohm. 



The use to the government of $1,- 

 Important 000,000 to $2,000,000 the next ten 



Trespass years are involved in the case of 



Suit the United States against the Utah 



Pending Power and Light Company, a $40,- 



000,000 merger. The appeal is a 

 test case, charging the Power Corporation with tres- 

 pass in constructing a reservoir in the Cache Na- 

 tional Forest in Utah. Hundreds of similar in- 

 stances in Mountain and Pacific Coast states await 

 the determination. This case involves the whole 

 question of State and Federal control of forests. 

 THE IRRIGATION AGE hopes the case may be decided 

 in favor of the United States Government, as it does 

 not believe that the large power companies through- 

 out the Inter Mountain and Pacific Coast terri- 

 tory should be allowed to step in and take over 

 water power that rightfully belongs to the people. 

 The AGE has always contended and does still con- 

 tend that the Forestry Bureau was unfair in its 

 treatment of small concerns ; in fact, it is well known 

 that the Forestry Bureau harassed and cramped 

 small holders and took action against mining con- 

 cerns with limited capital which hindered their de- 

 velopment. The AGE is, however, heartily in accord 

 with any move which will keep the heavy power 

 companies from taking over what rightfully belongs 

 to the people. We will watch the result of this case 

 with much interest. 



There were present at the closing: J. S. Den- 

 nis, assistant to the president and head of the De- 

 partment of National Resources; W. Nasmythe, 

 land agent; A. S. Dawson, chief engineer; H. B. 

 Muckleston, assistant engineer ; H. Sidenius, resi- 

 dent engineer; and Mr. Fraunhofer, representing the 

 railway company, and John R. Freeman, consult- 

 ing engineer, of Providence, R. I. 



The Ambursen Hydraulic Construction Com- 

 pany, of Boston and Montreal, designers and build- 

 ers of the dam, were represented by W. L. Church, 

 president ; H. L. Coburn, chief engineer, and G. E. 

 Heckle, chief engineer of the Canadian Ambursen 

 Company. 



The Ambursen Hydraulic Construction Com- 

 pany has entered largely into Canadian work and 

 their success is mainly due to a fine organization of 

 capable men. The fact that the Canadian Govern- 

 ment and the leading railways of that country are 

 employing construction heads and engineers from 

 the United States speaks well for our schools and 

 the training of their graduates. 



Without announcement or ceremony 

 American of any kind, at 3 p. m., October 20th, 



Engineers the gates were dropped which closed 



In the great dam of the Canadian-Pa- 



Demand cific Railway on the Bow River at 



Bassano, Alberta, completing an irri- 

 gation system of two million acres, representing 

 three years' work and many millions of invest- 

 ment. 



The dam is exactly eight thousand feet long 

 and raises the water fifty-one feet for diversion into 

 the trunk canal. 



The irrigation interests of the San 

 San Francisco's Joaquin Valley, California, have won 

 Fight a great victory in the stoppage of 



For the Hetch-Hetchey bill in the Sen- 



Water ate, where the ways were greased 



for its passage. This, as is gener- 

 ally known, is a San Francisco job pure and simple, 

 engineered for the power rather than the irrigation 

 or water rights. San Francisco, it is said, has plenty 

 of water in sight through extensions of the Spring 

 Valley Company that must in any event become a 

 part of its system for the next twenty years. The 

 real opposition is not the nature lovers ; this is a 

 blind ; it is the irrigation interests of the Valley. 

 There are 257,000 acres in the two districts, which 

 San Francisco agrees to protect, and there is a big 

 acreage outside which might be irrigated if the 

 water is not diverted. That is the argument that 

 no water should be taken from the valley. The 

 citizens of that district want a special committee 

 from Congress to go out there and make a personal 

 inspection before any action is taken. They claim 

 that the water users of the district are unanimous 

 against this bill. It is well known that the great 

 power interests of California and the Pacific coast 

 generally, are trying to take over all of the water 

 rights possible to strengthen their position, and 

 they are doing this regardless of the protests of the 

 various land holders and ranchmen. It is unreason- 

 able to expect corporations of this character to 

 respect the rights of the smaller land holders, but 

 in the Hetch-Hetchy affair, the settlers are Up in 

 arms and are ready to fight for their rights and 



