THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



85 



patented pipe after the public became aware of its 

 advantages and the strength and durability which 

 it has developed after years of trial, we are of the 

 opinion that any doubt as to patentability should 

 be received in favor of the patent. 



"The practical and commercial success of the 

 Watson culvert is so clearly shown that we find it 

 difficult to believe that a mere mechanic could have 

 produced a culvert which has so revolutionized the 

 art a culvert which has shown a durability which 

 no one at the time of the invention thought possible. 



"We have here not only the circumstances that 

 the new device has commended itself to the public 

 and gone into extensive use. This sometimes hap- 

 pens because of judicious advertising and clever 

 business methods. 



''The early history of the patentee's experience 

 is illuminative. For years after the issue of the 

 patent he labored unsuccessfully to introduce his 

 culvert. The persons whom he urged to try his 

 device, persons engaged in road building and under- 

 draining, declined to do so because it seemed to 



them very doubtful whether it would endure, and 

 opposition was overcome only after he had actually 

 built a few culverts and demonstrated their capacity 

 to remain efficient after years of use. This circum- 

 stance indicates that simple though it is, the Wat- 

 son culvert is a device which would not have sug- 

 gested itself to the ordinary road-builders. 



"Infringement is clearly shown, the two struc- 

 tures are almost identical and the only differences 

 are of form and not of substance. The defendant 

 passes the rivets through the metal at a point far- 

 ther from the ends of the section by less than an 

 inch than in the complainant's structure. The dif- 

 ference is trivial and nothing functional is accom- 

 plished thereby. 



"The decree is reversed with costs and the 

 cause is remanded to the District Court with in- 

 structions to enter a decree for the complainant in 

 the usual form." 



The manufacturers of corrugated culverts 

 under the Watson patent make them out of Armco 

 American Ingot Iron. 



URGES U. S. GUARANTEE OF RECLAMATION BONDS 



^EXATOR WESLEY. L. JONES, of Washing- 

 *-3 ton, has introduced a Reclamation District bill 

 (S. 6827) in Congress. The measure, which may 

 prove of vast importance to the West, as well as 

 to the whole nation, was discussed recently by Sen- 

 ator Jones as follows : 



"This bill is a proposition looking to the recla- 

 mation of arid, semi-arid, swamp and overflow 

 lands by district organizations formed under state 

 laws. In brief, it provides for the guarantee by 

 the United States of the interest upon bonds issued 

 by such districts. These bonds are to run for a 

 period not exceeding forty years and bearing in- 

 terest at not exceeding 4 per cent. The government 

 is given ample security for repayment on account 

 of any interest it may have to advance under its 

 guarantee. There are millions of acres of unpro- 

 ductive but most fertile swamp and desert lands in 

 the United States. 



"If these lands are to be reclaimed it will have 

 to be done under some method other than through 

 the Reclamation Act. The money available for the 

 reclamation fund, which cannot be used for swamp 

 reclamation, from the receipts of public lands, is 

 decreasing. It is not enough now to take care of 

 the projects under way, and it will be years before 

 they are completed unless some other means are 

 provided, and there is no prospect for the taking up 

 of new projects out of this fund. It will be difficult 

 to get additional appropriations through congress 

 for this purpose. 



"The experience of private capital has been so 

 disastrous in connection with irrigation develop- 

 ment that not much can be expected from this 

 source under present conditions. 



"In our state of Washington and probably 

 throughout the country generally, future reclama- 

 tion development must come through large proj- 

 ects requiring in the aggregate the expenditure of 



vast sums of money before any return may be ex- 

 pected. The Palouse project will require from 

 $5,000,000 to $10,000,000. The Horse Heaven proj- 

 ect from $20,000,000 to $30,000,000 and the Quincy 

 project from $40,000,000 to $50,000,000. All these 

 are in the state of Washington. Such sums cannot 

 i>e hoped for from Congress, and the lands under 

 these proposed projects and the various other pro- 

 posed projects throughout the country must lie idle 

 and waste or some other means of reclamation be 

 provided. 



"When the war in Europe is over, if not before, 

 money will be available for this work if a reason- 

 able return can be assured. There will be thou- 

 sands of industrious people seeking homes and these 

 lands are about the only ones that can be made 

 available. We should prepare to take advantage of 

 the situation that is bound to exist. This is the 

 time to do it. We should not wait until the actual 

 emergency actually arises, but should prepare now 

 to meet it when it comes. 



"This bill is a suggestion to work upon. With 

 long time and a low rate of interest farmers and 

 settlers can take these lands when water is avail- 

 able, build up homes, meet their payments and 

 prosper. With a reasonable return guaranteed 

 capital will come forward and be invested. This 

 plan will relieve the treasury and insure capital a 

 reasonable return, give settlers long time and a 

 low rate of interest, put the projects under the 

 supervision of the Secretary of the Interior and 

 make the Reclamation Service a consulting and ad- 

 vising body, place the local management and con- 

 trol in the hands of the local people, make the 

 United States liable only for the interest and give it 

 ample security. 



"L. M. Rice and Judge Carroll B. Graves of 

 Seattle have prepared this bill and to them is due 

 the credit for whatever merit there may be in it." 



