THE IRRIGATION AGE 



VOL. XXX 



CHICAGO, MAY, 1915. 



No. 7 



THE IRRIGATION AGE 



With which is Merged 



The National Land and Irrigation Journal 



MODERN IRRIGATION THE DRAINAGE JOURNAL 



THE IRRIGATION ERA MID-WEST 



ARID AMERICA THE FARM HERALD 



THE WATER USERS' BULLETIN THE IRRIGATOS 



D. H. ANDERSON 



PUBLISHER, 



Published Monthly at 30 No. Dearborn Street, 

 CHICAGO 



Entered as second-class matter October 3, 1897, at the Postoffice 

 at Chicago, 111., under Act of March t, 1879. 



D. H. ANDERSON, Editor 



ANNOUNCEMENT. 



The "Primer of Hydraulics" is now ready; Price $2.00. 

 If ordered in connection with subscription $2.50. 



SUBSCRIPTION PRICE 



To United States Subscribers, Postage Paid, . . . 11-00 



To Canada and Mexico. 1.50 



All Other Foreign Countries, 1-SO 



In forwarding remittances please do not send checks on local 

 banks. Send either postoffice or express money order or Chicago or 

 New York draft. 



Official organ Federation of Tree Growing Clubs of 

 America. D. H. Anderson, Secretary. 



The Executive Committee of the National Federation 

 of Water Users' Associations has taken action whereby 

 THE IRRIGATION AGE is created the official organ of this 

 vast organization, representing 1,000,000 persons on the 

 government irrigation projects. 



Interesting to Advertisers 



It may interest advertisers to know that The Irrigation Age 

 is the only publication in the world having an actual paid in 

 advance circulation among individual irrigators and large 

 irrigation corporations. It is read regularly by all inter- 

 ested in this subject and has readers in all parts of the 

 world. The Irrigation Age is 30 years old and is the 

 pioneer publication of its class in the world. 



Mr. F. C. Finkle, an engineer of 

 Owens prominence in the West, presents 



Valley his views on the Los Angeles aque- 



Aqueduct duct in an article in this issue of 



Muddle THE IRRIGATION AGE under the 



heading, "Los Angeles' $40.000,000 

 white elephant." 



This article brings to mind the fact that the 

 editor of this journal made a trip to the Owens Val- 

 ley in California, in November, 1908, to investigate 

 charges laid against the promoters of this plan, and 

 at the time 61 this visit a lot of information was 

 obtained which substantiates the statements in Mr. 

 ["inkle's article. 



The citizens of Inyo County alleged at that 

 time, first, that their ancestors settled the valley 

 and braved many hardships while the greater part 

 of California was unoccupied by white men ; hence, 

 the present generation in Inyo County had a senti- 

 mental attachment for its birthplace, and they felt 

 that any benefits to come through its natural re- 

 sources should be passed to the descendants of the 

 pioneers before outsiders were invited to the table. 



{y their limited means these people succeeded 

 years ago in irrigating and tilling 25 per cent of 

 their holdings. 



In the year 1906 a large area in Owens Valley 

 was withdrawn from entry by order of the Secre- 



tary of the Interior. During the year 1903 this 

 same area was withdrawn or segregated under the 

 Reclamation Act, and later, in 1904, several sites 

 which were considered feasible for reservoir sites 

 and intended to store the flood waters to irrigate the 

 entire valley, were withdrawn from entry of any 

 kind, and in that way taken entirely out of the 

 control of the people of the valley. This move was 

 made with full knowledge and acquiescence of the 

 people of the valley, who were led to believe by the 

 Government engineers that the Reclamation Serv- 

 ice would take over the work and bring it to a suc- 

 cessful finish in fact, that statement was repeat- 

 edly made by representatives of the Reclamation 

 Service. 



After a long delay and repeated demands on the 

 Service to release the reservoir sites and a release 

 also from an agreement entered into whereby all of 

 the rights of the settlers in the valley were placed 

 under the control of Government officials, about 

 115,000 acres set aside for reclamation work were 

 restored to entry, but this was not accomplished 

 until through some manipulation or agreement be- 

 tween the Reclamation and Forestry Bureaus. 

 35.000 acres were immediately withdrawn and 

 placed under the control of the Forestry Bureau, 

 leaving only about 75,000 acres (a small tract 

 around Bishop) free from all forms of withdrawal. 



