A Weekly Journal devoted to the Advancement 

 of Science, publishing the ofBcial notices and 

 proceedings of the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, edited by J. McKeen 

 Cattell and published every Friday by 



THE SCIENCE PRESS 



I 1 Liberty St., Utica, N. Y. Garrison, N. Y. 



New York City: Grand Central Terminal 



Animal Subscription, $6.00. Single Copies, 15 Cts. 



Entered as second-class matter January 21, 1922, at the 



Post Office at Utica, N. Y., under the Act of March 3, 1879. 



July 21, 1922 



CONTENTS 



Conservation of the Waters of the Colorado 

 Eiver from the Standpoint of the Beclama- 

 tion Service: Dr. F. B. Wetmouth 59 



The Elector Plan for the Administratio7i of 

 Research Funds: Professor C. E. Sea- 

 shore 66 



Alfred Goldsborough Mayor: Dr. E. S. 

 Woodward 68 



Scientific Events: 

 Magnesite in Southern Nevada; The British 

 Chemical Industry; Agriculture and Wire- 

 less Telephony in France; The Mount 

 Everest Expedition; Engineers and an 

 American University in Europe 69 



Scientific Notes and News 72 



University and Educational Notes 75 



Discussion and Correspondence: 



Which is the Highest Water Fall in the 

 World: Dr. E. E. Matthes. A Cahinet 

 for Colored Papers: Dr. Christian A. 

 EucKMicK. The Human Yolk Sac: Dr. 

 Leslie B. Aret 75 



Scientific Books: 



Ditmars on the Reptiles of the World: 

 Professor Alexander G. Euthven 79 



Special Articles: 



The Measurement of Extremely Small Ca- 

 pacities and Inductances: Drs. H. G 

 Tasker and L. T. Jones .' ' 79 



The American Chemical Society: Dr. 

 Charles L. Parsons §1 



The Kentucky Academy of Science: Dr 

 Alfred M. Peter ' ocr 



CONSERVATION OF THE WATERS 



OF THE COLORADO RJVER FROM 



THE STANDPOINT OF THE 



RECLAMATION SERVICE' 



The Colorado River Basin ineludes the 

 largest river system lying entirely within the 

 arid region. Its average annual discharge is 

 nearly 18,000,000 acre-feet and it drains 

 244,000 square miles of territory, nearly all in 

 the United States, less than one per cent, of 

 the area and an insignificant part of the water 

 coming from Mexico. The basin lies in seven 

 different states of the Union and all of them 

 can and should receive benefit from the use of 

 its waters. The trunk stream was navigated 

 for many years from the gulf northward a 

 distance of over 400 miles and before the ad- 

 vent of railroads this navigation was import- 

 ant. It has recently been largely abandoned 

 but the stream is technically and actually navi- 

 gable. Most of the course of the main stream 

 is in the United States, but for a distance of 

 about 20 miles it forms the boundary between 

 Mexico and Arizona and for about 80 miles 

 flows through Mexican territory. It is there- 

 for an international stream, an interstate 

 stream, and a navigable stream. The waters 

 of the stream not heretofore appropriated to 

 private use are the property of the United 

 States government and the lands necessary for 

 its proper development and use are mainly 

 public lands. Its problems and their adminis- 

 tration are therefore distinctly national. 



Like most of the streams of the world the 

 discharge of the Colorado River varies greatly 

 in volume. Its low water discharge frequently 

 falls below 5,000 cubic feet per second, and 

 its flood .sometimes peaks above 200,000 cubic 

 feet per second. Numerous small valleys are 



1 Presented at the joint meeting of the Amer- 

 ican Association for the Advancement of Science 

 and the Pacific Division, Salt Lake City, June 

 23, 1922. 



