Show ARID LANDS AND tho the tra trans ns mississippi congress la 11 x D doubtless bo be called upon to discuss the arid lands and irrigation questions since what to do with tho the arid lands and how to do it is a problem which is pressing for solution wid and must bo be solved before very long stal atao fc f c engineer elwood mead of wyoming suggests to tho the irrigation age fro from n which wo we quote a law lav which lie ho thinks would solve the problem of irrigation in his and bo be a great advantage to all other localities local aties whore canals must bo be built through government lands ho he bo believes hoves says the age that no part parl of ahe arid and lands should shoud be disposed of e except upon ulion the condition that hat the land shall be reclaimed VI ahon lion an individual or company com PanTo had found a 0 good source of water supply alid and demonstrated that a scheme of reclamation was feasible lie ho would IM hao 10 thorn proceed to construct choir canals with the understanding that tho the cost of 0 the ditch should bo be a first if lion lion on th tha laud land it i waters this mr 1 mead lead I thinks would give absolute security ity for the investment settlers Sett lors might thon come in and take up land buier under the ditch by assuming their proportionate share of the cost of construction st ruction and operation they would t thus hus become stockholders in the enterprise and when all the land was settled they would own the worlds borlis of irrigation ri aaion thus it instead istead of land and water comp companies lanies wo should merely have construction companies invest ment menu 4 in an irrigation enterprise would ho bo attended by very little risk if set tiers came an and d took up the land under these conditions the exist construction ruction company would got gal its money out with a reasonable profit if settlers did not conno come in then the lieu would be foreclosed and the company would have the lard mr mead thinks this would be very attractive to capital aid settlers flors al alike and result in the rapid reclamation and settlement of the arid public domain ho he thinks it would ota oo far superior to the present desert land law or to the proposition to give one half tho land to anybody who will reclaim the ot mtnor or half such a plan could bo be carded canted out bettor better by the N nation or the state provided it has absolute control of both water and laud land mr mead favors state control for several reasons first the water is now the property of most of the states second western nien men are far better able to deal with this problem than national official g third the problem has different phases in differ out ent states and should bo be handled as a local question ogdan standard |