Regarding pollution of Truckee

river by

Floriston
Pulp and

Paper com

pany

Congress and U. S. authorities requested to act

liquor which renders the waters of the stream below the said mill unfit for domestic purposes and deleterious to fish culture; and

WHEREAS, A series of tests and analyses made by competent authorities has proven beyond question of doubt that the said waste liquor in the Truckee river has added greatly to the amount of the dissolved organic matter and has seriously affected the quality of its waters, making the same deleterious to fish culture and giving it an unpleasant and unpalatable taste as well as supplying coloring matter which detracts from its appearance; and

WHEREAS, During the entire period of time that the said mill has been in operation and so polluted the waters of said stream an earnest and sustained effort has been made by the people of this state by litigation, by negotiations with the owner of the said mill, and by conferences with the competent authorities of the State of California to abate the nuisance caused by the aforesaid contamination of said river, all of which efforts on the part of this state have come to naught by reason of the refusal of the owner of the said mill to take proper steps to remedy the objectional conditions complained of, indifference on the part of the authorities of California, and the failure of proposed litigation for jurisdictional reasons; and

WHEREAS, By reason of the contamination of said river as aforesaid, and the consequent rendering of its waters deleterious to fish culture and destructive of fish life, the State of Nevada has been compelled to establish its fish hatcheries on inaccessible streams; and

WHEREAS, Said Truckee river is an interstate stream with its source in the State of California whence it runs into the State of Nevada, and the source of the nuisance complained of, namely, Floriston, is in the State of California, just across the Nevada line, and, therefore, without the jurisdiction of this state; and

WHEREAS, By reason of the premises, it appears that the conditions herein complained of are proper subjects for regulation and control by the government of the United States: now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of Nevada, the Senate concurring, That our senators and representative in Congress be, and they are hereby, specially urged and memorialized to use every effort within their powers to secure relief in this behalf for the people of this state by presentation of the facts relating to the matters herein complained of to their respective branches of Congress for legislation on the subject, if legislation be required to remedy the evils above set out, and by presentation of said facts to all other authority of the government of the United States competent to act thereon for such relief, to the end that by proper legislation or departmental action all nuisances of this character be abated and forever hereafter prohibited on this interstate stream.

agent for

Resolved, That Professor S. C. Dinsmore, of the University Special of Nevada, who for some years past has on behalf of this state Nevada been investigating the condition in the preamble of this resolu- appointed tion complained of, and who is, therefore, thoroughly familiar with the conditions surrounding these evils and is in possession of all pertinent facts, details, and data applying thereto, be, and he is hereby, appointed and delegated a special commissioner for the State of Nevada to personally present to the authorities of the government of the United States the information in his possession for their consideration, and to urge their action thereon, and to in all possible ways assist our said senators and representative in Congress in their efforts to secure relief for the people of this state in this behalf.

Resolved, That engrossed copies of this resolution, attested by the officers of the senate and assembly, be at once forwarded by the governor to our senators and representative in Congress, to Honorable Franklin K. Lane, secretary of the interior, and to the president of the United States.

No. 6-Assembly Joint and Concurrent Resolution.

[Approved February 26, 1915]

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of Nevada, the Senate concurring:

seizure of

rying copper

WHEREAS, Since the commencement of war in Europe a num- Regarding ber of neutral vessels, carrying cargoes of copper shipped by neutral citizens of the United States to neutral consignees in Italy and vessels car Norway, both being neutral countries, have been stopped upon to neutral the high seas and taken into English ports under the excuse by Great that such copper was in reality intended for use by Germany and Austria-Hungary, belligerent nations, and that therefore such copper was contraband of war; and

WHEREAS, The United States, through its proper departments had heretofore protested against such seizures on the ground that such copper was not contraband of war, and insisted that immediate action be taken by the British government looking to the release of such copper; and

WHEREAS, Many weeks have elapsed since such protests were made on behalf of the government of the United States, and no proper action has been taken by the British government to satisfy such protests; and

WHEREAS, The result of such interference with the shipment of copper has contracted the market, reduced the consumption, and compelled the reduction of the production of the metal; and

WHEREAS, The State of Nevada is a large producer of copper ores, and such action on the part of the British government has reduced the production of such ore about one-half, thereby throwing out of employment many men, and otherwise injuring the prosperity of the state; and

countries,

Britain

legislature

Nevada

WHEREAS, Protests have heretofore been made and filed with the United States government by the senators for the State of Nevada and special representatives from the state: therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and Assembly in the State of Nevada, in Protest by joint assembly, That a protest be, and is hereby, made on behalf on behalf of of the State of Nevada against such unreasonable action on the part of the British government, and the United States government be, and it is hereby, petitioned to take the necessary action to obtain an immediate release from the conditions herein before mentioned, and the discontinuance of such procedure on the part of the British government.

Regarding change of time for

No. 7-Assembly Joint and Concurrent Resolution, concerning the period of time within which assessment or annual work upon mining claims shall be performed.

[Approved March 6, 1915]

WHEREAS, By an act of Congress of January 22, 1880 (21 Statutes at Large, page 61), it is provided that the period within which the work to be done annually on all unpatented mining claims located since May 10, 1872, shall commence on unpatented the first day of January next succeeding the date of location of such claim; and

assessment

work on

mining claims

Congress

asked to

change law

WHEREAS, Owing to climatic conditions in the State of Nevada and other intermountain mining states, it is difficult and often impossible to mark the boundaries and do and perform the discovery work required by state law upon mining claims in perfecting the location thereof where such locations are made during the winter months, as is frequently the case upon the abandonment of locations by reason of the failure to perform the annual assessment work required by the laws of Congress; and

WHEREAS, The relocation of such mining claims under the present law is made under such conditions that frequent conflicts, by reason of overlapping boundaries, occur, which result in expensive litigation; and

WHEREAS, It would add greatly to the convenience and encouragement of the miner and prospector, minimize his expense, and contribute to the development and exploitation of the mining regions of the west to amend said act of Congress so as to require the time for the commencement of such annual work on the first day of July next succeeding the date of location: now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly, the Senate concurring, That the Congress of the United States be and is hereby urged to amend the act of January 22, 1880 (21 Statutes at Large, page 61), or to otherwise enact appropriate legislation, providing expressly in terms that the period within which the work to be done annually upon all unpatented mining claims, located since May 10,

1872, shall commence on the first day of July, at noon, next succeeding the date of location of such claim; and be it further

Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be sent by the secretary of state of Nevada to the secretary of the interior, to each United States senator, and to each representative in Congress from the mining states, and to the legislatures of the several mining states now in session; and be it further

Resolved, That the senators and representative in Congress from the State of Nevada be, and are hereby, requested to prepare, introduce, and urge the legislation recommended by this resolution at the earliest possible date.

No. 8-Senate Joint and Concurrent Resolution, memorializing the Congress of the United States to enact legislation for governmental appropriation in the erection and maintenance of federal irrigation and reclamation projects and works.

[Approved March 6, 1915]

asked to

irrigation

tion works

WHEREAS, It has been for years the policy of the government Congress of the United States, through legislative enactment in the federal appropriate Congress, to appropriate large sums of money for the erection moneys for and maintenance of federal buildings throughout the several and reclamastates of the American union; for the improvement of the without askrivers, harbors, and inland waterways flowing through the ing return various states of the United States, and for the building and settlers maintenance of public works, dams, and levees at and near the great rivers flowing through and along the eastern, middle. west, and southern states of the country; and

WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States has liberally appropriated government funds for the aforesaid purposes for the improvement, advancement, growth, prosperity, and general welfare of the American people residing within these states without condition or requirement that they reimburse in whole or in part the government for such appropriations and expenditures; and

WHEREAS, The government of the United States has been engaged, through federal appropriation, in the erection and maintenance of dams and reservoirs in nine of the western and intermountain states, including the State of Nevada, for the purpose of reclaiming and irrigating the arid lands of the west, but that the condition and requirement attached to these appropriations are in effect that the government of the United States shall be reimbursed for these outlays and expenditures by the settler upon the said reclaimed lands, who through excessive payments, for the right to settle, is expected to fully return to the government all appropriations and outlays for these federal reclamation works; and

WHEREAS, Such conditions and exactions are a hardship upon the settler and in innumerable instances have been impossible of performance and have resulted in failure, abandonment, loss,

of same by

age western

and discouragement to the settler and in antagonism to and criticism of said reclamation projects; and

WHEREAS, TO demand of the settler exorbitant prices for lands for the purpose of requiring him to pay back to the government moneys appropriated for reclamation dams, reservoirs, works, and projects is a gross, unwarranted, and harsh discrimination against the west and an unjustifiable imposition and tax upon the frugality, industry, and energies of the western settler and in direct opposition to the policy of gratuitous governmental appropriation for the benefit of other sections of the country. Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate, the Assembly concurring, That we urge Will encour our representatives in Congress to take immediate steps looking immigration toward appropriate federal legislation for the prompt and speedy relief of the western settler from the unwarranted discriminatory tax and imposition, requiring him to reimburse the government for its outlays in the construction of reclamation and irrigation reservoirs, dams, and works; that they use their utmost endeavors in that behalf so as to encourage settlement in the State of Nevada, and other western arid states, upon projects completed and those intended and to build up and populate these states for the general public welfare; and that such legislation shall contemplate in the main the usual governmental fee and charge for locating upon the public domain, but a liberal policy of gratuitous governmental expenditure in preparing and fitting the lands so entered for successful working and occupancy by the western pioneer. Be it further

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted by the secretary of state of Nevada to our senators and representative in Congress, to the secretary of the interior, and to the president of the United States.

No. 9-Assembly Joint and Concurrent Resolution, providing for the appointment of a commission to investigate the question of state publication of school text-books.

[Approved March 8, 1915]

WHEREAS, The question of having state school text-books for Commission the primary and grammar grades, printed and produced by the state printing office, has received more or less attention during the past few years by the legislature of the State of Nevada, school books and the system has been and is now being tried by different

to investigate feasibility of printing

by state

printing office

states of the United States; and

WHEREAS, It is the desire of this legislature that a thorough investigation be made of the subject as to the feasibility of applying the same to the State of Nevada: now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly, the Senate concurring, That there is hereby created a commission consisting of five members, including the governor, to be appointed by the governor, to investigate