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WA'"'ER RESOURCE DEVEiLOPMENT PROGRAMS {9.~f1 002406 ;:~,( ::; .,." ..~,- 25 gation Census and some reasonable assumptions, this permits a calcu- lation that in the 1949-54 period the United States irrigated areas were increased 12.7 percent while Communist Chinese were increased ,64.8 percent. IRRIGATION 2,000 YEARS OLD Chinese irrigators got a head start on any Americans and have been all out on their program ever since while Americans have recently cut back. Over 2,000 years ago Engineer Luping dug a canal in Szech- wan Province to divert the waters of the Min-Kiang (or little) River to dry lands. Foreseeing rehabilitation problems, Luping left bed blocks at the bottom of the canal to show how deep it must be dug out every year if it silted up. It did. For over 2,000 years each March the water was cut off and, with appropriate offerings to the dragons who watch over rivers, the canalIS redug down to the blocks and re- habilitated. Today it continues to serve, excellently, a large number of mous of irrigated land and is cited by the Chinese, and here, as an example of the wisdom of getting irrigation early and keeping it. No physical, technological, engineering or scientific advances were reported in the Ohinese program other than the adoption of larger units, first utilized in the United States, and the requirement that river development be on a basinwide basis for full development of all potential benefits. Both nations have arrived at a point of develop- ment where they are resorting to pumping to reach higher elevation of land. In the United States enormous electric turbine pumps are . freg,uently employed. The Chinese have a few and plan more, but in addItion have developed and standardized an interesting device they call the "liberation water wheel" and use widely. It is a variety of pump with a pinion and wheel on top that pulls an endless chain fitted with rubber parts at intervals through a 3-inch pipe so that it can lift water some 30 feet at the rate of some 30 gallons a minute, or 8 tons an hour--enough to irrigate 7 to 10 acres. Multiple thou- sands have been made by the Central Government and distributed to irrigators on credit with cooperatives stocking spare parts. They can be operated with mechanical ]?ower, animal power, or human power of the farmer, his wife, or chIldren. With China's rush to in- crease irrigation, and excess manpower, the "liberation water wheels" have proved popular and en masse made a significant contribution to total Irrigated acreage. REOOMMENDATION While the foregoing by no means exhausts easily available and un- classified information on the rapidly changing "relationship on the river development programs of the United States, Russia, and China" it is'deemed sufficient to be responsive to the chairman's request. The only recommendation made is that this condensation be made avail- able in printed form for committee consideration as to further action. The considerable mass of documents collected during the inquiry will be . suitably cataloged and deposited in the committee files for the convenience of those desiring to consult with them further.: MICHAEL W. STRAUS, Oonsultant.