The herald., 1894-01-07
GOVERNMENT LANDS,
l Plan for Their Irrigation
and Cultivation.
What the National Executive Com
mittee Is Considering.
Government Department. of Trriga-
tion Suggested, supplemented
by state Commits
afoners.

in this city last October. was to hit upon
some plan by which the large area OF
arid government lands could be re-
claimed. 1t was thought desirable to
develop some plan that would apply
equally we'll to all sections OF the great
arid west, and not alone TO California.
The Salt Lake irrigation congress two
years ago endorsed the idea that the ma
tional government should turn all arid
lands over to the states and territories,
and let the local authorities provide for
their reclamation. This was very prop
erly objected to on the ground that po-
litical jobbery was liable to squander
more land than would be reclaimed.
The late irrigation congress held in
this city rather favored the policy of
studying the question carefully for a
year or two and seeing if some plan
could not be adopted that would result
in honestly reclsiming the arid lands at
a reasonable cost, and then putting such
lands in the hands Of homestead settlers
at cost OF reclamation.
In order to study this question sye-
tematically il was proposed to create
boards OF irrigation commissioners in
each OF the arid states and territories,
TO gather data and form plans OF opera
tions. Several OF these commissions
have already been appointed and are
now at work. The chairmen of these
commissions form the national irrigation
executive committee. When these COM
missions have completed their work the
chairmen meet as an executive com
mittee and compare all the plans pre-
senteti, and ffff56Hfai ff56Hfai thesse plans as pre-
sented plan will be formulated and
submitted to the next national irriga-
tion congress and after being approved
by that body will be presented to con-
gress and an effort will be made to put
the plans into execution.
The national executive committee in
vited suggestions regarding the plans Tor
g national system and a proposition has
been submitted by Mr.. l.. NJ. Holt OF
this CITY, who is a member of the Cal
ifornia irrigation commission. MIR. Holt
submitted his plans as follows:
II desire to lay before all the state
irrigation commissions the outline OF
plan for irrigating the arid lands of the
United States, which | propose to sub
NIT for their consideration, and if con-
sidered oil value, to be modified, amend
ed and adopted. OF course 1 do not 90
into details; these can be arranged after
the general plan has been adopted.
First, the government is to establish
department of irrigation, and the head
of the department is to be cabinet
officer. This department is to examine
all interstate streams and arrange for
the distribution of the waters of such
etreams between the states and terrific
ries. under certain restrictions.
Congress is to pass law giving the
states and territories jurisdiction over
all government arid lands within their
respective borders afor the purposes OF
reclamation
Each state is to establish an irriga-
ton com mi ssion. consisting Of four COM
missiopers and state engineer, who are
to be appointed BY the governor and
approved by the senate. Thin state
commission shall have power to estab-
lish irrigation systems whenever it is
ascertained that there is tract OF gov
eminent arid land which can be re-
claimed at an expense sufficiently low
to warrant the undertaking, with an
assurance that settlers than afford and
will take up the lands reclaimed. When
the plans for the reclamation of GER
tain tract of land have been prepared,
and estimates of cost have been OBJ
tanned, the plans and estimates shall be
submitted to the national irrig Ation de-
partment for approval, and if approved
the state irrigation commission shall al
once proceed to construct the works.
"fThe state ehall sell its bonds to raise
the money to carry forward the work in
hand, and the outstanding bonds OF any
state shall be limited aa hereinafter pro-
vided.
when an irrigation system shall
have been completed, the land under
such system shall be opened to home
stead entry under the laws of the
United States, in tracts not to exceed 40
acres for each family or head of family,
and no other way.
"After one half the lands under such
system shall have been taken up, the
state commission shall proceed to form
an irrigation district, which shall in
clude all the lands that. in their opin-
ion, can be irrigated under such system
and no more. The district shall then
issue to the state it's bonds, which are
to run for period of 40 years. Such
bonds shall bear interest at a rate that
shall be per cent higher than the in
terest paid by the state on it's bonds to
raise money for the irrigation iund
After district has been thus organized
and the bonds iseued, the management
of tine affairs OF the district shall be
turned over to the people residing in
ouch district, and all water rights,
canals and other property, con-
nected with the water supply
of such district. except in the
option of the state irrigation
commission, approved by the national
Irrigation department, any reservoir
which shall supply water to more than
one district may be retained as the
properly of the state, and each district
shall make an annual payment to the
state of such sum as shall be necessary
to keep up such reservoir, and supply
such districts with water.
''If at the end Of five years from the
date OF opening up to settlement any
irrigated tract, there is not one half the
land within such tract taken up under
the homestead laws of the United
States, then, and in that event, the re-
naming land shall be offered for sale
in tracts of 100 acres or less, to each
purchaser at such figures as may be
fixed, not less than $1.25 per ccre. and
all moneys received from the sale OF
such lands shall go into the district
treasury TO be ueed in reim bursting the