The Florence tribune., 1901-12-28
THE NEW IRRIGATION BILL.
Western Men Are United on an Excellent Measure which Provides Firss for ths
 San Carlos Dam.


 WASHINGTON, Dec. 2l.-The western mem bers of the Senate and House nave agreed upon an irrigation bill that is to receive the solid support of the West during the present session of Congress. plan of action was adopted yester- day in the committee room of Senator Warren of Wyoming, when the mem bers from seventeen States and Terri tories west of the Mississippi voted to take up what is known as the sale-of- public lands scheme to help out irri- gation
 A bill will now be introduced in each branch of Congress creating fund, the proceeds of the disposal of public lands in the seventeen States and Terri tories affected. This will amount an nually to between $2,000,G00 and $3,000, 900.
 1t is proposed to permit tue Secre- tary of the Interior to expend the money as he sees fit in carrying out such projects as may be agreed upon later for irrigating arid sections. When the reclamation of piece of territory has been accomplished, it is to be thrown open to homestead entry in small tracts, and before title is ac- tua'ly given man must have lived on the ground and cultivated it. He will then be required to pay in instal.ments what it cost to procure water for the land These payments are to be con verted back into the fund and used again in developing other sections, so thatit will continually grow
 The plan will not require an initial appropriation from Congress to start the work, and it is thought that it will ] therefore appeal to many who other wise might be inclined to object to it
 According to the present scheme, the Secretary of the Interior is to deter mine the manner in which the money thus acquired shall be expended. h view of the active work that has been carried on for many years past by the Geological Survey, which is under the the Interior, there need be no doubt about the plan that the Secretary may adopt. A number of irrigation pro- jects have been planned by the survey already, being based on careful surveys and estimates of cost. Seven distinct projects are now complete and await ing money to be carried into effect They call for the expenditure of be- tween s4, 900, 900 and $5, ,000, ,000, and pro pose to reclaim something like 500, ,00i acres of land that is at present prsc- tically valueless
 The scheme of survey is to built large reservoirs on certain wcsterr rivers that are so located that tn. water can be fed to wide stretch o territory that is now barren because O lack of water The first of these pro jects, and probably the most ilnportan one, provides for big reservoir at Sar Carlos on the Gila River, in Southerr Arizona. This will cost trihe ovel q 900, 900 and will provide water fol 100000 acres of land Another pro ject calls for the establishment of res ervoirs on the Carson and Trucke, rivers, lying in California, to irrigat lands in Nevada This will cost abou
 $500, ,000, and will furnish water fo about 1OO, ,00O acres
 , Four other projects are as follows Reservoirs for Kings River in Califor.
 mia. to cost s1, 900. .000, to store water 10 about 50,000 acres; reservoirs for Hum bolt River, in Nevada, to cost $l20 ,00( 7 and to provide water for 10000 acres I reservoirs on Salt river, in Arizona a reservoirs on the Hetch- Hetchy, i California, to cost $600,0 1000, and to irri
 gate 107, ,00o acres.
 The western representatives are yer ], earnest in the matter To many c 2 them it is a question of vital importance = The conditions in Nevada are true to 9 certain extent in all of the other seven 8 teen States and Territories Thei
 has been a decline of 10000 in tl
 population of Nevada during the lal 7 twenty years. When the botto 7 dropped out in mining in that State u population deserted, agriculture haN ing been neglected because of the lac of suitable soil.
 Stop the Cough and werk oa tEe Cold.
 Tavafive Rromo-Ouinin4 Tahlt-ts ct1-