The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1902-01-15
ARID
LANDS
SOUGHT
Application Made for Them in
Oregon.
Tracts Designated are Situ-
ated in Eastern Part of
State.

A Salem special says: Eight different
com panies have perfected applications
for arid land under the Carey land act
These applications cover nearly 100000
acres, oil in Eastern Oregon. Many more
applications are in the course Of prepa
tlon and have been forwarded to the
State Land Office, but owing to some
defect they have not been placed on
file.
BY the provisions Of the Carey act the
Federal Government offers to donate to
the state 1,000O00 acres Of land when
the same shall have been reclaimed. The
senate, in turn gives the land to settlers
upon the same terms. In fact, the state
acts chiefly as medium through which
the man who reClaims land gets his title
from the Government. Applications for
arid land are made to the State Land
Board. After surveys have been made
and map filed, the state enters into a
contract with the applicant, whereby the
state agrees to convey the title upon hisre-
claiming the land as required by the Fed
erai Government, The applicant must
pay all expenses Of drawing papers,
making surveys, reclaiming the land
and making final proofs to the Gener-
al Land Office. When the contract is
made with the applicant the state ap-
plies to the United States for the land
described in the application filed hy
the man who intends retaining the
land. The Government transters the
land 10 the state when proof is made
that the land has been reclaimed, and
the state then makes the conveyance to
the settlers.
BY the provisions OF the state law no
settler can acquire more than l60 acres. |
Those persons, associations or corpora
tiOn who relcaim more than 100 acres do
not secure title in fee simple to the land
They are given possession OF the land un.
ill it is conveyed to settlers, have a lien
on the land for the cost of reclamation,
and have the privilege Of charging water
rates to settlers, the rates to be fixed by
the State Land Board Thu settler who
wishes to purchase land which has been
reclaimed must pay the reclaimers the
cost Of reclamation. The state gets
nothing from the land, and bears none |
OF the expenses. The applications for
arid land thus far filed are here briefly
noted.
II has been said that in some cases
land has been applied for under the
Carey act which is not IN reality arid |
land. There is nothing in the State
Land Department to establish the truth
Or ialsi!y of this allegation. As general
'ule, public land that is now vacant ls
lot considered Of very much value, 90
not many acres OF that taben as arid
and will probably produce crops with.
,ut irrigation.
The cost Of reclamation will vary with
zach tract Of land, and also WITH the de.
1''N W iiNHA hiAN NAbNNluhtNAlh may re-
luire upon the question whether the
and has In fact been reclaimed. There
are parts OF eastern Oregon that will abb
'orb water like a sponge, and rtclama-
lion would be impossible without an
supply OF water.
O.her tracts want Lu. small supply
'i water to make them pro iuce immense
'rops OF alfalfa. Ifthe attempt to reclaim
lrid land on a large scale should prove
'uCcessiul, the enterprise will bring
abtut a very rapid development Of the
Eastern part Of the state,
The recent announcement that the Co ,
umbia Southern Railroad is to be ex |
ended southwark to the town Of Bend,
n Crook County, gives new interest to
he project Of rec!aiming large tracts Of |
and along the Deschutes and Little Des.
'hules Rivers aud their tributaries.