The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-15
OUR NEW DELEGATION POLICY.

A Washington dispatch says the secretary
OF the interior has approved the award of
contract for the construction of an irrfgat-
ing canal in Nevada at an aggregate cost of
500, 427. The canal will he thirty miles
long, and. by carrying water to a reser-
voir, will reclaim and ~fertilize about 900. 900
acres of land. This, at least, is what is ex-
pected. though the undertaking is some
what experimental. This is the first con-
tract to be let under the act passed by the
last congress, and it marks the beginning
Oh a new policy by the government. The
practice of artificial irrigation is a very an
Gent one, and prevails extensively in some
Eastern countries and in southern Europe.
IL mas also been introduced in some Of the
Rocky mountain States by private enter
prise and State patronage, but this Is the
beginning of irrigation by the national gov
nme What the end will be remains to
be seen. 1t is likely to be an expensive I'm
dertaking and the desert land reclaimed by
it will be costly.
The law under which the work will he
carried on was passed June IL, 1902. 1t pro-
vides that all moneys received after June /,
1900. from the sale of public lands in Ari-
iona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas,
Montana, Nebraska. Nevada, New Mexico,
North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South
Dakota, Utah, Washington and wyoming
shall be placed in a special fund in the
United States treasury, to be known as the
reclamation fund" to be used exclusively
for the construction and maintenance of If
rigation canals and reservoirs for the recia-
nation of the arid lands of the West. The
public lands thus set apart for irrigation
purposes, subject to the claims of agricul-
tural colleges, amount to about SIS. 600. COO
acres. The proceeds from the sale of lands
during the fiscal years 1901 and 1902 amount
ed to somewhat over S6,OOO,OOO, and this
amount is now available for irrigation DUR
poses. The fund will increase while the
public lands last at the rate of about s.. OOO,-
GOO a year. 1t will be seen. therefore. that
the government has embarked in a large
enterprise. The work of constructing irri-
eating canals and reservoirs is to be done
under the supervision of the secretary of
the interior, who is authorized to open the
reclaimed lands to homestead entry in 40.
so and 160-acre tracts. The secretary is TO
decide what charges shall be paid by the
entryman in repayment for the irrigation
of his land, said charges to be regulated ae-
cording to the cost of the work. No per-
son will be allowed to enter more than I6O
acres of the reclaimed land, the object be-
ing to prevent large holdings and attract
actual settlers. When a majority of the
lands in any irrigation district shall have
been paid for the operation of the works
viii be turned over to the settlers. but the
government will retain possession and con-
troll of the reservoirs. The law provides |
that as far as practicable the proceeds of
sales of public land in each State shall be |
expended in irrigation works in that State
a provision which is likely to prove a fruit
full source of controversy between the
states and the national government and of
trouble to the secretary Of the interior, who |
Will have the expenditure of the funds. The
law is one of far-reaching consequences
and ~contemplates a system of internal inn.
provements that would not have been
dreamed of a generation or two ago.