The Imperial press., 1904-08-06

V .
 act especially Uguirci that ull the mon cy cNvcnicl for construction ot tho works shall bc charged against the lands irrigatr,l aud ultimately in ten years will l,c returned tn the fund, and again and again usvvi for thc purposes oi irrigation And reclamation.
 This bounty oi the government, t pru,rrly extcudcl. Is sufficient to iu. -ur,' the construction iu coursr ot time, oi the most available Aud important irrigation projects iu all ot the arid states which will reclaim large acrrs of land. now useless Rnd uuiuhahitcd. but capable. when irrigated, of providing homes for millions ot people.
 The application oi these funds is left largely to the discretion and judgment oi tho Secretary ot the Interior, but he i- required tn rrpnrt to Congress at the beginning ot each regular session the results oi the examination and surveys with estimates of custs ot all contempt. at,d works and all facts relative to the practicabiity of each project and the quantity oi land that cnu bc irrigated therrirom.
 The Secretary may withdraw from public entry the lands required for the works and he is authorized also Ia with draw public lands believed to be suscep- tible tn irrigation by such works.
 Public lands so withdrawn are subject to entry only under the provision ot the homestead law, in tracts not less than forty nor more than ltD acres which shall represent the acreage which m the opinion of the Secretary of the In ierior may bc reasonably required for ih" support of family. The cnmmu- i@1tiOn clause of the homestead laws does not apply t0 entries under this act, and therefore a five years residence upon the public land IS required ot each set tier. The entryman must also ifrigate ai least half oi his land and make all payments required before securing a Ilatent to the same and a water right for it's irrigation. These provisions therefore prevent the possibility ot speculative holdings or the aggregation in single ownership of large tracts of public lands, so withdrawn, and safe guard the American policy of home building.
 The law Is intended to provide for the construction of the laIger and ex- pensiye works that are needed III the arii regions, and which cannot safely be undertaken by or committed to privAi. enterprise. The works to be undertaken by the government will be of X more ucrmaneut character than IS justified by the investments of private capital which necessarily demands early and compensating returns. The gov erument will provide only the reservoirs and main canals, and will retain the ownership and the management and operation, of only the reservoirs and all works necessary to their protection and operation, until otherwise provided by Congress But when the payments re- quirrd by the act are made for the major portion of the lands irrigated under the works constructed by the government then the reservoirs shall pass to the owners of the lands irrigated thereby, to be thereafter maintained at their eIpense under such form of organ ization and under such rules and legn- lations as may be acceptable to Il 6 Secretary of the Interior.
 As there IS no possible Irrigation project in the arid or semi-arid region which will not involve the reclamation . of lands held in private ownership as ! well az the public lands, the law very properly provides that all lands held . m private ownership which can be ir- rigated by the waters of any irrigation project shall also participate m the . IF l. ,.t,I.Is~ srnrka f.rnytIaI