The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-07-13
FOR
IRRIGATION SUPPLY.
Government Engineer Says Da-
kota Projects Are Well
Under Way.
From The Journal Bureau, Colorado Building,
Washington

From The Journal Bureau, Colorado Building,
Washington.
Washington, July 13.-Morris Bien,
consulting engineer in the irrigation
service, has just returned from trip
to North and South Dakota where he
looked over the land withdrawn from
entry under the various projects.
The project most advanced is the
Belle Fourche in South Dakota, for
which large area has been segre-
gated. Mr.. Bien's chief business in
connection with this work was to help
the owners Of the land to form. a
water-users' association and draft the
necessary agreements preliminary to
the work of improvement.
1.-THE first of these agreements, on
which the owners were working when
left South Dakota, binds them to
take the water to be furnished by the
government said Mr.. Bien. Much
of the land under the proposed Belle
Fourche ditch is in private ownership,
and the government must know in ad-
vance how many of these owners will
take the water. Such as will not sign
this agreement will be left out, and
the canal will be extended a mile, or
several miles, until it reaches govern
ment land. There is plenty of the lat
ter in that region, and there will be
no difficulty in disposing Of the water
when it is turned into the canal.
Under the law no person can own
more than 160 acres Of irrigated land,
and those who now possess more will
have to dispose of the surplus. There
may be some objection to this by big
landowners, but they won't get any
water for their excess lands, SO they
will have to come In and agree to the
governments terms. I understand
L. ~: will Ia
ready for submission to the secretary
of the interior.
Later on the landholders will, as
an association, be required to sub
scribe to another agreement that they
will take the water for ten years, and
that they will pay for their holdings
at the rate prescribed by the govern
ment. It has been estimated that the
| cost of the Belle Fourche project will
be $40 an acre, the total scattered
over ten years. The water users will
give what amounts to a mortgage on
their land for that time, which will be
released and returned to them wher
all the payments are made"
Mr.. Bien said the owners Of the
land in the Fort Buford, N. D., projec1
are ready to form a water users as
in South Dakota, but that they hardly
know how to go about 1t. Someone
will be sent from Washington to hell
them, and to explain fully what is
needed by the government.
1t is expected that contracts for the
construction Of the Belle Fourche ant
Fort Buford projects will be let a.
soon as all the agreements are ap
proved by the secretary of the interior
AS to the Mouse river project IL
North Dakota, Mr.. Bien said that wa
simply in a preliminary stage, ant
nothing definite will be known abou
it until the reconnaissance surveys ar
com pleted.
One difficulty which Mr.. Bien en-
countered was lack of enthusiasm OF
the part of landowners. Rain ha
been abundant for the past three o
four years and crops have been raiset
without the aid of irrigation. Conse
quently the settlers do not see tn
need Of artificial water supply. o.
H. G. Stevens.