Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-11-20
FOUND OBSTACLES
TETON and SUKNYSIDE PROF.
ECTS ARE DELAYED.
But Secretary Hitchcock Denies
That Reasons Are Lack OF
funds-Confrsct Offered BY IT..
rioafion Company Not Entirely
Satisfactory.

Icats-c, wv. Au'- lie "esIlL ZION
CORRESPONDENT Of the Post Ir,el.isencer
sends the following 70 his paper:
The Tieton and the Sunnyside I'M.
CATION projects hsve encountered tresh
obstacles on what was thought 30 BE
the Eery eve Of their approval ty the
secretary Of the interior,
Certain technical questions, which
are not fully explained bot which Will
probably soon be cleared away, have
been raised in regard 70 the Teton
scheme
The objection in regard 10 the Sun.
nyside project is more serious. As
was repeatedly predicted in these dis.
patches last summer, the offer Of sale
made BY the Washington Irrigation
Company, owners Of the Sunnyside
canal. is not entirely acceptable 70 the
government in its present foYn, and
the proposed contract has been referred
TO the attorney general for e1smins.
ton.
The specific objection TO the pro.
posed contract between the govern.
ment and the Washington Irrigation
Company is that the reclamation law
provides that the government shall not
furnish water for more than $50 acres
OF land 20 one owner. The officers
Of the reclamation service hoped, and
still hope, that this obstacle may De
overcome, but Secretary Hitchcock is
greatly dissatisfied With the proposition
in its present form. His decision will
however, be largely Influenced by the
opinion Of the attorney general.
Meanwhile there need De no concern
because Of the condition Of the reclaim.
alton fund.
Not Vet . Que stion OF Funds.
Secretary Hitchcock denies with
much emphasis the report that be bad
decided to approve no more additional
projects until the general fund had
been increased.
II have been looking into the matter
very thoroughly" said the secretary to
your correspondent, with view to
finding ous exactly how We stand. The
reason have withheld approval Of
the Washington projects IL not that the
fund 10 exhausted, for the fund is not
exhausted.
The Washington projects, with all
the conditions involved. are now IN.
der confederation on their merits, and
l hope to reach q decision soon.
I'VE have allowed q good deal OF
money for reclamation out Of the funds,
but noe all We have. We have come
70 the point, however, where We mus,
begin 70 consider the maintenance Of q
reasonable surplus, for it would be Just
a. unwise for the government 70 spend
this reclamation fund up to the very
limit Of resources Of the fund a. i,
would be for bank 70 impair its sur.
plus
There will be emergencies. Is hal
been the history Of many large engi.
neenng projects that the first estimates
have been exceeded, and we even have
the same experience in building q
dwelling house o. q Business block
We must be prepared 70 meet these in.
creased expenditures.
"We have been careful to guard
against etx1svagance, and there hs.
been none in this work, but il is no,
always possible to say that the expense
Of given project will be fully covered
BY 10 per cent contingency allowance
over and above the estimated cost
Sometimes il will be 20 per cent. and
then We must have q surplus in the
reclamation fund to fall back upon.
''It 10 not true, however. that the
fund is in such shape that none Of the
Washington projects can be approved
at this time. AZ soon as the examina
tion OF these projects has been com
plesed in this Office there will bs some
thing more 70 say"
The private secretary Of Representa-
tive Jones received q long telegram
from Mr.. Jones yesterday asking a. te
the truth Of the report that the eecre
tary will approve no more projects a
present.
Mr.. Hitchcock authorized the reply
that no such conclusion had beer
reached, and that the Washington
projects were still under considera
ton.
,TlS nAon Unnia TUG