The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1905-08-18
Conquest .! u: Great
American Desert

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The principal features Of the Nation
al Irrigation or Reclamation act as
concisely stated by Congressman G. D.
Van Duzer Of Nevada, are as follows:
First. A reclamation fund in the
treasury, consisting Of all moneys re
/ ceived from the disposal Of public
lands In sixteen arid and semiarid
States and territories Qncluding Cali
fornia and Nevada).
Second. Investigation and report as
to irrigation projects by the Interior
Department through the geological sur
vey.
Third. After the approval of such
projects by the Secretary Of the In
terror construction to commence under
contracts made by him. No contract
to be made unless the money neces-
sary for the completion of the project
is available in the reclamation fund.
| Fourth. Compensation to the fund
Of the actual cost of each project by
the sale Of water rights, to be made in
a series Of installments running over
ten years.
Fifth. The holding of the public
lands for actual settlers under the
homestead act; holdings to be limited
to small areas, sufficient for the sup
port of family; no Communication.
Sixth. Sale of water rights to pri-
vate land holders, but not for more
than 100 acres, thus discouraging land
monopoly and promoting the breaking
up Of large tracts
| Seventh. The ultimate control of IT.
rigation works, except reservoirs, by
the settlers under a system Of home
rule. This plan will enable the West
to reclaim itself without calling upon
the taxpayers Of the country. 1t en-
tirely relieves the irrigation agitation
Of the charge that it is intended to
tax the East for the Improvement of
the West. The government simply
puts its government lands in condition
for settlement by storing and making
available the tiOOdwaters which are
essential for reclamation.
In addition to the government work
on the use Of water in irrigation, which
is being carried on in all the arid or
semi-arid States, the work in CalifOr
mia, according to an official statement,
includes a comprehensive study of the
whole irrigation situation, looking to
the remedying Of the evils which are
checking development along this line.
| The work is under the general super
vision Of ElwOod Mead, the expert in
charge Of irrigation investigations.
The work being done on the streams
and irrigation systems selected for in
vestigation includes study Of the fol-
lowing:
| Abstracts of the records of claims
to water, character of those records,
number of claims, total volume claim
ed, places where recorded, and the ease
or difficulty with which the validity Of
any claim can be determined.
| &Rights to water for purposes 9th
err than irrigation, namely, mining,
power and domestic purposes.
3-Methods by which the amount
and character of water rights are de-
termined, accessibility and complete
ness of the record showing the nature
of the established rights.
| 4Character of litigation over water
rights, its causes and cost, it's influ-
ence on irrigation development, and
the principles established by decisions
rendered.
| 5-Rights for storage and under
ground waters, how acquired and how
affected by rights to the surface flow
of streams, and the influence of the
underground waters on the streams
discharge.
| 6-Nature Of an appropriation Of
water. To determine who is the appro-
priator, the ditch builder or the owner
of the land on which the water is used
or is the land itself the appropriation.
Also, to determine the true measure Of
its amount, the size Of the claim, the
capacity of the ditch, or the area irri-
gated.
| THE volume of return or seepage
water, and it's availability for being
again diverted, and influence on value
Of irrigator's rights.
S-Size, number, locat ton and capac-
ity of bitches and other distributing
works established. and irrigation duty
Of water.
The work also includes collection Of
ldata showing how water is divided
among different bitches from the same
stream; how it is distributed among
users; the nature of water-right con-
tracts between canal owners and water
users; what contracts have proven
satisfactory; and what forms of con-
tracts have given rise to controversy,
and the reason therefor. Facts show
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