The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-05-24
ANOTHER OPEN LETTER
TO CONGRESSMAN JONES
George T.. Hcaton Discusses the Gov
eminent Policy in Regard
to Carey Land Funds.


Jones-Dear Sir: In yesterdays
Post-Intelligencer is an interesting
statement of the amount contributed
by Oregon and North Dakota to the
outrageous ruling of Mr.. Secreta'v
Hitchcock that the greater part, as
understand the amendment to the
reclamation act, reads, means just 81
per cent. Now fair Interpretation
of that reading would not be less
than 70 per cent, all of which goes
to emphasize my contention of the
need of one more amendment, and
that should read all instead of the
greater part with oregon and, l
think, California and Idaho, and GER
tainly North Dakota.
You ought to be able to make
Mr.. Secretly Hitchcock ashamed of
his ruling. The reclamation fund
should be turned over to each state
and be under the control of a state
board composed of the governor as
the head with, say, two more. who
are engineers. There are plenty of
engineers in the state and | don't
think any of the other states are
deficient. 1t seems that much
quicker results can be obtained by
state action than by federal. Ore
gon is doing splendidly in the Des
Chutes at $14.75 per acre, of which
the state gets $3.50 for the Carey
act land, while Idaho. at Twin Falls,
at $3.50 per acre. is doing much
better than any federal project which
we can hear of. OF this $3.50 the
state gets the so cents for the Carey
act land, which ought to make our
own state officials feel very small
to think that they ever expected to
get $40 per acre for the Carey act
land. Our state should keep con-
troll of the Carey act land and as soon
as you can get the money turned over
should go into the storage business
first of all. Then give the Wash
fngton Irrigation company all that is
above the Ledbetter scheme and no
more, for long scheme is poor
scheme, and the Ledbetter has the
merit of being short Tn,
Palouse project will be disappoint-
ment in some respects, for while the
water is scant, the evaporation will
be larger and the burning sands of
Pasco will call for cubic foot per
second for each eighty acres, which is
just double what the Washington
Irrigation company give out, or,
rather, double what they agree to
give; though l understand they have
always tried to give all that man
needed. The Rock Lake Storage
part of the Palouse scheme is better
because of the altitude and the con-
sequent less evaporation. There is
no need to think of Lake Occur
d'Alene as long as Idaho can have
anything to say in the matter, and
don't see any probability of any one
overcoming their objections.
The Yakima has the best storage
facilities. although l suppose there
are good opportunities in the
Okanogan. But right here I will
say that the engineers that under
take to raise Lake Cleulum on the
McAllister meadows 100 feet high
will probably wish that they had not
There are great possibilities in the
future for pumping plants in thte
Yakima valley, one at Selah and one
up the Natchez. that would solve
the chronic shortage of the Wenas.
There are many bitches that have
good land above them and long dis
lance transmission of power will
solve the difficulty in time Mr..
Engineer Noble said the cost of
pumping at Prosser is but $3.50 per
acre, which is as low as most of the
gravity folks are willing to work for.
Geo. S. Heaton.