The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-12-20
MILLIONS FOR IRRIGATION.

A bulletin issued by Guy E. Mitch
ell, secretary OF the National Irriga
ton association. says there will b
about thirty.seven million dollars il
the reclamation fund at the end of tn,
next three years. This fund is, &C
cording to the law, to be invested b,
the secretary of the interior in feast
BILE iris alton projects which will re
pay the amount to the government, IL
ten annual installments from the set
tiers.
The superintendent Of the fund by
Secretary Hitchcock has been practi.
cally completed and the plane matured
for expending the entire fund on Ger.
tain definite projects In the west, which
practically brings to an end further
surveys and examinations and per
mits the concentration Of effort of the
reclamation service on the building OF
a few important projects.
The irrigation act gives the secre.
tary of the interior q very wide lati-
tude in the investment of this large
fund, although be is required to spend
the major portion Of the fund arising
from the sale of public lands within
each state or territory for the benefit
of their lands, 80 far as practicable.
1t is a recognized fact that the con-
tributions to the fund from the various
states are IN most cases not in proper.
ton to the needs of those states for
irrigation. Arizona and Nevada, for
instance, whose lands have contrib
uted very little to the fund, have prob
ably the greatest need and opportunity
for reclamation, while on the other
hand North Dakota and Oklahoma,
though large contributors, have per-
haps the least actual need for irriga.
ton of any Of the western states. In
some cases the chief aim of politicians
has been apparently not so much to
develop irrigation az to secure the ex-
penditure OF federal funds in the sec-
ton they represent.
The states thus far to chiefly benefit
through the irrigation law are Ari.
IONA. Wyoming, Montana and Neva.
da, although some of them have them.
selves made to 1t considerable contri.
buttons. Wyoming, because of its
strategic geographical position and
the fact that much OF the water supply
of the west originates 10 that part Of
the state, must Of necessity have the
storage reservoirs built there, not
only for the benefit of Wyoming bu,
for Nebraska as we'll. The secretary
has set aside 81, $50, 900 for the Sho-
shone, Wyoming, project, $780, 900
for the Pathfinder project on North
Platte river, TO be partially expended
for the benefit Of Nebraska. Thus
about Is per cent. Of the entire recla-
NATION fund will be expended In Wyo
ming, although she has contributed
only about 4 per cent. Of the fund.
Second to Wyoming comes the ter
ritory of Arizona, with the great Sal
river project At al estimated cost O
about four million dollars, requiring
upwards Of 0 per cent. Of the entire rec
lamation fund, although Arizona hal
contributed less than l per cent. 1t i,
stated by the engineers that the op
portunities for water storage in Ari
IONA are, next to Wyoming, the bes
in the arid west, while the soil of tina
territory is not only extremely fertile
and lying at . moderate altitude, bu
the climate ia semi.tropical and under
careful guilty alton, ten or ~ iv'
acres will support a family. South
ern California today, with q similar
soil and climate, has thousands o
five and ten acre farms.
The third state in order of irrigation
benefits is Montana, which, although
lying far north, has a splendid water
supply and likewise rich land. Actua
construction has been begun by tn,
government ON the Yellowstone, where
owing to the plentiful flow of water
none of the embarrassing complica
tiOns of vested water rights exists.
which have prevented work thus far OF
the Missouri river and on the Mill
river. The funds allotted to Montan,
for the Huntley, Lower Yellowstone
and Milk river projects amount t
over three million dollars, or nearl!
9 per cent. of the fund, which is in ex
cess of the amount contributed b!
Montana.
There are many attractive irriga
ton projects which will be taken VI
and acted upon by the government II
the future, when the repayments begil
to come in from the settlers under tn
projects now under construction, o.
should congress possibly conclude Il
make q direct loan to the reclamation
fund.
n Arra> a,vs