The Washington times., 1906-07-17
RECLAINING LAND
BY IRRIGATION
Government Spending Mill
ionS Building Great Dams
and Reservoirs.
MAKING THE DESERT BLOOM
Thousands Ready to Buy Public Lands
Near Great Water Storage own
ed by Uncle Sam.

In connection with the new allotment
Of the reclamation fund among the va
rtous projects now under development
some interesting facts have come out
concerning the immense series OF irriga-
tlon projects that are In progress OF
contemplation
There was a time when some doubt
existed among the officials Of the service
as 10 whether the people would be will
ing 10 buy the lands at the prices neces-
sary 10 make the irrigation OF them
selt-sustaining. That uncertainty Is
now past People who We're fearful OF
investing I'm lands irrigated by private
concerns are anxious TO buy from Uncle
Sam. The unQuesJiOned responsibility
OF the Federal Government is the eX-
PLANTATION. People might well hesitate
70 buy lands from private corpora
ton which had invested several millions
ia constructing a great work whose Sc
Curity depended. for example. on the
permanence Of an immense dam. In
case OF some great misfortune. either
physical or financial, there would be un-
certainty about the future. and the
farmer who had bought high-priced
land might hnd himself with his val
liable improvements in tEe midst or a
desert. But nobody questions the Gov
ernmeuts ability ana good faith in
maintaining the works il is building, and
therefore a new and unwouted security
is felt about farming on irrigated lands.
Service Self Sustaining
The reclamation service is designed to
be self-sustainlug. The lands re-
claimed by one project are 10 be sold,
the money TO be used 10 develop an
other project. and so on; an endless
chain Of projects and land sales and
new projects. II is said that the service
receives so many requests 20 invesu-
gate projects that it is impossible 10
look after nearly all OF them
The West Is eager foT more and more
Ct the work. 80 eager. indeed. that on
some OF the sites people take up lands
years before there can possibly be any
water; secure the first right 90 bay after
the water Is turned on. and then get
work on the project Thus there are
many villages Of considerable size
formed o. people who are now working
for the Government, but who expect
later 10 become farmers on the re-
claimed lands. At one TaT Western prof.
ect is q village OF 40 people, standing on
land which iu two years will be under
100 feet OF water. It viii be the bottom
or a great reservoir.
Making the Allotments.
IN making the allotment announced by
Secretary Hitchcock yesterday the de-
sign mas been 20 put the money into
projects which viii be soonest com
pIeted. I'M order that the lands may be
sold. the money paid back, and more
work undertaken. II Is calculated that
the sales of reclaimed lands by 1908 will
have brought into the fund about SAL
O0o.O00. This is a large sum. but the
service could comfortably employ SlO0,-
Ol0.O0G. end do 1t prodtably, in pressing
enterprises now surveyed or under eX-
animation.
In several projects, not under con-
tract. several years must elapse before
the works will be completed and any
revenue can be secured. On the Other
hand. In Nevada 5000 acres are now
under water in one project and viii
soon he turned into cash. Other projects
are nearing completion and are being
rushed as fast as possible
The new allotment made by Secretary
Hitchcock follows:
ath lfuture), s., 400 coo: Umatilla, 81, 900,
on. Total &. 400. coo
Ar.ZOna-Salt River Sf.539.161
-HuU-ley. $500. 900. Lower Yel-
loWstOue. s.. .00o. .00J, Milk River 81, Co.,
COO. sun River $500 600. Total. 81 400 0O0
Nebraska a-Wyoming-North Platte. So.
$1,000
Idaho-Mlnidoka. sl.55d,O5J; Payette-
boise. 81 .490 900. Total. $3,UfO 900.
AriZona-Yuma, s. 900. 900,
shugtOu-OkanOgan 500 900: Tie
ton. 81 $50 coo, Sunnyside. 81 100 900; In
dian Reservation, 100000. Total. 81
950,NJ
Colorado -Uncompahgre s., 500 CO.,
Wyoming -Shoshone, $2,250 O0O,
South DakOta-Belle FOuTche. S2.10O,-
Geo
Nouh Dakota-Pumping projects. 81
010 000 Lower Yellowstone. 100000. To-
tai. Sll00 600
Utah-Strawberry Valley, ST. go 900.
New MexiCo-RondO. 1886 900: Carls-
bad SG0. 900; Rio Grande $200, 600 Total
81 136 co.
Reconsideration City. SEQ 900.
tal Th total allotted to the klamath
projects. Oregon. is s. 10000; OF this
$1,000 00o is Immediately available. and
So 500 900 $ 10 be set aslae for future
funds.
MARRIAGE LICENSES.