The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-07-18
THE MILK RIVER PROJECT.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEES SENT TO
WASHINGTON IN ITS INTERESTS.

REPORT. OF THE COMMITTEE SENT TO
WASHINGTON IN ITS INTERESTS.
Embarrassing Features Which Have
Tended to Delay the Work Of
Construction.
HAvRE, July l3.-The following 10
the report Of the committee sent to
Washington by the United Milk River
IrriR alton associ alton in the interests
of the lower portion of the Milk River
project and Of getting patents Issued
to desert and homestead entrymen:
Mr.. L. Newman, President Milk
River United Irrigation Associations:
Sir-We, your committee, appointed
to 60 to Washington at meeting held
At Chinook on the 9Th o: June, 1905,
beg to report as follows:
That on account of the extraordi-
nary floods and washouts along the
line of the Great Northern railway, we
were unable to start for Washington
until the oath day OF June: that we ar.
rived In Washington on the 9th day
of June, at noon: that on the following
day, we visited the president and took
the IN after up with him direct, touch.
ing upon the delay in the beginning OF
construction upon the Chain Lakes
reservoir and the Dodson dam and
bitches. We also wanted to know why
land upon which final proof had been
submitted three years ago was still
held up and neither patented nor can
celed, and told him that the people did
not think they we're getting square
deal.
The president took the matter up
with great vigor and called in the
heads Of the various departments, hav.
ing charge Of the matters brought by
Us 10 his attention, and. with them,
we had four different interviews with
the president.
These different interviews brought
to light the fact that the officers of the
reclamation service had inspected
great number Of claims held up for in.
spection in the areas Withdrawn for
the irrigation projects; that their re.
ports in most cases showed that the
land was desert in char racter, that the
settler had acted in good faith and
that the land had boon reclaimed, they
recommending the land for patent;
that a portion of the land had been in.
spected by inspectors of the land Of
fee, Mr.. Chadwick and Mr.. Good:
that their reports were usually ad-
verse, they reporting in most cases
that the land was not desert in char.
acter, but that in usuY. seasons it
would produce a paying crop without
irrigation, aud IN other cases that the
land had not been reclaimed and that
the settler had not shown good faith.
MIR Good also charged that the of.
6cers Of the reel am alton service
"stood i'm with the rauchers in many
cases, recommending land for patent
when, in fact. they knew it should be
recommended for cancellation. He
also reported that one of the officers
Of the reclaim alton service frankly ad.
mitted to him that he had done so in
cases where entrymen had expressed q
willingness to take water from the
government project. 1t seems that
these conflicting reports had embar.
ra,-ed toe land Office until it had held
up all claims. or at least great many
claims, to try and reconcile the re.
ports Of its different inspectors.
The president ordered that action be
taken at once in the N after of these
claims, and where inspection had been
made and reported favorably, patents
issued at once, and said that he would
see that these matters did not drag
along, but that inspection and issu.
ance of patents would be had just as
soon as possible: and from an inter.
view we had with the acting commits
sioner of the general land Office 1.-THE
commissioner being out OF the city J, we
feel sure that the matter will be
pushed by the land Office and that
these cases will be cleared up in the
next few months.
In the matter of the beginning of
work on the lower portions of the
Milk river project: 1t seems that
there are many embarrassing fea-
lures: IN the first place, the interna.
tioual problem. The St. Mary's
river and both forks of Milk river,
rising in the United States, flow into
Canada, the St. Mary's continuing
on through Canada to Hudson bay:
the Milk river running through Can
ada for about 100 miles and returning
to the United States. Both streams
are tapped by bitches in Canada, and
unless an agreement can be had with