Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1906-05-17
Ten ACRE
FARM UNITS
MOpdeII Bill Which Cuts
HOmeSteadS to the Min
imum will be a Law.


from Washington says: The Mon
dell bill, providing for the subdi-
vision of lands entered under the
national reclamation law is almost
certain to become a law before the
close of the present session of con-
gress. The provisions of the bill
were fully set forth in the report
made to the house by Representa-
tive Reeder, of Kansas, who said:
The national reclamation act of
June II, 1902, provides in section
4 that the secretary of the interior
shall determine the area of entries
under the homestead law of lands
under irrigation projects, and that
the entries, shall represent the acre
age which, in the opinion of the
secretary, may be reasonably requir-
ed for the support of family upon
the lands in question. Such en-
tries, however, were not to be of
less than 40 acres nor more than
100 acres.
''Since the passage of the recla-
nation act it has developed that on
some of the lands to be irrigated,
particularly those in fruit and truck
farming districts, less than 40 acres
of land is necessary for the support
of family, and in fact, experience
has demonstrated that the average
farmer is more prosperous on a
small than on a large irrigated
farm. In view of this condition of
affairs it has been deemed wise to
reduce to 10 acres the minimum
entry which may be allowed.
In the construction of reclama-
ton works, and particularly where
it is necessary to flood lands for
water storage purpose, it is nee
essary at times to acquire lands
held and claimed under government
land laws. The officers of the re-
Clamation service believe that in
many instances the government
could secure accomplishments of
lands so held and claimed under
the land laws much more readily
and for less compensation if the
party relinquishing would not lose
his entry right by such relihquish-
ment.
Further, it seems entirely prop
er that where settler relinquishes
to the government for the purposes
of reclamation land which he claims
under the land laws he should be
given another opportunity to make
entry under the same law. Section
2 of the bill provides for this class
of cases.
Section of the bill is intend.
ed to bring under the provisions Of
the act of congress approved Apri
10, 1906, three town sites undei
the Minidoka project in the state
of Idaho, which we're set aside
under tine provisions of section.
1880 and 1881 of the revised stat
utes. -
This measure does not effect tn,
Mountain Home project in an,
way. Here government land i
ldkCn up DESERT lana &C
and every entryman is entitled t
800 acres. Homsteads of 100 acre
can also be filed on, which cost
nothing except the land office fees
Water for any quantity of LAM
without government or other re
stric tions, can be bought from tn
Great Western Beet Sugar com
pany, which is a private corpora
ton that has no connection wit
government lands. The ten, twent
and forty acre tracts that it sell
are lands the title to which passe
from the government to individual
years ago, and on which there rest
, no cloud. This is the advantag
which Mountain Home has owe
other irrigation projects in this an
other western states; a settler ca
farm all the land his capital wi
permit him to handle. Opportuni
ties are here offered to make for