The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-03-11
$4O,OOO,OOO TO SPEND
New Reclamation Director
Describes His Task.
FASCINATION IN THE WORK
+. II. Newell EnthusIastIc over Pros
pect of Providing Homes for Thou
sands Dat of Arid LRnd-ProjeetS
Under Way Involve TransfOrma-
tisn of Million Acres.

Forty million dollars is to be spent in
two years by the Reclamation Service
under the supervision Of Frederick
Haynes Newell the newly appointed d.
rector OF the bureau. In the opinion Of
Mr.. Newell not only will this sum be
returned to the United States Treasury,
but the good arising from its expenditure
will influence Congress to appropriate
larger amounts for the increasing Of the
scope Of the service, At the present time
construction work is going on in thirteen
States and three Territories. involving
the reclamation of 100000 acres. Con
tracts for the greater parts of these
projects have been awarded and the work
will continue practically as it has in the
past" said 4lr. Newell, yesterday. zone
of the new phases of the situation and
question to be considered by the new
Secretary Of the Interior and the Off
Gals Of the service IS the payment for
the work. The lands are given to the
settlers with the proyiso that the water
must be paid for.
IN Idaho, for instance, the stipulated
price is s. an acre, TO be paid in install
uents covering q period OF not more than
ten and not less than five years. This i
10 prevent the acquisition of a large ter
Titory by one owner. The land Is divided
into farms of probably forty, sixty, or
eighty acres, and a settler who has lived
five years on one OF these farms is apt 90
form an attachment for his home and re-
fuse the offers of the spectators.
Homes for Thousands.
,--,r. g,,-4,,.- T4,,7,- S. Inter
esting from its very nature. 1t means the
furnishing of homes 20 thousands of per
sons and an enormous increase 10 the
revenues OF the country Hundreds Of
thousands of acres of lands that are nOT
practically valueless will when cultivated
sustain one person 10 the acre
This means the development Of inter
nal commerce, because the people of the
West are good spenders, and the money
they earn will i'm part go TO build up the
manufacturing interests of the East.
During the coming summer I shall
divide my time between an inspection or
the various projects in the West and
Washington. The work has continued
throughout the winter wherever possible.
though severe weather conditions have
retarded it iu q number of instances.
salt River, above Phoenix, Ariz.. which.
when completed will be one of the
largest structures Of it's kind in the
world, has been delayed because OF The
many foods which have continued
throughout she winter. The railroad
tracks near Phoenix, 1 am informed, were
washed out eleven times during the year.
II have been connected with reclama-
tion work since 1855. and il has always
proved intensely interesting. The work
OF transforming a desert into homes has
fascination easily accounted for.
Water Near Surface.
"WaHe working in the Nevada desert.
which for forty miles is covered with the
bones of animals and men. we found
water within fifteen feet of the surface.
This land is possible of cultivation, and
in "a few years will be a land of farms,
supplying homes to thousands In less
than FIVE years the service has practically
completed four projects. and Will supply
water to 2S0000 acres Of desert"
Mr.. Newell is thoroughly in sympathy
with the work of Clifford PinchOt. chief
of the Forestry Bureau Of the Depart
ment of Agriculture.
~. Piuchot." he said. is doing a
great work TO which ne is devoting every
effort OF his life, The time has come
when the American people are beginning
10 realize that the Presidents policy of
outstanding the resources Of the country
must De brought 90 a realization. The
wanton burning by prospectOrs of forest
lands In the West has resulted in a loss
of hundreds OF thousands OF dollars. and
IL Is 10 prevent further waste that the
Reclamation Service and the Forestry
Bureau are directing their Efforts