The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1907-11-02
THE IDAHO SCIMITAR.

provisions all or the money derived from the SAFE
of public lands is set aparafter deducting the ex-
penses necessary to maintain the United States Land
Ofices-and is to be used by the Secretary of the
Interior to build reservoirs and canals to reclaim
desert lands which are too difficult and too costly
for private capital to reclaim.
The lands under the canals constructed by the
Government are to be taken up by the settlers un-
der easy conditions The laws of the respective
states and territories are be in full force to
the use and distribution of the waters, and canals
are to be turned over the settlers when certain
stipulations are complied with The reservoirs and
works necessary for their protection and their man
agement and operation remain the possession of the
Government until the Government itself, by specific
act of Congress, shall otherwise provide.
The settled policy of Congress to stimulate private
enterprise in the development of arid wastes is not
changed by this act. 1t is not the design of the
Government to store flood waters appropriate
streams which necessary for the successful car
rying on of irrigation works already constructed
by individual or corporate effort, but it was con-
tenp1ated that the work done by private parties
should be supplemented through Government aid.
For illustration: All the waters of Boise River
have been appropriated. A vast amount of flood
water which to waste is being stored
through system of reservoirs at the source
of the stream This impounded water will be used
in retaining vast tracts of land along the Boise
River which cannot be reached by the natural flow
of the stream. The water rights already acquired
along the river will of course be respected and
strengthened
The design of the law is to charge enough for the
lands irrigated under the act to pay for the cost OF
the construction of the work, and this fund is to
be used in other projects. The fund is thus made
perpetual and will be utilized until all lands
susceptible of irrigation irrigated.
Under this act land shall be subject to entry only
under the provision of the homestead law the COM
mutation clause being limited, and in tracts of not
less than forty or more than 100 acres; and the
right to the use of water for land thus entered shall
not be sold to any land owner for a tract ex-
ceeding 100 acres.
There have been three Withdrawals of land in
Idaho under the National Reclamation Act Under the
Mnidoka project, Cassa and Lincoln Counties, 1885,
900 acres; Payette-Boise project, Ada and Canyon
Counties, $4,000 acres; Dubois project, Fremont
County, $4,000 acres. Of these lands there will be
redeemed when work being carried on by the
Government is completed: On Minidoka project,
900 acres on Payete Boise project $4,000 acres.
The Government has appropriated: For M1n1doka
project $1889O 600; for Payette-B Boise project ST.,
OOO
There has been placed in the national reclamation
fund in the neighborhood of 100000 derived from
the sale of public lands and all of this is being used
in various enterprises, and millions of dollars in
addition will be required to complete the work al
ready commenced. No project has as yet COM
menced to repay the Government for the cost of
construction The Government works have been laid
on broad foundations They permanent and en-
during All the money derived from the sale of
public lands and which will come into the recama-
ton fund for several years to come is needed for
the cnnnleton of work already begun. Within