The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-11-20
SETTLERS MAY
WORK ON DITCH
GOVERNMENT PLAN TO LET
THEM SAVE SOME PAYMENTS.
NEW PROJECT lSopENED
Az nounce ' eme,t g 'He Made a Opening
to Irrigation Of 1900 Acres o.
Lower Yellowstone Project--RecIa-
nation Headquarters In Helena.

Settlers on the yHuntley project are
to be given a9T opportunity to work
out part Of their payments to the gov
ernment foDconstruction of the canal
and its maintenance by doing excava-
tion wbM on the proposed extension
to the canal, which is designed to irri-
gate 5000 more acres, which have not
yet been settled, according to Super
vising Engineer H. M. Savage of the
reclamation service, who was in Bill
ings last night on his way to Helena,
where the headquarters of the recla-
nation service are to be maintained
in the future.
Mr.. Savage says the change in head
quarters has been brought about by
the completion of the hardest work at
Huntley and the inauguration by the
reclamation service of work on the
Fathead, Rlackfeet and Fort Peck In
dian reservations. Helena as result
would be nearer to the majority of the
projects under his supervision.
1T is surprising" said Mr.. Savage,
"the way the Huntley project is being
settled. have been at Huntley two
days and saw much of the project.
The settlers are building good sub
stantial homes and their farms in
nearly every instance indicate that
they must have a small bank account.
Improvements are being made all over
the project.
Commenting upon the plan to per-
M ~ f, In %i,,oe ~,
lieu of their payments or rather part
OF their payments, he said that the
plan to be adopted was similar to the
one used on the Shoshone project,
speaking of which he said:
''The reclamation service is adopt
ing the policy OF cooperation in the
construction of irrigation projects and
by this policy it becomes possible for
the settlers to work out part of their
payments to the government for the
construction of the project The first
unit of the Shoshone project, about
$4,000 acres, is about one-half taken
up and it is being rapidly filed upon.
1t is probable that the second unit
will be opened in the early portion of
1908. Entrymen on the first unit are
being given an opportunity to work
on the canal construction on the sec
ond unit, being given work in the
winter when they cannot farm and
thus they are enabled to save part of
the money they pay for their water.
This same policy is to be adopted on
the construction of the extension to
the Huntley project"
Mr.. Savage says that work on the
Lower Yellowstone project has pro-
gressed so we'll that $4,000 acres of it
can be irrigated and farmed next
spring. He says that in a few days
the secretary Of the interior will pub
licly announce the opening Of the A.
900 acres for irrigation.
Mr.. Savage is accompanied on his,
way to Helena by G. e. Dashenett, SUI
pervisor of Indian labor, whom he will
accompany to the Blacldeet Indian
reservation, where the reclamation.
service is constructing an Irrigation
project for the Indians.
He says the service also has prof.
ects under way on which they are
either doing constructions work or en-
gineering, on the Fathead, Fort Peck
and Blackfeet Indian reservations, as
well as the projects at Huntley, 'Sho-
shone and Lower Yellowstone.