The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1909-09-23
NEWLANDS GUEST AT DINNER
Questions Relating to the Pro-
ject Discussed by the
Senior Senator.

Senator Newlands was the guest of
honor at an informal supper at the
Churchill hotel Friday evening, at
which the following were also present:
Hon. w. w. Williams, |. II. Kent,
Fulton H. Sears, L. N. French, w. c.
Pitts, E. j. Freeman, Thomas H.
Means, c. A. Hascall, D. E. Williams
and W. C. Black The occasion was
given over largely to discussing the
various phases of the Truckee Carson
project and the governments attitude
towards the settlers. Newlsndss called
attention to the fact that members of
congress from other states are crying
for immediate repayment of eonstruc-
tion costs of projects already completed
and IN operation, that the sums in the
fund to the credits Of their states may be
available for early work on proposed
projects in the states they represent.
lnasmuch as only few of the units
are completed, Newlands did not sesm
to think that the time for deferred pay
ments had arrived as the matter had
lot been throughly tested
When asked by Senator Newlands
how many homesteaders were now de-
lInquent in their water payments. Mr.
Means stated tfat his records showed
that twenty-nne were now delinquent
and that good many who were
formerly figured deliuqennt were re-
moved from thia sta'us bv j late ruling
o. the secretary Of Die interior, who
held that those who fled during the
year 1907 and subsequent TO April st,
were not delinquent until December lst
of this year, rather than December 1T
of last year. |. II. Kent stated that
from his knowledge Of financial affairs,
the larger portion of the 279 home
steaders whose payments will be due
December lst of this year would al
so be delinquent, because be could not
see where their payments were going
to come from, unless many had re-
sources other than was apparent. w.
w. Williams called the attention of the
senior senator to the fact that our
lands, so productive after tillage and
irrigation, were often difficult to place
in crop and that he had a piece of
levelled land that had received his at
tention for five consecutive years with
out profitable crop, while just across
the road was another piece of land pro-
ducing abundantly, showing the yaria-
bility of our soils. Senator Newlands
stated that he knew all about our To-
cal problems, but could think of no re-
lief plan that would be acceptable to
the representatives of other states.
All present, including Project Engi-
neer Thomas. H. M ans believed in the
necessity of remedial legislation; the
only trouble lies in the difficulty of de-
vising plan that will be satisfactory
20 everyone concerned.
Newlands stated that of the twenty
three projects visited by the Senate
Committee, but few were completed,
but that each had its own problems, in
large part peculiar to the section. He.
seemed to think that later date will
demonstrate the advisability of new
laws and that whatever measure may
be framed for the relief of the home
builder, will meet with the most active
opposition, as Speaker Joe Cannon and
his lieutenants, Payne and Dalzell, in
the house and Aldrich in the senate,
are bitterly opposed to the reclamation
scheme as a whole.
Newlands asked about the conserva-
ton of the flood waters of the Truckee
and what steps had been taken along
this line. Mr. Means stated that plans
were all made for the construction of
the proposed Alkal Flat reservoir,
where an earthern dyke would serve
to impound 100, acre feet for use
during the irrgating system. Mr..
Means stated that if the cooperative
system had been allowed to remain
in force, the Carson reservoir question
could have been settled, as the most of
the work of dam building could have
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