The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-01-28


stream Oklahoma. Lincoln. Creek.
Okuskcc, Okmugee and Mcintosh
Under the present law the matter of
drainage OF the Deep Fork would have
to bc taken up before the six differ
ent boards of county commissioners.
This would involve considerable work
and amendments To- tho present sta.
utcs are being prepared providing for
a drainage commission that will have
the authority to handle the entire
matter as one project. this doing
away with many of the complexities
of the present situation
Il is pointed oa' that another defect
in the present law is that thyr" is uu
provision for the state bearing the
share of the expense that would prop
erly bee apportioncd to the school
lands along the Deep Fork also that
the power of eminent domain should
be conferred upon the drainage com.
mission. so as TO enable that body to
take the steps necessary TO stop the
wash from adjacent hillsidcs and the
consequent filling Of bitches with silt
Congressional actions may be neces.
sary to authorize the taxing of the
costs Of the drainage work against the
lands now held as allotmouts
Mr. McEathron. has had great
deal of experience in the construction
Of drainage works and ne is conse-
qucntly familiar with the costs Of such
works He does not consider the
Deep Fork proposition nearly so diff
ncult as many others that he has
handled He thinks that this Is very
much the same as a proposition h.
handled out on similar stream In
Iowa, where the costs did not In any
way exceed sJ.75 per acre. This is
much less than was expected by
the people here.
The surveying Of such projects and
the making of estimates of the cost
is a part of the work of Mr. Eathron's
department. and this Is done with lit
tie or no cost to the drainage district
in which II is being done. The esti-
mate made by the government engin-
GERS is not only accurate but reliable,
furnishing a Trustworthy basis upon
which to contract for the construction
of the necessary work.
ePtitions are already being circu-
lated asking Secretary Wilson of the
department Of agriculture. to author
ize the immediate survey of the Deep
Fork project and these petitions will
be forwarded to Congressman Nc
!Guire to be presented to the secretary.
Oklahoma has received none of this
work and 1t is important that the
state get it's share of 1t, and that the
Deep Fork be the first to receive at
tention
After the survey IS made and the
cost is estimated by the expense of
the work. It can be met by the issu.
ing Of bonds, unless the necessary
fund can Doe had from the national
reclamation fund Mcclure has a bin
pending in congress now which pro
yidcs that the reclamation fund shall
be available for this drainage pro
iect, and if the bill passes, as it now
seems likely to do, at this session OF
| congress, the issuing of bonds will
not be necessary and there will bt
no interest required on the loan. tn,
land overs having merely to repay tC
the government their proportion o
! the expense in ten annual installment'
without interest, the government be
ing secured meanwhile by a lien up
on the land benefited.
II now seems that this drainage
proposition has passed beyond tn,
point where 1t is merely a dream ant
is rapidly nearing certainty. Th
first thing to do is to get the surve.
and the six counties along the Dee
Fork should all interest themselve
20 this end, by writing to the repre-
sentative in congi css, by petitions an,
otherwise The next thing is to ge
members Of the legislature 10 see tha
the needed amendments to the pre-.
ent drainage law are adopted. As +
this, the Lincoln county delegation /
already right The third thing to II
is to pull for the passage of the Nc
Guire bill in congress,
The benefits Of this drainage propr
sition being successfully carried on
will be great. 1t will mean million
Of dollars of taxable wealth added t
each of the counties lit will mea
that the productive capacity will b
increased many fold; it will mean tha