Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1909-11-22
WILL ASK LOAN
OF S40,0O0,OO0
To Hurry Completion of
Irrigation Projects
in West
SENATOR CARTER'S PROPOSAL
Warrants to Be Issued by Secre-
tary Of interior for the
Purpose.

TurpOSS.
El Paso, Tex, Nov Ex-senator Car
tel OF Montana, chairman of the SEN
ate committee on irrigation, will en-
deavor to have funds raised for the
completion as soon as possible of every
irrigation project of the government
reclamation service now under way
in the west. The reclamation funds
are short, and Senator Carter pro-
poses to have the secretary of the in
terror issue warrants for 40 million
dollars, to be honored by the national
treasury the, same to be repaid as
soon as the money is paid hack from
the irrigation enterprises. Senator
Garter also said he would favor a
change in the present law requiring
ten equal payments for land, and have
a system of graduated payments, small
at first, and larger later.
May Recommend $4o,ooo,ooo Loan.
Washington, D. c., Nov. 22.-Sena-
tor Borah of Idaho, who was in the
west with the senate committee on ir.
rigation, was a White House visitor
today It is understood that the COM
mittee has decided to recommend to
Congress q bond issue for S40,000,000
for the immediate completion of at
least thirty-to approved projects, the
bonds to be paid for out of the reve
nues received from the sale of public
lands. The income from this source is
so slow that many years will elapse
before the water could be turned on
lands affected by the projects under
way,
Carlsbad Says No Change in Law Con-
templated.
Carlsbad, ~ NJ, Nov 22.-When the
senatorial committee met with the wa
ter users here many farmers under
the Carlsbad project were ready to
| tear, the reclamation service to pieces
accusing it of mismanagement, care,
| lessness and making many mistakes
| AS a result the Water Users Associa.
tion wanted relief from the payment
| for full cost of the irrigation project,
| but when the senators had finished the
| land owners found that neither they
nor any other water users would get
any sympathy at least from the United
| States Senate if they attempt any re-
pudiation of contracts or expect to be
| relieved from the payment of any cost
OF an irrigation project.
/ Water users charged that the pro.
iect, was generally estimated at $780,
600 but through mistakes it has cost
more than 100000 more and they
thought they should not be forced to
Pay more than the original cost esti-
mated. They cited as one instance
/ that the gates of the spillway break
every time they are opened and they
are now being replaced with new ones.
Boy Engineers on Job.
Senator Carter declared that the OBJ
lection to the spillway gates would
! certainly be we'll taken up and if lie
was in charge of the reclamation serv-
| ice he would tear them out and throw
! them into the river. He said he under
stood boy engineer now out of the
| service, had been allowed to practice
on ideas of his youthful mind. Not.
withstanding this Senator Carter de-
| nI1rnl yfo1- 1ilyo11- IN hnn
on any undertaking and inasmuch as
each reclamation project is new and
different from the others, great deaI
of it was experimental He declared
every estimate and contract is a gam
BILE and no man can say by looking al
a hill how much it will cost to move
it.
"If you build a house it always costs
more than you expected" said Senator
Carter, "yet your contractor is youl
agent and you do not complain, but
bear the cost. In this case the EN-
gineers are your agents and you must
pay every cent of cost Of the project
| Money is only loaned to various pro
jects and the secretary of the interior
must account for every cent. If he
laps off a little from each project he
viii soon eat up the fund and knock
other projects out of their just rights
and would result in Congress repeal
ing the entire law.
| Opposition to Law.
There is great opposition now tc
this law. New Englanders actually
declare if we furnish water for western
| dry lands we should start a fund tc
buy manure to enrich their worked out
lands. The first time you ask for an
amendment to the reclamation law the
whole thing will be repealed.
If you go asking Congress to LAP
off some of your cost Or to extend the
time Of payment to 20 years the whole
law will go to smash. Throughout our
entire trip we have had no complaint