The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1909-10-05

would probably have been wiser to
adhere strictly to the limitation thus
construed, even though the language of
the act, by dividing up the projects
into parts in in terms seemed TO permit
the beginning of more projects than
there was likely to be money enough
to complete within reasonable time.
"The pressure was doubtless very
great, and the reclamation service
yielded to the pressure within tn elet.
ter of the law, and now find them.
selves in the situation described.
"The work has been well done and
reflects great credit on the engineers
who have had charge Of it.
"But something must be done to re-
lieve the present situation, which is
one of disappointed hopes to many set.
tiers upon the arid lands, who, count
ing upon an early completion of the
projects undertaken, have invested
their money and spent their time and
seemed to be no nearer the goal Of sat
isfaetory irrigation than they were
when the projects were begun.
81 think it wise to apply to con-
gress for relief by urging the passage
Iof an enabling act which shall permit
the secretary of the interior to issue
bonds in the sum of $10,O0O,O 900 or
more to complete all the pojects now
projected.
"These bonds should be redeemed
from the money paid into the reclama-
tion funds after the completion of the
projects.
"From conversation with the sena.
tors who have visited much Of the rec
lamation work and given an examina-
tion to its progress I infer that such
proposal as this seems to them to be
the best way out Of the present diff
Guilty, and I shall take pleasure in rec
ommending the passage of such rem
ial measure by the next congress.
"No one can visit this western coun-
try without being overwhelmingly con-
vinced of the urgent necessity for the
proper treatment of arid and semi-arid
lands by the extension Of systems Of
irrigation.
"The results in the productivity of
the soil irrigated are marvellous. The
mere fact that the reclamation SER
vice has gone ahead too fast ought not
to prevent congress from lending its
aid to overcome the difficulty.
"We shall know better in the furth-
er treatment of the subject and in the
further use Of the $50,O00,0OO fund
how to avoid putting ourselves in a
similar position again. Meantime ir-
rigation works under private auspices
are being projected in every direction,
and the prospect Of reclaiming millions
of acres from the deserts is most en-.
couraging.
"The examples of government en-
gineering and of ingenuity in planning
the structures in these various govern
ment projects for irrigation are OF i'm
mense utility as models for private
enterprise.
cone subject that is now being agi-
tated in some quarters calls for notice.
Payment for irrigated lands is re-
ouired in 10 annual instalments.
Suggestions are now being made
that these should be heightened into
longer term. I sincerely hope that
congress will not listen to such ap-
peals.
CIT may be well to make the first
three or four instalments nominal, but
after that time the instalments should
be large enough to pay the total
amount due, upon which no interest is
calculated, in 10 years.
"Any other course will encourage
lack of thrift and industry, and VIII
greatly embarrass the extension and
continuance of the work OF irriga-
tion -