Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-09-03
WITHDRAWS
OPPOSITION TO
RECLAMATION
OREGON LAND & WATER COM
PANY NO LONGER OPPOSES
WATER FILINGS OF GOVERN
MENT FOR THE UMATILLA
PROJECT.

J. II. Raley, of Pendleton, repre-
senting the Oregon Land g. Water
company, yesterday afternoon wired
State Engineer Lewis withdrawing
the formal protest of that organiza-
ton against the approval by the
state engineer of the water filings
Of the United States reclamation
service for the reclamation of the
60,009-acre extension to the Una
tilla project This removes all OBJ
stacles in the way of this project
and this is the only project in the
state that is entitled to receive any
portion of the $20,00O,00O appro
priated by congress at the last ses-
sion. The state is already entitled
to more money of the reclamation
fund than will take to complete this
project which will be in the neigh
borhood of $40O0.OOO.
The board of army engineers who
are in the west inspecting the var.
ious reclamation projects entitled to
government aid under this approprl-
alton and upon whose report this
money will be distributed, will be in
Portland next Monday, and Acting
Governor Bowerman will appear be-
fore them and urge upon them the
necessity for the approval of the pro-
ject. Secretary of the Interior Bal
linger, during his western tour
made the statement that the East
Umatllla project is a failure, when,
as matter of fact, land provided
with water under the government
canals has been selling at $500 per
acre, and in the opinion of State
Engineer Lewis, this erroneous tes-
timony should be corrected and the !
board of army engineers rightly in
formed Of the true conditions sur
the project in contempla-
ton.
Up to June so, 1909, Oregon had
$S,174,692 to the re-
fund and the major por-
lion of this amount, or 81 per cent,
to $4,169,OOO should have
been expended in the aid of reclama-
ion work within this state, but, up
% June 30, 1909, only $2,S5S,5S5
lad been expended within this state
md but little since that time, and
hat money has been expended in the
lid of reclamation work in Arizona
md other western states. Two years
lonce the state of oregon will be en-
tiled to $1O,0O0,OOO by virtue of
he law which says that "the total
AMOUNT of money contributed by any
state shall be returned within 10
Years from the adoption of the re-
'lamation act" This money hav- (
ng been expended in other states,
'annot be recovered until the re-
projects are completed
md money realized from the settle
nent to be paid back to Oregon.
This land lies along the Columbia
liver. has both rail and water trans
,ortation, and has a longer growing
eason than any other section Of the
tate II completed Il win provide
500 homes of 40 acres each and
win support several new towns. The
approval of the governments appli-
ation for the appropriation of water
las been held up for some time due
o an overlap in the water right ap-
)lioations between the government
md the Oregon Land & Water Com
,any all of which has been subse-
luently covered by the filing of DR.
Andrew Smith, of Portland, and the
yaiving OF the objections of the o,
=. s W. Company, removes the most
ierlous obstacle In the way of It's APP
,roval AS soon as the state Engi-
leer can check up the maps he win
,pprove the governments filing,
md all that viii then need to be done
will be the setting aside OF the mon
~ for the project.