The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-12-30
.APPROPR|AT|ONSFOR
WEST APPRSvED
PRESIDENT TAFT PUTS o. x. ON
REPORT OF ARMY
ENGINEERS.
Releases s2o,ooo,ooo for Use on Fed
eral Reclamation Projects Under
Way-Engineers Report That. Uncle
Sans Projects Are Weak in That
States Control Riparian Privileges
Here and There.

F,
Here and There.
Washington, Dec. 26.-President
Taft has approved the report of the
special board of army engineers, rec
ommending the appropriation Of the
100000 fund, provided by congress,
among the following reclamation pro-
jects in the West:
Salt river, Ariz., $495,OO0; Yuma,
Ariz., and California, $1,2OO,0OO; Grand
Valley, Colo, $1.OOO,OOO; Uncompahgre,
Colo, $1,500,000; Payette, Boise, Idaho,
$2,0OO.000; Milky river, Mont, $1,000
000;l North Platte, Wyo., and Neb.,
$4,000, 900; Truckee, Carson, New, ST.
$4,000; Rio Grande, N. NJ. Texas and
Mexico, $4.5OO,OOO; Umatilla, O., $685.
900; klamath, Or, and CAL, 100000;
Strawberry Valley, Utah, $2,272,0O0;
Sunnyside and Tieton, Yakima, Wash,
s1,250,OOO and $665, respectively.
Five-Year Proviso.
The 20,0O0,OOO is to be spent within
the next five years and the interest on
the loan is to be charged against the
projects. The following projects, COM
pleted or nearing completion, carry a
recommendation sfor the funds from
the general reclamation act sufficient
only for maintenance and operation:
Orland, CAL; Carlsbad, N. M; Hon
do, N. M; Garden City, Kan; Kittitas,
Wapato and Benton, units of the Yaki-
ma, Wash, project.
For the following existing reclama-
ton projects the board of engineers,
in the report, approved by the presi-
dent, recommends allotments from the
general reclamation fund:
Missouri Pumping, N. D.; Belle
fourche, S. D.; Shoshone, Wyo.; Mini
doka, Idaho; Huntley, Mont; Sun
river, Mont; Lower Yellowstone,
Mont, and Okanogan, Wash.
In his letter to the secretary of the
interior, approving the report of the
engineers, President Taft says in part:
President Gives Views.
81 hereby approve the report OF the
board of engineers in respect of the
reclamation projects, to which they
have made allotments from the $2O,,
600 900 loan, but this approval, SO far
as the amounts of the allOtments are
concerned, is not final and absolute.
but is intended to be subject to
change by adjustment and modifica
ton of the amounts, as may be neces-
sary for the intelligent and proper
prosecution of the work, and to the ad'
vantage of the service.
"You are authorized to call upon the
secretary of the treasury to issue GER
tifcates of indebtedness needed to fur.
nish the funds in accordance with the
allotment recommended by the board
and approved by me, as the same shall
be needed from time to time in pur-
suance of the terms of the act.
.sThe remainder of the report OF the
engineers, which was not responsive
to the direction of the law, but which
was drawn at my request and for my
information, I hereby approve, and
when congress reconvenes in January
shall submit a message to the two
houses. transmitting the report an
nouncing my approval for the same
and urging the adoption of the en-
abling legislative measures recon-
mended by the board
Engineers Report.
In it's comprehensive report on the
reclamation work in general, the en-
gineers' board says, in part:
ssThe engineering structures OF the
various projects are, as a whole, wei
designed and well built. Some of them
as the Pathfinder dam, the Shoshone
dam. the Roosevelt dam, and the Gun
nison tunnel, are monuments renect
| ing great credit on both designer ano
builder.
Modern irrigation being relative
w new art in this country, much Tree
dom was allowed and local engineers
in thedesign of minor structures. While
this was a wise policy in the early
stage of the work, it has resulted IN
some complicated and unnecessarily
expensive structures. With the pres
1
ent knowledge of the comparative mer
| its of the different types, it is believed
that standard designs of the simplest
satisfactory type should be adopted
| for all minor structures.
"The most uncertain feature q near
" all the projects is the water supply
This is under state control and IN the
nrosecutio nof it's work the reclama
ton service bears the same relation te
the state as to private individual OF
corporation. When the water rlsnts
have been adjudicated. the rights O
the United States are well defined, pu
elsewhere they are uncertain and may
! prove to be materially different non
those assumed.
ut is recommended that. wherever
possible, steps be taken to secure a
early adjudication Of water rignts OF
all projects where such adjud1ca tlon !
have not yet been made and that, pend
ing such action, expenditures be KEEP
With nthe probable rights Of the uni
| ted States.
.sThe actual cost Of completes Worl
-. srvor;ahlv cxceeded the or1Glna