The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-05-06
NORCROSS EX.
PLAINS CAREY ACT

this office has frequent calls for in
formation concerning the best method
of securing title to tract of govern
ment land. The provisions Of the
Carey act are very clearly set forth in
the following article from the pen of
Charles A. Norcross, state commits
sioner of industry, agriculture and
irrigation, published in the Gazette:
What the Carey act is, how it will
be applied in Nevada, and the proceed
ure of reclaiming the 100000 acres
of public desert lands granted the
state by congress, is the subject of
bulletin No. 2, just issued by the new
Nevada bureau of industry, agricul-
ture and irrigation. The bulletin con-
tains AZ pages of printed matter rela-
tive to the Carey act, including gov
ernment and state laws, the regula-
tions of the interior department and of
the state commission, and a complete
explanation of its workings. 1t will
be mailed to any address on request of
the bureau at Carson City, inclosing a
two cent stamp to cover postage.
What Is the Carey Act7
There is no act Of congress, of equal
Importance to the arid land states,
concerning which there is less popular
information, or, to speak plainly,
more misconception of its intent and
purpose. While the arid land states
about us have been applying the law
extensively the past ten years, the in
eeption of its application in Nevada
dates back but little more than a year.
At the present time Nevada is attract
ing great attention as a field of ex.
ploitation under the Carey act and al
ready projects and applications in
volving more than a million acres of
land are on file in the division of
Carey act lands, under the new bureau.
''It will surprise many to learn, -
says the bulletin, "that no land is ac-
quired by any person, company or cor
poration conducting Carey act pro-
jeet, for the reason that 'Carey act
projects are, per Sc, reclamation pro
jects, undertaken to supply water for
the irrigation of a given tract of land
and when completed the person, com
pany or corporation conducting the
same derives his or it's profits from the
sale of the water rights to the settlers
on the lands The land under each
reclamation project is set apart by the
national government to the state and
under the terms of the new law the
state, through the commission, fixes
price of not less than so cents MOI
more than 81 per acre upon the land
the proceeds of which goes into a trust
fund in the state treasury, and which
under the act of congress, can only be
used for the reclamation of other des
ert lands in the state.
The Five Stages of Carey Act Pro.
ject
|. The application for the water
right in the office of the state engi
neer.
2. The application for the tempo
rary withdrawal of the lands proposed
to be reclaimed by the water right
from disposal to any other applicant
under any state or United States land
laws, for the period Of one year, to en-
able the applicant to perfect his sur.
veys, maps, plats and determinations
in form and detail as required by the
interior department before approving
segregation of the lands to the state
3. The application (on the com
pletion of the foregoing surveys, etc.
for a complete segregation of the lands
which, when approved by the secretary
of the interior, sets apart such lands
under state control, to such irrigation
project.
4. The execution of a contract with
the state, within three months after
notice of such approval, covering the
construction of the irrigation works
onetenth completed the first year and
the whole completed within three
years after contract date.
5. The sale of the lands by the
state, and the water rights by the con
tractor, as the irrigation works are
completed to deliver water upon the
lands, to settlers.
Such in substance is the Carey act
a measure of the greatest practica
beneficence to states, like Nevada
possessing vast areas of desert land.
requiring capital to reclaim by the
construction of more or less expensive
irrigation works, and the reclamation
of which in small tracts is beyond tn,
reach and means of the ultimate set
tier. The government, under the ma
tional reclamation act, undertake!
great irrigation projects in variou,
sections of the west, as at Fallon il
this state, completing the irrigation
system and selling the land and water
rights to settlers. Under the Carey
act private enterprise constructs tn,
irrigation works, is given lien upor
the land to be reclaimed until the set
tier pays for the water right, when tn,
latter becomes the owner, in associa
tion with all other settlers under tn,
project, of the irrigation works, ant
the contractor is eliminated with thu
profits he has made from his enter
prise by the sale of water rights.
The system has proved extraordi
narily successful in Idaho, Utah, Wy
oming, Colorado and Montana, and ha
done more to stimulate the reclamation
and colonization of these states thar
any other measure, either national o
state.
Moreover, and now of particular i'm
portance to Nevada these surroundin,
states, during the past ten years, hav
practically exhausted the most avail
able opportunities for reclamation pro
jects. This state is almost virgil