The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1911-01-06
APPROVES OF ARMY ENGINEERS
REPORT DEcoMMsNDiNG
aPPoRTioNMENT.
BOOSTS RECLAMATION
s2o,OCo,ooo Is Thereby Made Available
Board Says Structures Are
Well Designed and
Built.

Washington, Dec. rs. - President
TAFT has approved the report or the
special board OF army engineers. rec.
ommending the apportienment OF the
new S20, 900, 900 fund provided by
congress among the following recia.
nation projects in the West:
Salt River. Ariz-. $4,000; Yuma,
Ariz., and california, Sl,200, geo; Grand
Valley. $1,000. 600; Uncompahgre. Col.
81 0,000: Payette-Boise. Idaho. 81.
600, 000; Milk River, Mont, sl,000.O00;
North Platte, Wyo., and Nebraska
s2,000.o00: Truckee-Carson, New, 81.
$4,000; Rio GTande, Y. NJ. Texas and
Mexico. $4,000. 600: UmatiIla. Ore,
1925, zoe: Klamath, Oregon and Cali,
fornia, 5000 900; Strawberry Valley,
Utah, s2,272.000; Sunny Side and Tie.
ton, Wash. 81. 100000 and S665.008. re-
spectively. Total. $40. 600. 600. The
~S20,oo0.o0o is 10 be spent within the
next five years and the interest on the
loan IS 10 be charged against the
projects.
Orland, Cal; Carlsbad, y. NJ; Mon.
do, n. NJ: Garden City. Kan; Kilt.
tas. Napata anG Benton. units of the
Yakima, Wash. project. For tue fol
lowing existing reclamation projects
the board of engineers. in the report
approved by the president, recon,
mends aiIotments from the general
reclamation fund:
Missouri pumping, y. D.; Belle
Fourche, s. d.: Shoshone, wvo.; Min.
idoka, Idaho: HuntIey, Mont: Sun
River, Mont: Lower Yellowstone,
Mont; Okanogan. Wash.
IN his letter to the secretary Of tie
interior approving the report. Presi
dent Taft says in part:
Il hereby approve the report OF
the board of engineers concerning the
reclamation projects to which they
have made allotments from the 500
900 600 loan. but this approval, so far
as the amounts OF the allotment are
concerned. is not final and absolute.
but is subject TO change by adjust.
ment of the amount as nay be neces.
sary for the intelligent prosecution OF
the work.
You are authorized 10 call upor
the secretary of the treasury to issue
the certificates of Indebtedness needed
TO furnish ne funds, in accordance
with the allotment recommended BY
the board and approved by rue. as the
same shall be needed from time TO
time.
III its report on the reclamation
work, the engineers board says in
part:
The engineering structures of the
various projects are. as 2 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 reflect
ing great credit on both designer and
builder.
Modern irrigation being a relative
ly new art in tins country, much free
dom was allowed in the design of
miner structures. Standard designs
of the simple. satisfactory type should
be adopted in future for all minor
structures.
The most uncertain feature Of
nearly all the projects is the water
supply. This is under state control.
Where the water rights have been adj
judicated. the rights CT the United
States are well defined. bat elsewhere
they are uncertain.
1T is recommended that. Wherever
possible. steps be taken to secure an
early adjudication of water rights.
The actual cost of completed work
has almost invariably exceeded the
original estimates, and in some cases
being two or three times as large. This
increase has been the cause of much
of the discomfort among the settlers.
II IA partly due to a general in
crease in the cost Of labor and mate
rails and partly to under estimates"
Under existing regulations, the re.
port sets forth. the construction charg-
es must be returned TO the reclama-
ton fund in 10 equal annual payments.
This. it is said. is regarded as a
hardship BY the settlers on some prof.
ecfs. who express a desire for q series
of graduated construction payments
increasing from / per cent or 2 per
cent the first year to II per ent or
Is per cent tie teath year. Shenlf
this suggestion bs generally adopted
Ct is pointed out n would mean a de
lay of -evera' years n the return Of
the frs halt Of the investment and
/. corresponding deIiy in the compile
ton OF other work.
Train Pottea: $500 Taken.