The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1911-01-20


gineers State Reasons for Giving |
Enterprise More Money Now. Land
Is Worth the Price.
The following press dispatch from |
Washington will prove of general in
terest to the readers OF The Tribune
as it goes into the details of the report
the army engineers made on the Pay
ette-Boise government reclamation pro-
ject.
The reasons why the board Of army
engineers dealt generously with the
two government projects in Idaho 10
fully explained in the report which they
made to President Taft, and upon
which the president apporttoned suf-
ficient funds to carry both the Pay
cite Boise and the Minidoka projects
to early completion.
1t is true that the large apportion-
ments were in a considerable measure
due to the activity of Senator Borah,
to whom belongs chief credit for the
enactment fthe $20,0O00O0 bill OF
last session. But it is also true that
the two Idaho projects, when exam
ined by the army engineers last sum-
mer, showed conditions and prospects
justifying their completion with as
much expedition as possible. Carrying
out this idea, the board recommend,
and the president apportioned S.
,435 to complete the Payette- Boise,
and $52S,OOO to complete the Minido-
ka according to present approved
plans.
So important is the report Of the
board that it is here quoted at length.
Concerning the Payette- Boise PROJECT
the board says:
The original Payette-Boise project
included an area of 1927 acres and
was divided into four subdivisions, as
follows:
First The Payette division COM
prising lands in the Payette valley and
part of the Boise valley, the total
area being $4,000 acres, Of which 60.
900 were desert and 10000 under cul'
tivation.
Second. The North Side Boise unit
comprising lands on the north sid'
of the Boise river under Farmers I'm
ion canal, the total area being $4,000
acres, of which $4,000 acres wer'
desert and 5000 cultivated.
Third. The South Side Boise unit
comprising $4,000 acres, of which
100000 acres were already irrigatet
or provided with canals Of sufficien
capacity therefor.
Fourth. The Succor creek division
comprising lands on the south side Q
Snake river near the Idaho-Orego
state line, the total area being 20
700 acres, of which 1000 acres wer
to be served by reservoirs on succo
creek and 1900 by pumping froI
Snake river the power from which wa
to be obtained from the proposed PaI
cite canal.
Owing to the lack Of funds and Il
gal complications, and in response
petition OF settlers In the North Sic
and Payette subdivisions, three
these subdivisions have been abal
doned for the present, as we'll as ce
tain portions of the third subdiVisic
aggregating 100000 acres For
thousand acres of land, reserved t.
the Payette division, have been r
stored to entry. and settlers are pr
posing to take up this work by pl
vate enterprise.
The project as now defined II
within the third subdivision abo
enumerated, and comprises a total
24S,0O0 acres OF which 10000 a
new lands and $4,000 are old lands
ready under irrigation from priva
bitches. The relationship existing
tween the owners of these canals a
the government will be described lat
The United states has acQuir
rights under Idaho state laws to
flow OF 1647 second-feet from
Boise river for the use Of the mi
south side canal and has applied
1853 second feet additional water
use In the main south side canal, d.
Flat reservoir and Boise river res
voir when constructed
In making a study Of the wa
supply the following assumptions
made by the project engineG. v
That there Is a 10 per cent less