Omaha daily bee., 1914-07-07
Phaae. Of IrrteatIon rroblem.

Rn0Aen Oh AFEl8nAhOh f-FOuAeEhs
NORTH PLATTE, Neb., July 6,-To the
Editor OF The Bee: / noticed in a recent
issue OF The Bee that the Omaha Com
nercial club has become interested in
some Of the problems which up to the
present time have been generally supposed
to be of benefit only to the people Of the
western half Of the state.
During the last ten years the national
reclamation service has been experiment.
ing In tho western states in constructing
reservoirs and applying the water &c ben
eficial uSs in the irrigation Of crops.
great deal OF money has been spent by
the government in this experimental
work. great many mistakes have been
made However, these ten years Of edu-
cationa1 and experimental work by the
government has demonstrated the fact
that the government can control and con-
serve the waters OF the national streams.
In wyoming on the North Platte river
the government has constructed reser-
voir holding 100000 acre feet of water,
and never yet has been able to completely
fill the reservoir from all OF the flood and
surplus waters Of the North Platte river.
During the winter and spring months the
government is able to make the North
Platte river a bed OF dry sand except for
the small quantity of water that enters
from the tributaries IN Nebraska The
government is now constructing large res
ervoirs in the hills in the northern part
OF scott's Bluff cotnty to fiji these reser-
voirs from the waters OF the river east
of the large reservoir in Wyoming.
Irrigation engineers have figured that
the water supply OF the North Platte
river when properly conserved 10 suffi-
cient to furnish an ample now of water
In the river TO irrigate all the lands from
the western boundary Of Nebraska as far
east as irrigation Is necessary. The diff
ficulty under the present reclamation act
and the red tape at Washington, with
the attitude Of it's officials, is that these
waters are held in the reservoirs and not
applied to beneficial use during the sum-
mer months The department officials are
talking that the cost OF ell OF the gov
ernment's experimental work, including
the mistakes of It's engineers, shall be re-
turned to II in the sale OF water, and in
addition that the government be paid the
profits.
At the last legislature I secured the
passage OF the joint resolution request
ing our delegation in congress to have
surveys made OF the Platte river and the
territory in the south-central and west
ern par1 OF the state. for the purpose
OF ascertaining whether 1t was feasible
to conduct the surplus waters of the
Platte across the divide TO irrigate the
highlands OF southwest Nebraska un-
derstand some preliminary survey work Is
about to be done by the reclamation Serv-
ice II this can be made successful 1t
win mean the addition of billions OF dol
lars to the wealth OF Nebraska. IL will
mean that instead OF crop failure for
nearly ten years In southwestern Ne
braska there will be an abundance of
crops.
In the two last legislative sessions the
senator's and representatives from eastern
Nebraska tock no interest In irrigation
measures and did not even read the
bills We of the western part OF the
state believe that eastern Nebraska
should be as much interested in the well
fare Of the western part OF the state az
Il is IN the problems which affect only
eastern Nebraska local interests.
I believe that the Omaha Commercial
club has started a work. which. II they
will follow up and cooperate with the
irrigation association Of western Ne
braska. that will be Of material benefit
TO the entire state OF Nebraska The
| Commercial club OF Lincoln ought 70 also
take hold OF this question and assist In
solving these problems.
w. v. HoAoIAAND.
Il