El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-08-14
SPECIAL BOARD
To SELECT LANDS
To RECEIVE WATER
Chairman Newell Suggests
Personnel of Board and
Lands to Be Preferred.

vva+sr service for the lands under
the FIeDhant Butte project IS 10 De
determined by a board OF recldlha llon
service engineers This commission mas
been recommended TO secretary OF the
irrarfor FRANKLIN X Lane Dy chairman
+. III Newell, Of the reclamation com
mission and will decide which lands In
tbe Rio Grande valleys are 10 receive
the life giving waters OF the river from
the Elephant Butte project
This is regarded as the most lmpor-
tanr Information that has been received
at the local reclamation service oIIlces
for months. Contracts maze since the
nrofect was initiated and excess mold
iDor contracts made when the project
was initiated. have been incluoed under
the project until there IS more acreage
than water service the commission
will hold sessions and decide the i'm
T,ortaDt Question of which lands shall
have water service, according to the
reclamation commissions recommends
ton.
The recommendation Of the commits
sion through its chairman, 10 the seere-
tary Of the interior, is that board be
appointed 20 designate lands to be ir-
rigated on the Rio Grande project, and
the commission recommends that the
hoard consist OF F H hanna supervising
engineer L d. O'DonneI, supervisor Of
irrigation. and A 7. Strahorn, or other
agricultural expert familiar with the
project
mans recommendation refers to the
method OF procedure. The preference
to be given to the cultivated lands shall
be given in the following sequence;
Lands to Have Preference.
First-To lands in single ownership
OF not to exceed 160 acres under con-
tract with the service when the project
was initiated.
Second-To lands in single ownership
OF not TO exceed 100 acres contracted
for since the project was initiated
Third-TO lands in excess Of $50 acres
and signed up under excess holding
contracts when the project was ini-
tiated-
Fourth-To lands in single ownership
in excess OF $50 acres contracted for
since the project was initiated
OBJ After all cultivated lands have
been included under such rule, the un-
cultivated lands should next be ad-
mitted in like order or preference
To Consider Drainage Question
The chairman also recommends that
this board shall consider the important
question Of drainage in connection with
the limitation Of area of lands under
the project If this is not practicable,
il is suggested that the board refer this
question TO a coordinate board which
may include the drainage engineer.
Recommendation Received Friday.
The recommendation Of chairman
Newell to secretary Lane was received
by project engineer L NJ Lawson here
Friday in the form of a copy Of the
letter which was sent 10 the secretary
of the interior.
Emphasizes It's Importance.
The Importance OF chairman Newelrs
suggestion is emphasized in a letter 70
the FL PasO Herald from project engi-
neer L. u Lawson, in which he says
in part:
zone of the most important steps In
the development Of a reclamation SER
vice project is the designation of lands
ton, and this letter chairman NewelHsl
explains the procedure OF the selection
OF board or commission TO consider
the limits Of the project. as well as the
method TO be followed in selection"