Carson City daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1907-1930, 1914-04-15

Inc conference Ot representatives
ci the western states with the OFF,
cial, D. the interior departments
ference at Denver last week. was
fruitful at least in the exchange OF a
great deal OF valuable information.
The government learned at first hand
the views OF the west in respect to
the ways and means Of reclamation
and colonization of the arid public
lands and in turn the department Of
hcials gave their views.
Nevada was represented at the
conference by Governor Oddie, At
torncy General Thatcher w. NJ
Nearney, state engineer; DIR. J. +.
Stubhs, president of the university:
i. b. IIeadley, superintendent of the
irrigation farm at Falion, and the
writer.
-Four committees were appointed,
consisting Of one member from each
Of the sixteen states represented. DR..
Stubbs served on the committee on
government reclavation projects; Mr..
kearney on that having to do with
Carey acts; General Thatcher on that
relating to irrigation districts, and
myself on the committee on desert
land laws These committees held
hearings and reported their conclu-
4. i l..
ton by the convention at large In
thi, manner much valueless matter
wa~ eliminated and the resolutions
opened for discussion on the floor
were crystalized into brief form.
In respect to government rcclama-
ton projects it was shown and admit
ted both by the reclamation service
and by persons interested in or famil-
lar with such enterprises in all the
western states that the government
must do something more than merely
to provide the water system for the
irrigation OF the lands. That the high
percentage OF settlers who failed ON
these enterprises, losing their entries
and the time, labor and money they
had invested therein, demanded thar
Il remedy for this situation be applied.
1t was shown that the division of the
payments into ten equal installments
was too onerous, since from three to
four OF these payments came due be
tore the settler ordinarily was able
to get his land cleared. leveled. seeded
and in such crops that at the end OF
the season the balance of income
against outlay was i'll his favor. It
was shown that this was not only
true on the Truckee Carson project,
but on all the other government proJ-
ects. The remedy proposed in this
instance met with the concurrence
and approval OF the interior depart
ment and was agreed to by the dele
gates. In substance it was that i'll ad-
dition to providing the water-supply
system, the reclamation service clear
and level all, or at least portion. OF
each entry so that the settler, instead
o. having to do that expensive and
timc-con,umng work himself. can
begin growing crops on suDstan-
cial portion OF his acreage the hrs'
year: that the government advise the
settler what crops to grow, the best
methods of cultivation, and exercise
ever his early efforts in establishing
himself more or less patcrnal inter
est and care, and that the payments
required of the settler for his lanJ
and water right, during the first five
or ten years be light, perhaps not
more than sums sufficient to meet the
maintenance charge, and that the per
iod of liquidating what he owes the
government cover at least ten years
additional.
The Carey Act
While it was shown conclusively
that the Carey act had been of enor-
NOUS benefit in reclaiming large area: