The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1915-01-13
A GOOD MEASURE FOR NEVADA
Senator Pittrnan's Bul Aimed to En-
courage Land Reclamation From
Underground Waters.

The Churchill County STANDARD is
in receipt of United States Senator
Key Pittman's bill to encourage the
reclamation of lands within Nevada
not accessible to gravity flows of
water for irrigation purposes. The
bill. which follows. is said to have
an excellent chance for passage, and
is altogether one of the best and
most constructive in its provisions
Of any that have been put forward.
The state of Nevada stands in par
ticular need of just suhc measure
as Senator Pittman contemplates.
There are many valleys in Nevada
susceptible of great agricultural de-
yelopment and Senator Pittmanis S
bill will go a long way to solve the
problems incident upon these great
undertakings.
"Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Con-
gress assembled. that the Secretary
of the Interior is hereby authorized
to grant to any citizen of the United
States or to any association of such
persons or to any corporation organ
lied under the laws of the United
States. or of any State or Territory
thereof, a permit, which shall give
the exclusive right. for a period not
exceeding two years, to drill or 9TH
erwise explore for water beneath the
surface of not exceeding two thous-
and five hundred and Sky acres of
unreseryed unappropriated. non
.ts,o 1.nr In, a
of the United States in the s e of
Nevada not susceptible Of sue sssful
irrigation at a reasonable cost from
available source of surface water
supply.
Sec. 2. That such permit shall
he upon condition that the permit
tee shall begin operations for the de-
velopment of underground waters
within six months from the date of
the permit and continue same with
reasonable diligence until water has
been discovered in the quantity
hereinafter described or until the
date of expiration of the permit.
Sec. 8. That upon establishing
at any time within two years from
the date of the permit, to the salts
faction of the Secretary of the In
terror, that underground waters in
sufficient quantity to produce agri-
cultural crops other than native
grasses upon not less than twenty
acres of land have been discovered
and developed within the limits of
the land embraced in any permit,
the said permittee shall be entitled
to a patent for one-fourth of the
land embraced in the permit, such
area to be selected by the permittee
in compact form according to the
legal subdivisions of the public
land surveys If the land be surveyed,
or to be surveyed at his expense
under rules and regulations estab-
lish by the Secretary of the Interior
Ii located upon unsurveyed land.
Sec. 4. That the remaining area
within the limits of the land en-
braeed in any such permit shall
thereafter be reserved from other
disposition and be sold at public
auction under such rules and regu-
lations as may be prescribed by the
Secretary of the Interior, and in
such farm units not less than forty
acres in area as he may prescribe. to
the highest bidder for cash or for
amounts payable in annual INSTALL
ments not exceeding five.
Sec. 5. That one-third of all re-
oeipts obtained from the sale of
lands under the provisions of sec
tion four hereof shall be paid into,
reserved, and appropriated as a
part of the reclamation fund ere
ated by the Act of Congress ap-
proved June seventeenth, nineteen
hundred and two. one-third of the
proceeds of such sales shall be paid
by the Secretary of the Treasury,
after the expiration of each fiscal
year, to the state of Nevada, upon
express condition that all moneys SO
paid shall be available for and used
solely in the Improvement, repair,
or maintenance of the University of
Nevada, and the remaining one-third
of such proceeds shall be paid into,
set apart. and appropriated as a
fund to be expended under the di-
reetion of the Secretary of the In
terror in the laying out, construc-
tion and maintenance of public high
ways and post roads in the State of
Nevada and In compliance with the
provisions of this Act.
Sec. 6. That there is hereby ere
ated in said state a board to be
known as the public lands road
board. which shall consist of three
members The United States sur
veyor general for the State; the
State engineer, and a member ap-
pointed by the Secretary of the In
terror: Provided, That the Secre-
tary shall not appoint member of
said board and said board shall not
be organized until there shall have
accumulated in said road fund.
moneys sufficient in the judgment
of the Secretary of the Interior to
warrant proceeding with the loca-
tion or survey or construction of
one or more of such roads.
Sec. z. That said board shall
have full control and supervision
over the locating, building, and
maintenance of such roads.
Sec. 8. That the member ap.
pointed by the Secretary of the In
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