The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1915-11-02
DESERT ruling
WORKS HARDSHIP

The attention of the Record
has been called to the following rul-
ing of Secretary Lane in regard to
desert land entries made where water
is to be supplied by pumping:
Instructions in the Matter of Pumping
Plants.
Washington, d. c., Aug. 16, 1915.
Applicants to make entry of land
under the desert-land laws should be
made clearly to understand that where
water supply is made available for
irrigation purposes by means of a
Pumping plant, such plant must be of
capacity to make available at the
time of final proof a sufficient supply
of water to irrigate all irrigable land
embraced in a particular entry
Unless this ruling can be withdrawn
the people of the west might just as
well quit trying to take up land under
the desert act in any of the many To-
calities where water for irrigation is
available only by pumping. The re-
quirements of the government are al
most II not quite prohibitive. The
Record is informed that second
foot flow for "a hours is required for
each 100 acres. This means a capacity
of approximately 650,00 gallons of
water pumped per day for each 100
acres of land entered.
In White Pine county government
land suitable for agricultural purposes
is available mainly in regions which
are from so to 100 miles from a rail
road. To purchase and install
pumping plant large enough to irri-
gate 160 acres of land in any of these
rather remote localities would involve
an expense in excess of $4,000. Add
TO this the cost of clearing the land
OF sagebrush, the expense of con-
structing farm buildings, bitches for
irrigation, fences, blowing, etc, and
one has total far beyond the modest
means of the men who are anxious to
build up homes for themselves and
their families by the entry and i'm
provement of government lands.
1t is earnestly hoped that the de-
partment at Washington may see fit
to modify this ruling in regard to des-
ert lands. Irrigation by pumping is
the only possible method by which
great tracts of sagebrush land in Ne
vada and other western states can be
reclaimed and mode productive. Prac-
tiCally all land which can be irrigated
by the flow from streams was taken
up long ago.
In the early eighties the fertile
lands of Kansas, Nebraska and other
states were taken up under a system
of land laws so liberal and in some
eases so carelessly administered that
great frauds resulted and fortunes
were accumulated by unserupulous
spectators who took advantage of the
popular delusion expressed at that
time in the saying that "Uncle Sam
is not rich enough to give us all
farm Since then the national gov
ernment has gone to the other ex-
treme in the administration of its land
laws and the would-be home builder,
in addition to primary conditions vast
ly more hostile than those which con-
fronted the Kansas homesteader thirty
years ago, finds himself so wound
about and eneumbered in the mazes of
government red tape that it is small
wonder he gives up in disgust and
leaves the reclamation of the desert to
take care of itself.
The western homesteader should be
helped and not hindered by the ma
tienal government. Natural condi-
tions are certainly hostile enough and
they should not be aggravated by
needless and burdensome restrictions
in the administration of the land laws.
The west is not entirely populated by
swindlers and land grabbers, but con-
tains fair proportion of honest and
Industrious men who ask only a
square deal from the national govern
ment and are willing and anxious to
do their part in increasing the wealth
of the state and the nation by the rec
lamation of arid lands s-Elv Record