Carson City daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1907-1930, 1915-12-22
SOMETHING NEvADAs SENATORS SHOULD ATTEND TO AT
ONCE

In a editorial of more than usual strength the Goldfeld Tribune
has pointed out a condition that exists in the United States land laws
that is doing a lot of damage to Nevada and other western states that
possess large tracts OF desert land. Steps should be taken at once to
remedy the condition, otherwise a lot OF harm is going to follow. The
Tribunes editorial, which explains the matter in detail, is as follows:
"By reason of its bearing IN the underground waters survey recently
undertaken in this state. the Tribune is reprintng today an editorial
from the Journal of Electricity, Power and Gas, published al San Fran
cisco. 1t deals chiefly with the experience of California in the under
ground water development OF that state.
at is worth noting that the number of pumping plants in that
state have increased during the last five years by $50 per cent and that
2 per cent OF the irrigated lands OF California re supplied from
underground sources Taken in connection with the developments al
ready made in Clark, Nye, Lyon, Humboldt and White Pine counties,
it gives ample justification for the work recently inaugurated by the
University of Nevada in this and other sections.
"But the coolest and wehest blanket that has recently fallen over
any recent development project affecting the public domain car from
a source from which it was least expected. 1t came in the form of a
order from Washington last August and reads as follows:
Applicants to make entry of land under the desert land laws should
be made clearly to understand that where supply is made available for
irrigation purposes by mean Of a pumping plant, such plant must be Of
a capacity to make available at the time of final proof. a sufficient sup
ply OF water to irrigate all irrigab1e land embraced in a particular entrv'
"How many pumping plants will yer be installed under these con-
ditions? The question answers itself-none. If the secretary OF the
interior had asked those whose interests are opposed to the settlement
OF the public domain to formulate for him an order to make effective
whatever it was he had in mind, they could not possibly have served
their W interests better than this order served them.
"How many prospective settlers re capable OF financing such an
enterprise, covering, let us say, 800 acres and involving from five to
twenty wells equipped with pumps and power tor a capacity OF l,ao
gallons per minute? That is the meaning of the order, for the depart
ment sipu1ates n second foot for 100 acres. Why not give the Sc
tier a chance to grow? If he car develop 500 or v 800 gallons of
water per minute he could grow, and from the result OF this work he
sume that the public lands will be sethed-when setled-by the man
of small means. So far as these lands are concerned, they are as effecr
uany closed to him by this order as the banking business, the steel bust
"There are several successful pumping plants in operation in this
state with which the government has had nothing to do. They were in
stalled without wen the knowledge of the government, but there are very
few of them with a capacity of ever 500 gallons.
How many e with 800 acres of land all susceptible of irrigation
by pumping IRE irrigatng all IF it every season, with equipment
at hand2
"The effect of the above order is apparent to every man, woman
ard 10year-od child in Nevada. And what a pity it is that in the great
department Of the interior there is no ne with sufficient interest and
influence to get the ear of the head of that department long enough
to saw him and the arid states from such blundersa st this.
at costs money to develop desert lands by the sinking of wells; it
involves a risk that mighty few people in Washington are likely to take;
the land in its present state is worth nothing, as ttested by its idleness
since the world took form. If somebody can be found to develop even
twenty acres out of every half section and never goes farther, he will
have done Tor for the world than the a who tms a section already
developed.
off any man from any eastern state a be induced to undertake
the development Of eve 800 acres Of land, with the assurance that
on the development Of eve 800 gallons of water per minute ard
pumping equipment that land will be his, he will receive the most cor
dial welcome any state could extend. But who will expect him to risk
poets, any more than to spend his money Q n al undeveloped mining pros
with nothing further in view than the ore in sight.
washington should promptly remove this blanket