The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1915-01-09
BILL TO AID ROADS
AND UNIVERSITY

Senator Pittman has introduced
bill in the United States Senate, in the
interest of obtaining government
lands for the University and good
roads purposes. In letter to
the Silver State, Senator Pittman
states that in the House the senti
ment against granting lands to the
states, even for school purposes, is so
strong that he considers it impossible
to secure a direct grant for school
purposes. Following is the text of the
bill
A BILL
To encourage the reclamation of GER
tain arid lands in the State of
Nevada, and for other purposes.
Re it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the Unit
ed States of America in Congress as
sembled:
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 organized under the laws
of the United States, or of any State
or Territory thereof, a permit, which
/ Sildii give the t8CluSlNt IlRub, IOI q
period not exceeding two years, to
drill or otherwise explore for water
beneath the surface Of not exceeding
two thousand five hundred and sixty
acres of unreserved, unappropriated
nonmineral, nontimbered public lands
of the United States in the State of
Nevada not susceptible of successful
irrigation at reasonable cost from
4 L. 2 60. H.
supply.
Sec. 2. That such a permit shall be
upon condition that the permittee
shall begin operations for the devel
opment of underground waters within
six months from the date of the per
NIT and continue same with reasonable
diligence until water has been dis
covered in the quantity hereinafter
described or until the date of expira
tion of the permit.
Sec. 3. That upon establishing, at
any time within two years from the
date of the permit, to the satisfaction
of the Secretary of the Interior, that
underground waters in sufficient
quantity to produce agricultural
crops other than native grasses upon
not less than twenty acres of land
have beer discovered and developed
within the limits of the land embraced
in any permit, the said permittee shall
be entitled to a patent for one-fourtb
such area to be selected by the per
mittae 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 un--
der rules and regulations established
| by the Secretary of the Interior if
located upon unsurveyed land.
! Sec. 4. That the remaining area
within the limits of the land embrac
ed in any such permit shall thereafter
be reserved from other disposition
and be sold at public auction under
such rules and regulations as may be
prescribed by the Secretary of the In
terror, 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 installments not exceeding five. |
Sec. 5. That one-third of all re-
ceipts obtained from the sale of lands
under the provision of section four
hereof shall be paid into, reserved,
and appropriated as part of the re-
clamation fund created by the Act of
Congress approved June IL, 1902; 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 mon
eys so paid shall be available for and |
used solely in the Improvement, re-
pair 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 direc-
tion of the Secretary of the Interior
in the laying out, construction, and
maintenance of public highways and
post roads in the State of Nevada and
in compliance with the provisions of
this act.
Sec. g. That there is hereby created
in said State a board to be known as
the public lands road board, which
shall consist of three members; The
United States Surveyor General for
the state; the State Engineer, and
member appointed by the Secretary of
the Interior: Provided, That the Sec
retary shall not appoint a 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 Sec
retary of the Interior to warrant pro
ceeding with the location or survey
or construction of one or more of such /
roads.
See. 7. That said board shall have |
fun control and supervision over the
locating, building, and maintenance
of such roads.
Sec. s. That the member appointed |
by the Secretary of the Interior shall /
be the chairman of the board and |
shall be superintendent of the con
struetion and maintenance of the |
roads.
See. 3. That the Secretary of the |
Interior is authorized to prescribe the |
necessary and proper rules and regula- |
tions and TO do any and all things |
I na 20 nd tot,