Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1915-10-23
SENATOR PITTMAN'S SPEECH

The junior Senator from Nevada
was greeted by an interested audience
when he addressed the people of Yer
ington at the Rink Hall last week
His principal discussion was the needs
OF Lyon county in the development of
the rich agricultural area within her
boundaries. the conservation and dis
tribution OF water for irrigation and
the means to accomplish these objects
i'll practical and economical manner
He suggested two methods of CON
servation; one through the medium OF
the States and the other by means of
the General government He consid-
cred that at an expense OF SIS per
acre for water land. in Lyon county
could be raised to TO value of $3.50
per acre. He spoke of the appropriation
of $6,OO0,OOO secured by Senator Shir-
ley for the construction of levees on
the lower Mississippi for the protec-
ton of cotton planters and stated that
none OF this money was repaid to the
government He called attention to
the fact that engineers have estimated
that the two branches of Walker river
contained sufficient water to irrigate
$4,000 acres of land in Smith Valley
and 10000 in Mason Valley That the
prevailing opinion was that if the wa
ter rights were surrendered to the
government nothing would be had in
return, which he claimed was a mis-
take, and that the user thus relinquish-
ing to the government would be GER
tain OF water every year without the
danger of scarcity that so often oc-
ours, aggravated by the frequent con
flict of private interests. That it took
ten years to convince the ranchers of
Carson Valley that storage system
was not unfair. The Lahontan pro-
ject proves the unsoundness of this
view and the farmers around Fallon
are satisfied. With 100000 acres
of agricultural land, but 100000 acres
under cultivation and population of
10000 he contended that the prime
cause of high taxes about which so
much complaint is heard can and will
be overcome when the wasted water
is conserved for use on the vast areas
of land that now lie idle, and are as
sessed at very low figure or not 1T
all. Increase of revenue of taxable
property proportionately lowers the
rate of taxation, 1t is the wish of the
government to take land that is now
worthless and make it valuable. The
Fallon project cost $l0000,000 to &C
complish what would cost $3.000,000
to do in Carson Valley. In the Fall
lon district farmers paid for water
on eighty acres where but five or ten
were cultivated. Few knew how to
level and drain their land nor was
there a system of dwelling and drain
ing. The cost of this had to be made
out of the ground before the farmer
could pay the government We now
have the benefit of lessons taught by
the mistakes made in the first pro-
ject. The recommendation that the
government level and drain the lands
which it can do in one-tenth the time
and one-fifth the cost of the individual
farmer, has been approved by the De-
partment of the Interior. In order to
get aid from the government prices
must be put by all who own idle
land to be entered upon and bought by
settlers. Eastern Senators and Rep
resentatives are and will be opposed
to the government turning over res
ervoir sites to private individuals and