White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1917-05-18
R. K. Tiffany
Visits Valley

upon the lnVltaClOn OF, ana II
company with, the Benton county
war food committee, R. K. Tiffany,
head of the government reclama
ton service in the Yakima valley
visited this district Wednesday. a
previous invitation had been ex
tended Mr.. Tiffany by the White
Bluffs Commercial club. His pres
ence here was desired because OF
the almost unanimous sentiment
that the water problem here will
never be satisfactorily and perma.
nently settled until the government
takes over the project or supervises
it, and that because of his official
position, Mr.. Tiffany would be in a
position to give some definite in,
formation as to how to bring about
this desired end.
The party arrived in Hanford at
11::30 and after luncheon at the
Planters hotel drove through to the
hydro-electric power station at
Priest Rapids, stopping en- route at
the pumping station at Coyote Rap
ids and at some of the most highly
improved places around Hanford
and White Bluffs.
Mr.. Tiffany is not much of a
talker and is surely not long on
promises. In fact, the principal
part of his conversation consisted
Of queries. He wanted to know
the facts and physical condition Of
things here in general, and was not
much interested in what has hap
pened in the past except in the
bearing it might have on future
development. Just before reach
lug White Bluffs on the return trip
he made a statement to those in the
car with him, covering his observa-
tions of the day. He said that
from what he had seen he believed
a gravity ditch from the head of
Priest Rapids was altogether feas-
ible and that the cost of such a
ditch would not be excessive; that
the government had taken over
projects in the past, much larger
than this one, but that just at this
time the finances of the reclamation
service were very low and that it
would be necessary for congress to
pass new legislation before funds
for new projects would be ayaila-
able. The reclamation fund, Mr..
Tiffany says, is revolving one. A
certain sum was appropriated by
congress several years ago for this
service, several projects started and
a number completed. AS soon as
funds accumulated again from the
sale of lands under one project,
thew were available for uncomplet-
ed projects or for new ones. Due
in a measure to the low prices that
have prevailed for the past three
or four years for irrigated land
products, the ranehers under these
projects have not been paying up
as they should and in consequence
the reclamation fund is much lower
now than those in charge of it ever
anticipated, and there are seveaal
uncompleted projects that will re-
quire great amount of these ac-
cumulating funds before they can
be claimed by new projects.
Senator Chamberlain of Oregon
has introduced bill in congress
that Mr.. Tiffany thinks will cover
just such projects as ours if it is
enacted into law. This bill pro-
vides that where those under pro-
jects like this one organize an irri-
cation district under the state law
and vote bonds for the necessary
construction work that the govern
ment. will guarantee the bonds.
This not only insures the sale of
the bonds, but will get them on
the market at their face value and
at very low rate of interest. Mr..
Tiffany said that this bill had an
excellent chance of passage until
the war scare put everything else