The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1919-04-24
CONGRESSMAN
PROMISES TO
DO HIS BEST
Iohn w. Summers Says he Re
cognizes as Valid Claims OF
Highlands Farmers
VISITS PROPOSED PROJECT
thinks Present Development and the
shortage of Water Strong Ar
guments in Projects Favor

CONGRESSMAN John w. Summers, OF /
Walla Walla, spent the most OF the day
Friday and the forenoon OF Saturday
n Kennewick collecting information
and data ON the proposed Highland ir-
rieation project. Congressman Sum
mers in company with Directors J. J.
Rndkin and M. N. Hudnall of the Keil-
,ew;ck Irrigation district, and Man
aper Chester E. Edwards, of the Co
lumbia Irrigation district, made trip
over the Highlands and out into the
undeveloped areas of the project ana
FRIDAY evening he met 25 business men
and farmers at an informal dinner at
Hotel Kennewick.
aTo anyone who knows soils, the raw
land in the project speaks for ITSELF
and the developed lands speak for the
whole project to anyone whether ne
knows soil or not" said Congressman
Summers. "What the farmers OF the
Highlands have accomplished under
the handicap of an insufficient water
supply is proof enough that the pro-
led IS one Of worth and merit. Whlie
I have known for several months that
toere was somewhere near Kennewlck
4. ,,lace called the Highlands and that
there was here an agitation for gov
eminent irrigation and more water Tor
these lands, I have had only an lndefl-
n,te idea of the situation. AS / un-
derstand il, this is not a project con-
i cernlng which there is any question
as - its feasibility, either from an
engineering or an economic standpoint
Neither is there any question as TO
the probability of its early settlement
and development. It is only a ques-
ton of speeding such legislation as is
necessary to get the work under way.
3, DR.. Summers said that at the be-
ginning of his candidacy he publicly
committed himself to comprehensive
federal program of land development
and settlement and that he expected Z
put forth his best efforts to hasten tn
development Of every feasible pro
iect in his district. He said that whll
he was not willing to pledge his sup
port to this project to the exclusion Q
any other meritorious project, he wa
ready to consider all of the facts care
fully and impartially. There are al
guments, he said, in favor of this Pre-
ject, which SO far as he knows, DO nc
hold for any other project in the dis
trict. The fact that water rights fe
the irrigation of these lands were SUI
rendered by the original approprla
ors, with the understanding that tn
lands were to be irrigated by the go
ernment; that several thousands
acres had been reclaimed by bona M
homebuilders who had invested the
money with the understanding tn
the government would make good ]
promise; that these investments a
now jeopardized by the government
continued delay, are facts which si1ou
weigh heavily in favor of this proJe
over any other that he knows OF,
said.
/. While here DR.. Summers conferr
at length with Engineers G. II. SS
CART and Chester E. Edwards, each
whom has intimate knowledge OF
cry unit, constructed or proposed,
the Yakima protest. Mr.. Swigart
planned to the congressman the pl
which the reclamation service n
has under consideration for the II
CATION of the lands tributary to Il
newick. The plan is to abandon
old Yakima High Line and to div
the lands into three units and irrlg
them by means of three separate
mails. This will also mean the aD
donment of the proposed Sunnys
extension. The lands above the Tie
project are to be irrigated from
canal to be taken out of the he
river, the lands above the Sunny:
canal, by means of a canal taken +
the Yakima river between Yakima
Ellensburg, and the lands between
ona and Hover from a canal ia
from the Yakima at Prosser.
This means three projects OF al