The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1920-08-26
RAISES OBJECTION
TO STATES PLAN
CONTINUED from first page)

in hand until such time as they DEM
onstrate whether or not they can sell
the land. If the state fails to sell the
land the ditch will not be built by the
state and we owners will have lost
whatever time the state consumes In
their land selling experiment insofar
as U. S. government appropriation Is
concerned. An attempt and failure
to sell the land might give the project
a blacker eye with the U. S. govern
ment than our refusal to vote in favor
of bond issue.
There is complaint that the U. ).
reclamation service have had ten
years to build this ditch in and the
work is not yet started. The world
war began in 1914, six years ago. Is
it not unreasonable to expect the gov
eminent to build new irrigation pro-
ject during this period of time? Even
at that the u. S. reclamation service
have shown their intention because
they started the survey and finished
it and are now ready to start actual
construction of the ditch as soon as
funds are available. Remember their
good intentions are >doubly shown be-
cause they started the survey when
they did not have sufficient funds to
finish this particular work and we had
to furnish the cash to finish the work
in order that actual construction would
be fastened just that much when the
funds were available. The U. S. rec
lamation service is now ready to enter
into a contract with us for storage
water shed at an estimated cost OF
S1,O5O,OOO. This is the second step
in the actual construction of the ditch
by the u. S. reclamation service. Nc
matter who builds the ditch and when
it is built we have to have this storage
water and should vote in favor OF this
contract for storage water on Sep
tember 3. We also have the word OF
the U. S. reclamation service that the
Kennewick project is the best project
in the state and that the ditch will be
built with the first available appro-
priation. Among people not directly
interested in this project and who
probably are in a better position to
Judge than we, it is the opinion thai
the chances of congress appropriatine
money for irrigation projects were
never brighter than they are right
now. We have an uncompleted pro.
ject. Senator Jones is quite conf
has been the policy of the U. S. re-
clamation service to finish uncomplet
ed projects before starting new pro
ject, Senator oJnes is quite conf
dent money will be appropriated al
the next session Of congress.
On the bond issue proposition, thu
interest we will have to pay viii
amount to as much as the cost of con
struction. If the ditch is built under
the u. S. reclamation laws, we will no
have to pay any interest. This will
reduce the final cost of the ditch t.
Just one-half of what it would be un
der an interest bearing bond issue
Possibly the matter of cost can b
passed up by the Highland orchardist
but it is most important matter t.
the purchaser of raw land and is
point we must take into considera
ton in determining whether or not tn
!. state can sell the raw land. We hav
to keep the land settled after the ditcl
is built, from an operating and main
tenance standpoint if nothing else.
Before casting our vote we mus
consider we'll and if we believe tn
state can not sell the land, we woul'
be unwise to vote in favor Of the BON
issue, because so long as the stat
has the project in hand, there will b
no u. s. government money availabl
and apparently the next two years
the time when we can hope for gov
eminent money. Why not go in an
talk the matter over fully with you
banker. He is primarily intereste
in the growth Of the community an
its prosperity. His success depend
upon ours and his advice should be &C
cordingly. Think the matter over we
and then vote on your own judgmen
based on cold deliberation Of the fact
and not on hopes with no promises.
LARRY FOR LEGISLATURE
The Kennewick friends of LAIR