The Fallon standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1920-1958, 1921-09-21
Senator Pittman
Is a Fallon Visitor
Legislative Needs of Church.
i'll Constituents

Senator Key Pittman dropped in
to Fallon last Sunday almost un-
heralded to render an accounting of
his stewardship to his constituents
in Churchill county and to learn at
first hand of the legislation desired
by the people of this project.
The senator is making a hurried
trip to Nevada during the congress
sional recess which terminated yes
terday, to consult with the various
interests of the state to the extent
which the limited time will permit
Twenty-Five or thirty people, includ
ing the personnel of the Truckee-
Carson Irrigation District Board and
Project Manager j. F. Richardson
assembled Sunday afternoon at the
Commercial Club rooms to meet the
visitor. The proceedings were strict
ly informal and partook of the ma
ture of a general conversation. | II.
Kent presided and Senator Pittman
undertook to outline the measures
now pending before congress affect
ing the west.
One of these measures has to do
with the difficulty of marketing irri-
cation bonds. So many irrigation
schemes under the Carey act have
failed and their bonds made worth
less that the investing public has
become exceedingly ehary of this
form of security. To obviate this it
is proposed to have the Secretary
pass on the validity of future bonds
of this character and investigate the
security back of the same which
shall not be less than so per cent of
the bond issue. A revolving fund of
So, 500, 900 will be provided to tide
over the interim between the plac-
ing of the bonds on the market and
their sale. thus insuring a quick
turnover. II is believed that with
government endorsement a ready
sale will be possible of irrigation
bonds.
One of the vexatious features of
the Federal Farm Loan banks is the
restriction on loans on lands in rec
lamation projects by reason of the
government liens for construction
charges which are held to be first
mortgages. As Farm Loan Banks
can only lend on iirst mortgages rec
lamation projects are thus placed
under disability. Senator Pitt
man stated that he had attempted to
remove this disability by an amend
ment to the War Finance Corpora
tion bill. Owing to the prejudice
against saddling special legislation
on general appropriation bills the
amendment was defeated, but Sena-
tor Pittman was assured that 1t
would be supported in a separate
bill. Incidentally there is a bill
now pending increasing the amount
that may be loaned by Farm Loan
banks from $4,000 to $4,000.
One of the most important meas
ures now being worked out in detail
is the loans available to farmers un-
der the provisions of the act recent
ly passed making available $1,000
600 through the War Finance Cor
poration. This money will be avail
able through local banks upon their
endorsement of the character of the
security, and is calculated to assist
those banks who have loaned to ca
pacity, but are unable to fully meet
the financial needs of their respee-
tive community from their own re-
sources.
Regarding the national highways
legislation, Senator Pittman ex-
planned the situation by stating that
several eastern Senators We're op-
posed to government cooperation
with the states in highway eonstruc-
tion on general principles. The
present law is so constructed that it
bears too heavily on the sparsely
populated states of the west. 1t pro-
vides that the government will adj
vance so per cent of the actual cost
of construction when the state pro-
vides the remaining so per cent. The
expenses incident to preliminary
surveys and engineering work are
not deemed a proper charge against
the government Since 80 per cent
of the. land over which the high
ways will run are government land,
1t follows that 10 per cent of the
land must pay at least go per cent
of the cost of building the roads.
The Phipps bill now in conference
between the Senate and House, pro-
vides that the government shall put
up its proportion according to the
ownership of the land.
Senator Townsend of Michigan is
chairman of the committee and is
an uncompromising opponent of the
bill in its present form. The Town
send substitute provides for two or
three transcC influential roads to be
built by and wholly under the su-
peryislon of the government. The
States through which it is proposed
to build these government highways
naturally decline to endorse a pro-
iect In which they would have no
voice in the selection of the routes
or the communities that would be
served. The bill was overwhelming
ly defeated.
Senator Pittman said that he was
repeatedly asked whether times
were as bad in the East as in the
West. TO this he replied that II
ANYTHING they were worse. Money
is very scarce due to the fact that
all the available capital is tied up
IN automobile and other industrial