The Fallon standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1920-1958, 1922-01-18
Chamber UphoIds
Action of Board
Communications Regarding Deficit
in o. IL NJ. Charges Are Read at
Joint Meeting Monday
RELATIONS BETWEEN SERVICE
AND FARMERS ARE AT CRISIS
Want Investigation of Reclamation
Department and Either Full CO.
operation or Change

Endorsement of the action of the
board of directors of the Newland4
irrigation project in regard to its
stand on the old deficit charge wa4
given by the members of the
Churchill county chamber of conf
merce at their regular meeting Mon
day night. The meeting had been
called for the purpose of discussing
the 100000 deficit.
A large delegation of farmers and
business men of Fallon was present.
True Vencill, director of the project.
introduced a copy of a letter that
had been sent to Senator Key Pitt
man by Roy w. Stoddard, project
attorney. The letter in part is as
follows:
"a crisis seems to have been
reached between the United States
government through its reclamation
service and the homesteaders, set
tiers and land owners of the Truck
ee-Carson irrigation district, over
the collection of an operation and
maintenance deficit aggregating ap-
proximately $1S2, 100000"
Facts Are Given
An outline of the facts involved
In the case is given in the letter.
The letter states that the New
lands reclamation project was one
of the first, if not the first, project
upon which work was commenced
under the provisions of the reeiama-
tion act of 1902. Due to the ad-
verse conditions under which the
early settlers worked, the letter
states, the deficit increased from
1906 to 1917 when it reached the
total of approximately s191, 10000,
and that the ownership of much of
the land has changed since then
without the present owners being
aware of any such lein on the land
A letter to the attorneys from A .
p Davis, director of the reclamation
service was enclosed in the letter to
Senator Pittman. A letter from E.
e. Finney. first assistant secretary
of the department of the interior
was quoted. The letter included a
proposed agreement embodying:
I'D That payment of the entire
o. & NJ. deficit at the end of the
twenty years by the district.
"t2) The question of returning of
the money to be expended for tun-
mel repairs on the Truckee canal.
"(3) The payment by the land
owners of the Truckee-Carson irri-
cation district of an equitable share
of the cost of construction of the
Spanish Springs reservoir. should it
be found possible to construct the
same.
10 The assumption by the dis
triet of o & NJ. and construction
payments. in order to remove the
present leins upon the lands and to
enable farm loans to be secured.
and
"(5) An adjustment of Fernley
drainage along the lines recon-
mended by the Fortier- Bixby report
on the Newlands project of August,
1921.
OF Vital Importance
The letter to Senator Pittman fur
ther states that "The matter is of
the most vial importance to the land
owners of the Truckee-Carson irri-
cation, in that it means the pay
ment of the sum of $1S2,000 on the
one hand. or expensive litigation to
defeat the same on the other, and.
naturally, not only the board of di-
reetors of the Truckee-Carson irri-
cation district, but the respective
water users therein, desire some
equitable adjustment of the same If
such can be accomplished"
In conclusion the letter says.
I'VE realize that there are many de-
tails and many arguments that are
defflcult to present by way of letter
on a matter that has been accumu-
lating and fostering over a period of
fifteen years, and are requested by
the board to inform you, that If in
your judgment it is necessary. that
one or more delegates will proceed
to Washington to advise you more
fully and give such assistance as
may be-" Senator Pittman is re-
quested to do his utmost to assist
the farmers of the project.
Pittman Sends Telegram
A telegram to Mrs. l.. V. Pinger,
secretary of the board, from Stod-
dard, was read. The telegram fol-
lows:
"Please advise directors before
tonight's meeting that we have just
received following telegram from
Senator Pittman: Relative to your
letter of the twelfth in regard to
Truckee-Carson irrigation district
matter, have discussed the matter
with Finney, assistant secretary of
the department of the interior. l
urged upon him to grant your re-
quest contained in your letter of
January 11th. He said he has not