The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1922-04-28
ADDISON I. SMITH
WRITES LETTER
SAYS NO MONEY AVAILABLE
FOR AMERICAN FALLS
PROJECT UNTIL
CONTRACTS ARE FULFILLED
IRRIGATION DISTRICTS MUST
MEET THEIR PROPOR-
TIONATE SHARE

letter from Congressman Addison T.
Smith is self-explanatory:
Washington, D. c., April 13, 1922.
Mr.. Guy Flenner, Managing
Director, Idaho Reclamation
Association, Pocatello, Idaho.
Dear Mr.. Flenner:-I am much
afraid that the headlines On some
news items sent from Washington,
concerning the appropriations secur-
ed for the American Falls project,
are misleading.
while it is true that the Con-
gress has made the appropriation for
carrying on the construction work,
and that we have had reinserted in
the bill the provision giving auth
Ority to purchase land for the new
townsite, none of the money appro-
priated will be expended in buying g
land for the new townsite of fur
ther construction work undertaken
at American Falls until the private
land owners who require additional
water meet their payments as pro-
vided in their contracts with the
government
"The Secretary of the Interior has
stated most emphatically that he is
not justified in making any further
expenditures on the project, or ap-
proving the contract with the Idaho
Power Co., until he is sure that the
project will be a success; and he
also states that the construction of
the project depends entirely upon
whether or not the irrigation dis
tricts to be benefited meet their
proportionate share in constructing
this great undertaking.
1--WE have labored long and con-
tinuously with Congress to author
ize the necessary legislation to un-
dertake this work, and succeeded in
securing the initial appropriation
of over $1,000,0O0 last year and
over $1,00O,000 for next year, to be
applied toward the expenses of buy
ing the right of way and reclaim
ing the 100000 acres of public land
north of the Minidoka project, and
it would centainly Ibe unfortunate if,
by reason of lack of organization on
the part of the people to be bene-
fitted to arrange to bear their part
of the expense, the project shall fail.
"There is no question with refer
ence to the engineering feasibility
of the project, or its economic ad-
vantage to those who need this ad-
ditional water supply, and while we
all realize that the farmers have
been operating at loss during the
last year, we sincerely hope that by
the organization into districts they
will be able to raise the necessary
funds to meet their payments, and
thus insure this great project
which will mean so much to the
people in the Southern part of the
State.
"There is great deal of satisfac-
tion oi*fhe4 part of the members OF
Congress from the West because pro-
jects within their States have not
been completed and new projects
undertaken, and if we are unable to
meet the obligations to the govern
ment in connection with the con-
struction of the American Falls pro-
ject it will be abandoned, and the
funds available diverted to projects
in other states which have contribu-
ted much more to the funds than has
been expended within the State.
''While Idaho has paid into the
reclamation fund only $6,620,0 ,000
there has been expended in construc-
tion work in Idaho $2O,274, 900
Now that we have made such splen.
did progress toward the construction
Of this great enterprise, the people
to be benefited should realize the
necessity Of meeting their obliga-
tions in some organized way, and
thus insure the immediate resump-
tion of work, which means millions
of dollars in increased crops in the
Snake River Valley.
sincerely hoping that you and
your associates will be successful in
completing the plan you have un-
der way to organize the various ir.
rigation districts so that they may
be able to finance their proportion
ate share of the expense of construc-
ting the project, I am, with kind
regards.
Very truly yours,