The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1922-03-23
:srICIsM OF NEW ",
k ,E50T WE'LL FOUNDED
4 from first page

Ia,rI.AMATION BILL
,E5ooTTWELL FOUNDED
INcs11t a from first pase'
need money for reclamation
sAs may ns The ss5o,Ooo.ooo ., and its
purposes bru the sale of district bonds I'd
surnover . sa.r q revolving fund, to re-
Vii constr. s = the will of congress.
n,'' SON contract between district s,fa anu anu
The GOWN. convent must establish the
BE sa'e + reclaimed land which may ma
amount .d !. q acquired by party. The Y
y 0ensu - fixed is denominated the E
.noun init. The unit is the amount o. d
,.,s which will support i nam nrcS.rd d
l'n ~ ,.rv from 20 acres IN orena =:
vii VAls "A lands to be devoted to IN
sections farming, and not to exceed
s .s ss,es where general farming is
leo ia. All parties within a DIS
gi.. p. owning land in excess OF the
-, sss unit must place their e. excess ths
i.,a;,ss under the authority OF "a, sne
hod'ns ~ the interior, to be dis
'eels - - At prices and on terms ana
p0ss ,:.;on. to be fixed in the contract
e0n. the district and the govern
60 ~. Unless 80 per cent OF all ex,
ns e. lands within district are placed
81 !. ~ disposal of the secretary ne
/" :. contract with the district.
e'a ~ .r.service men, for a period OF
! a. d.vs after the opening to sale or
.stry, are to have preference r ,as
!. 49, .,ouire all excess and public land
s;+hin ! district and they are, also, to
y s.', .;ven preference right of employ
.rt on all reclamation works to be
.,r NET under this measure.
This bill provides that the act OF
lime Il, 1902, commonly known as the
,.el.mation law and all amendatory
:. .uplementary acts shall hereafter
!. Known as the national irrigation
~ and the fund provided in said
~ shall hereafter be known as the
national irrigation fund, and the act
uuder consideration and all amenda-
tory or supplementary acts shall be
troun As the reclamation law, and
for the purpose Of carrying out its
provisions, there is established in the
treasury a fund to be known as the
national reclamation fund.
The bill while not disturbing the
The old reclamation fund or it's use,
creates an additional fund to be used
in broader field. While the old re-
clsmation law provides for the reclaim
alton Of arid and semi-arid lands the
present law contemplates the re-
clamation Of arid, swamp and over
flowed land by means of irrigation,
drainage and dikeags.
What has been accomplished under
the old reclamation law justifies the
government in advancing one step
further in the reclamation Of the
waste lands Of our country. Under
the present reclamation law, there is
net investment in construction work
placed by the reclamation service at
$lSO,0OO,OO0. As a result, directly
traceable to this investment, is pro-
perty having total value upward of
%o,OOO,O00; the crops raised on pure
y federal reclamation projects exceed
the gross value of $4O0,OO0,000 to
which should be added crops raised on
more than million acres to which the
government has rented water from
It's reservoirs. Within federal reclaim
alton projects there are 223 towns,
$3.50 irrigated farms, with a total
population of 100000. Within these
projects there are 879 schools, GAG
churchs, and 247 banks, the banks
having a total capital stock of s14,-
1883, deposits of $143,5S9,s56 and
2SS,s76 depositors.
irrigated lands, as rule, produce
swlce as much as lands in the humid
olstrlcts, which under ordinary cir
substances, results in great prosper
~ LOT lrrigationists. At the presen,
sime' owing to the severe drop ir
Prices OF farm products, high trans.
rfsation rates, and the remoteness OF
'ne irrigated districts from the mar.
Ae's' there has been brought about
= accentuated condition which car
not long exist.
It is generally recognized that tn,
money arising from the sale of publ,
amos and from its royalties upo,
.Oal' oil and other minerals take,
- 'n .ne public domain, percentage
!, ~nlcn are covered into the re
..amatlon fund, will not be sufficien
= even complete within a REASONABLE
H. s M Of time, irrigation projects i
government.
secretary of the interior, i