The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1922-03-30
E. F. Blaine Writes That
Congress Will Pass the
McNary-Smith Bill
HOUSE COMMITTEE
REPORT is AWAITED
Says Kennewick High Line
Will be First Built in
This State

That the McNary-Smith Coopera-
tive reclamation bill will be passed by
congress shortly and that Kennewick
high line will be the first project con-
structed in this state, are predictions
made by e. F. Blaine, executive chair
man of the Western States Reclama-
tion association, who is the representa-
tive of that association in Washing
ton. These predictions are contained
in letter written by Mr.. Blaine to
the Ellensburg Chamber of Commerce
and published in the Ellensburg Eve
ming Record.
The Western States Reclamation as
sociation covers Is western states
which have united in endorsing the
McNary-Smith bill. This bill was
recently reported unanimously by the
Senate committee and Mr.. Blaine's
letter states that similar unanimous
report will be made by the house COM
mittee. He calls attention to the fact
that seldom in history has any bill
reported unanimously by committees
in both branches of congress failed
for passage.
In the course of his letter Mr.. Blaine
says:
"Mr. Smith has just informed me
that he expects his bill TO be re-
ported out of the arid lands COM
mittee this week, and he is antici-
pating an unanimous vote in its favor.
If the committee does not report the
bill out unanimously, it should be in
splendid condition, for already its
counterpart in the senate-the Nc
Nary Bill-has been reported out by
the committee an Reclaimed Lands
by unanimous vote. Senator Jones
sometime ago informed me that it
was an almost unheard Of thing for
congress to refuse to enact legisla-
tion where there had been an unani-
nous vote upon the same bill in both
houses.
81 do not know whether you fully
appreciate the situation as to the
present reclamation fund. / am posi-
tive that no project in the State Of
Washington can afford to wait upon
the sufficient income into that fund
with which even TO start work. The
amount of money that will actually
be available this year to be used
in our state will probably not reach
million and half dollars and this
Of necessity must be used on the
Rimrock dam, the Tieton and Sunny
side divisions of the Yakima project.
i think it would be a grievous
error on the part Of the people Of
Ellensburg to start its highline pro-
ject with money from the present
reclamation fund, for having started
this way, it would be next to impos-
sible for it to take advantage of the
provisions Of the McNary-Smith bill
should it become law.
81 am thoroly convinced in case
the McNary-Smith bill passes, that
the State of Washington will be one
of the first state to receive a bene-
fit, and if / am not mistaken, the
first project which will be UNDER
taken will be the Kennewick high
line and the second one the Ellens-
burg high line, am very much in
favor of both of these projects. The
reason that / think that the Kenne-
wick project will be started first is
because it is smaller than the Ellens-
burg project and it has already been
fully approved by the Reclamation
Service.
Il certainly would appreciate very
much if you would send me some of
the more favorable replies to the
letters sent out from your locality,
particularly if they are from con-