The Fallon standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1920-1958, 1924-01-09
c.. G. SwineIe Outlines Governments Part
For the Future; Settlers Have Done Their Part

In reviewing the Newlands projec
as whole. together with results ant
the future and the laying of condi
tions before the fact finding commits
sion, C. G. Swipgle as one of tbs
farmers of the project and as presi
dent of the Truckee- Carson irriga
tion board has furnished the follow
ing:
I'm the first place to whatever ex
tent the Newlands project is a fail
ure, such failure, If there is SUCH Il
not due to the settlers nor the land
but to the inexperience OF those whC
have been placed in charge. The set
tiers are not in any way repudiatina
their obligations, on the contrary
they are asking that they be made
such that they can be met and thai
their contract be modelled SO as tc
make settlements possible.
Some of the statements regard
ing the Newlands project as pub
lished might lead one not conversani
with all the details to conclude thai
this project was in itself a failure,
asserts Mr.. Swingle, though we dc
not understand that such was the
intention of the secretary, but rather
to show the inefficiency or lack OF
experiecne of those who had charge
of the reclamation work here in its
earlier history.
Pay for Experiment Work
1.-The fact that the earliest esti.
mate OF the per acre cost of the pro-
ject was $1455 and that ii later de
yeloped that the actual cost was
s94.75 largely due to the cutting
down OF the acreage at first estimat-
ed at $4,000 acres to 1880 acres
and the excessive cost was due to a
considerable extent TO the building
of canals, laterals and structures over
a wide extentsof territory which has
never been brought into cultivation
and probably never will be, but the
charges for which still stand against
the project.
Another Item Of cost was surveys
and Investigations made over a large
part OF northwestern Nevada and
charged to this project which has no
especial interest in the results OF
such Investigations.
There was an over estimate OF
the amount OF storage that could be
made available In Lake Tahoe which
resulted later IN the necessity To-
building Lahontan reservoir at ar
expense of s1.500,o0O. instead of 2
smaller reservoir estimated To cost
$500, 900
Also construction OF a system OF
shallow drains which were advertised
to prospective settlers as sufficient
to take care Of the drainage prob
lens of the district az an expense Of
s250,000, but which proved entirely
insufficient and the experimenting
with a system of the drainage at an
expense of $4,000 which has proved
to be worthless.
Failures Are Costly
These failures have made neces-
sary the spendingof 100000 by the
settlers in a system of deep drains
which are proving to be entirely Of
flcient but which will need to be ex..
tended to other lands of the project
at a cost of probably $250.000 to the
settler.
There was gross lack of foresight
and mismanagement on the settle
ments of conflicting claims TO rights
In and around Lake Tahoe. At one
time all adverse rights and interests
could have been secured to the pro-
iect for $4,000. They could not now
be secured for many times that am
cunt and probably not at all. Later
after expenseiv litigation and delays
there was a shameful surrender by
stipulation In the q. s. district court
OF practically all of the government
rights In the lake though the project
Is still charged with the responsible
ity and expense of maintaining and
controlling the outlet works. The
fact that one officer at the depart
ment of justice who had been promi-
nent in connection with the transae-
tion has been removed from office
does not make conditions any easier
for the settler under the Truckee
canal whose rights were thus sur
rendered, nor for the reclamation
service which has sold such settlers
rights to water which it cannot deliy-
er. Fortunately the service still has
rights to flood waters in the Truckee
river which II has been allowing to
waste for more than 20 years but
which 1t can still arrange to store in
Spanish Springs and not only furnish
water to those settlers as it has con
traoted to do but also can bring into
cultivation other large areas of fine
land provided II does not, through
procrastination and delay. allow its
rights to lapse.
Through Understanding the car
rying capacity of canals, laterals and
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