The Fallon standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1920-1958, 1924-01-09

structures as Well as the amount OF
water required for the proper irriga-
tion of the lands to be supplied many
such works were originally built en-
tirely too small. necessitating theil
rebuilding and enlargement. the
costs of which so far. have beer
charged to operation and mainten
ance thus adding to the annual
charges to the settler In this connec.
tion of the Truckee main canal; alse
that the tunnel on that canal has
proved to be defective and will have
to be rebuilt at an estimated cost OF
$50, ,00O.
Bad Contracts Made
"Ill-advised contracts were entered
into by the service with the holders
of more than 6000 acres of vested
right land providing for flat rate
of 40 cents an acre for operation and
maintenance charges when 1t has de
veloped that the actual cost of such
work is approximately $500 per
acre. the homesteader or other new
settler having to pay the difference
between the actual cost of $500 per
acre and the contract price of 40
cents per acre these contracts being
made without his knowledge or con-
sent and to continue In force until
such time as the district takes over
the operation and maintenance o,
the project This item alone through
an estimated life of the contract OF
20 years amounts to $121,000. a
considerable burden to be summarily
shouldered upon a few homeseekers.
"The above recapitulation shows
that to Whatever extent the New
lands project Is a failure, such fall
ure is not necessarily due either to
the lands themselves or to the settler
but 20 the inexperience and ineffici-
ency of those In charge. The fact is.
that we have all the essentials that
go to make a successful community
Our people are Industrious and econ
omieal in their habits The soil, gen.
orally speaking, Is of the best, our
is unexcelled. and soil and
climate and altitude unite to make
our products top the market wher-
ever sold. Witness our potatoes, al
falfa hay and the Hearts of Gold
the Fallon turkey and
Fallon celery. Our dairy herds are
well to the top as compared with
other western herds as reported by
the various herd testing associations.
High In Comparison
when the Newlands project is
with the other 26 reclama-
ton projects we rank seventh In re-
of construction charges due
the government In the repayment Of
operation and maintenance we rank
eighth. In cash value of crops pro.
duced per acre. in spite of our handi-
cap of excessive freight charges, we
stand seventh.
why then is 1t possible to make
such showing against the project
as is contained in the secretary's tab
ulation. To those familiar with all
the conditions the answer Is clear
a series Of blunders, mistakes, mis-
and mismanagement In
cluding those enumerated above and
others for which the settler is In no
way responsible.
As stated by the secretary, the
project was originally intended to
comprise $4,000 acres but has been
cut down to 1880 acres making
sparsely settled tract expensive to
operate and maintain and impossible
Of a unified community life.
During the period of greatest act.
ivity in settlement, homesteaders
were encouraged to locate who were
untitled 20 the struggle in
eident to subduing the desert. Some
times they lacked the physical
strength, usually they lacked the
necessary experience and quite gen.
orally they lacked financial resources
TO enable them to subsist while their
homesteads were being brought into
Under all these handi-
caps these unfortunate home seekers
v ere encouraged to locate in the
desert without any effort being made
to teach them how to overcome the
adverse conditions In which they
found themselves. In fact those In
charge of the reclamation work at
the time, knew less, II possible, than
the settler himself. Then came on
the panic of 1907 which made 1t al
most impossible to secure work.
What wonder. then, il many OF the
earlier settlers were forced out with.
out even having made beginning
and only the most hardy and resolute
were able to continue, and these with
a handicap of debt that too often
continues TO the present time.
solution In Sight
Then came the failure OF the SER
vice to provide necessary water for
those under the Truckee canal which