The Omaha guide., 1947-05-31
Statement to the Senate
APPROXIMATIONS COMMITTEE
BY SENATOR HUGH BUTLER
(Rep.-Nebr.)

80 vi
Reclamation and the Geological
Survey, l am not asking you to
spend Government money. On the
contrary, I am asking you to in
vest Government none in self
sustaining, self-liquidating projects
in the soundest possible field Of
investment-our future food sup
ply.
Forty-five years ago, under the
leadership of President Theodore
Roosevelt, a Republican Senate
and a Republican House Of Repre-
sentatives enacted the basic Re-
clamation Law and established the
Federal Reclamation program. At
that time. the arid and semi-arid
states of the West were very thinly
populated, and, except for mining
camps, only sparse settlements X
listed. As a result of the irrigation
developments that have been con-
structed under the Federal Recla-
nation laws. there now are great
and prosperous agricultural areas
like the Boise Valley in Idaho,
the Yakima Valley in Washington.
the Salt River Valley in Arizona.
and some fifty others including
the North Platte Valley in Ne
braska, which is one of the out
standingly successful Reclamation
projects. Although great progress
has been made in the development
of Western water resources. there
yet remains the need for even
greater additional work.
Of course, I am particularly in
terested in the appropriations for
my own state of Nebraska. AS
Chairman of the Committee on
support the Reclamation program
as a whole for all of the seventeen
states. The Members of that COM
mittee have studied practically all
these projects in detail. / believe
practically every Member of the
committee is whole-heartedly in
favor of this entire program. Not
only that. but we are convinced
that the soundest possible course
is to push it as rapidly as possible
Once a project is started, there is
nothing whatever to be gained by
delaying and dragging out the per-
iod of construction. That simply
increases costs and puts off the
day when revenues will begin to
flow into the Treasury in repay
ment of the Governments invest
ment. Many of the reductions made
by the House will not reduce in
the slightest the ultimate invest
ment to beb made by the Govern
ment. They would Simplify put off
the dav of completion Of projects
already begun.
Many of the existing irrigation
areas are in critical need of sup
Elemental supplies to fulfill the
water requirements Of expanding
and more extensive use of the land.
In fact. several of the most pro-
sperous irrigation communities
desperately need the supplemental
water Just to keep in full produc-
ton the lands that are already de-
I veloped. Among those areas which
require supplemental water sup
plies through Reclamation projects.
I mention particularly the Prove
River Project in Utah. The An
derson Ranch Dam in Idaho, like
wise. is being constructed primar-
lily to supply needed supplemental
irrigation water for developed
areas. Those and similar projects
authorized to furnish the required
irrigation supplies to developed
areas have my hearty support.
In the hearings on the Recla-
nation program before the Senate
Public Lands Committee, impress
sive evidence was presented of the
need for additional new irrigation
farms for settlement by veterans.
The homestead openings on Re
clamation projects that have taken
place during the past six months
are striking proof Of this. The
number of well qualified veterans
with the necessary farming ex-
perience and capital to make a
success of a Reclamation home
stead exceeds twenty to thirty
times the number of farm units
that are available. For that reason,
I strongly support appropriations
for those projects that will open
good irrigated land on which vet
Grams can get their start. The
! Columbia Basin Project in Wash
ington is an outstanding example
! because it will brbing in about
a million irrigable areas which can
be settled in over $4,000 farms.
In connection with these requests
for appropriations, 1 want to call
to the Committees attention that
the money thus made available is
returned in full to the Federal
/ Treasury. In fact, it really is re-
turned several times over. The
costs of construction of Federal
Reclamation projects by law are
returned to the Treasury through
contracts with the water Users and
from power revenues. In addition
to those diect payments, the Fed
eral Government receives from the
projects revenue in the form of
taxes that are several times as
much as the original Federal in
vestment.
This point is well illustrated by
the North Platte Project in my
own State of Nebraska. Of the
345,159 acres included in the North
Platte Project in Wyoming and
Nebraska, 273,5 $50 acres are in
| Nebraska. The Federal Govern
ment has spent, through Congress
! sional appropriation, a total Of
, S20.994,862 in constructing the
| project works. Of which 16.082,0 900
is the cost of the Nebraska por-
ton. Those Federal costs are fully
covered by repayment contracts
by which the water users reim-
burse the Government for the CON
struction costs. OF the 1902 900