374 THE WORK OF THE RECLAMATION SERVICE. 



For practical purposes the term " major portion " of the fund as 

 used in the law is considered to be 51 per cent. That is to say, if in 

 the course of time $2,000,000 is derived from the disposal of lands in 

 North Dakota, at least $1,020,000 should be set aside for projects in 

 that State, if found feasible, while $980,000 could be utilized else- 

 where. If the entire fund from all the States and Territories 

 amounted to $20,000,000, then $10,200,000 may be considered as 

 fixed or restricted and $9,800,000 can be expended in one or more 

 of the States according to the discretion of the Secretary of the 

 Interior. 



The problem of picking out the best projects is thus a double one. 

 First, within each particular State and Territory the best scheme 

 must be chosen, and second, taking all of the States and Territo- 

 ries, the best projects, irrespective of State lines, can then be selected 

 and the minor portion of the fund utilized in their construction. 

 There is thus ottered a wide latitude for judgment and there is 

 required for correct decision a full and comprehensive knowledge 

 of the entire West. This knowledge is not confined to physical con- 

 ditions or engineering details alone, but must take into account the 

 social or political conditions and the financial problems involved — 

 that is to say, the character of the people, the transportation possibili- 

 ties, the kind of crops, and the markets for these, must all be taken 

 into account, as well as the cost and permanence of the structures. 



In order to give the Secretary of the Interior full information and 

 advice concerning this great range of conditions, the reclamation 

 service has been organized in such a way as to bring together men 

 experienced in practical affairs and in engineering details. All mat- 

 ters of fact which bear upon the larger problems are assembled by 

 men in the field, arranged and presented in concise form to boards of 

 engineers convened from time to time to discuss the data and to 

 arrive at definite conclusions. These engineers occupying consulting 

 or administrative positicms spend their entire time traveling about 

 from point to point, personally examining all of the conditions, so 

 ihat when brought together each man has a large fund of personal 

 knowledge upon which to draw. This, and the new data presented, 

 enables the board, with its past experience, to take up decisively a 

 laro-e ranare of facts and after discussion and deliberaticm present 

 these in the form of a f(>\v definite reconnnendations. 



For each project a board is convened consisting of the men Avho are 

 most familiar with the essential facts. This board takes into con- 

 sideration all matters of water supply, character of foundations, and 

 materials for construction, also the design and operation of each part 

 of the work; the character of the lands to be supplied, the amount 

 of alkali in the soil, necessity of drainage, the climatic conditions, 

 crops to be grown, (i-ansportalion and market facilities, together 



