268 ' 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



Eocky Mountain States. The struggle has been long 

 and fierce. Many have fallen by the wayside. More 

 than two hundred millions of capital have been invested. 

 Much of it has been hopelessly lost to the investors and 

 but comparatively few enterprises have proved directly 

 profitable. The indirect returns, however, have been 

 surprising and far-reaching. More than eighteen mil- 

 lion acres of the arid West harve been reclaimed. Tax- 

 able wealth has been created to the amount of many 

 times the investment. Hundreds of thousands of happy 

 homes exist, and flourishing villages, towns and cities 

 where formerly there was naught to sustain human life. 

 At last the public conscience and intelligence of the en- 

 tire country have been aroused and the pioneers in the 

 struggle are to have national aid in the great work of 

 reclaiming the arid West. 



RECLAMATION ACT. 



June 17, 1902, President Eoosevelt approved an act 

 which provides (Sec. 1) that all moneys received from 

 sale of public lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, 

 Idaho, Kansas, Montana-, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mex- 

 ico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota. 

 Utah, Washington and Wyoming, excepting allowances 



acreage as in his opinion may be reasonably required 

 for the support of the family upon the lands in question 

 and shall designate the charges which shall be made 

 per acre upon the said entries and upon lands in pri- 

 vate ownership, payable in not exceeding ten annual in- 

 stallments, with a view of returning to the reclamation 

 fund the estimated cost of construction. 



Section 5 provides that the entryman upon the 

 lands to be irrigated shall, in addition to compliance 

 with the homestead laws, reclaim at least one-half of 

 the total irrigable area for agricultural purposes and be- 

 fore receiving patent shall pay to the Government the 

 charges apportioned against such tract; that no right 

 to the use of water for land in private ownership shall 

 be sold for a tract exceeding 160 acres to any one land 

 owner and not then unless he be an actual resident on 

 such land; and for forfeiture in case of default in 

 payments. 



Section 6 provides that when payments are made 

 for a major portion of the lands irrigated, then the man- 

 agement and ownership of such works shall pass to the 

 owners of lands irrigated, thereafter to be maintained 

 at their expense under such form of organization and 



A Farm Near Kenneuick, Wash., Only Two Years Old. 



to registers and receivers and five per centum of the 

 proceeds of the sales of public lands in the above States 

 set aside by law for educational and other purposes, 

 shall be set aside as a fund, to be known as the "Recla- 

 mation Fund," to be used in the examination and survey 

 and for the construction and maintenance of irrigation 

 works for the reclamation of arid lands in said States 

 and territories. 



Section 2 provides that the Secretary of the Inte- 

 rior is directed to make examinations and surveys foi 

 and to locate and construct irrigation works for the stor- 

 age, diversion and development of waters for irrigation 

 purposes. 



Section 3 provides for the withdrawal of public 

 lands under any irrigation project from entry except 

 under the homestead law, which entries shall be subject 

 to the limitations, charges, terms and conditions of the 

 act and that the commutation provisions of the home- 

 stead law shall not apply to such entries. 



Section 4 provides that if the Secretary of the In- 

 terior shall find that any irrigation project is practica- 

 ble, he may" cause to be let a contract for construction; 

 that he shall give public notice of the lands irrigable 

 under such project and limit the area per entry to such 



under such rules and regulations as may be acceptable 

 to the Secretary of the Interior. 



Section 7 provides for the purchase or condemna- 

 tion of property necessary for carrying out the pro- 

 visions of the act. 



Section 8 provides: "That nothing in this act 

 shall be construed as affecting, or intended to affect, 

 or to in any way interfere with the laws of any State 

 or territory relating to the control, appropriation, use 

 or distribution of water used in irrgation or any vested 

 right acquired thereunder, and the Secretary of the In- 

 terior in carrying out the provisions of this act shall 

 proceed in conformity with such laws, and nothing 

 herein shall in any way affect any right of any State 

 or of the federal Government, or of any landowner, ap- 

 propriator, or user of water in, to or from any interstate 

 stream or the waters thereof : Provided, that the right 

 to the use of water acquired under the provisions of this 

 act shall be appurtenant to the land irrigated, and bene- 

 ficial use shall be the basis, the measure and the limit 

 of the right." 



Section 9 provides that it is the duty of the sec- 

 retary so far as the same may be practicable and sub- 

 ject to the existence of feasible irrigation projects to 



