106 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



irrigated lands included within irrigation districts 

 where the water right cost is not exorbitant and is 

 collected in the same manner as state taxes are col- 

 lected. In other words, in order to enjoy the bene- 

 fits of the Farm Loan Act, the water users on the 

 various projects must abandon their present organ- 

 izations prescribed for them by a former adminis- 

 tration of the Reclamation Service and perfected 

 in accordance with the corporation laws of the re- 

 spective states and adopt the form of organization 

 now prescribed by the chief counsel of the Reclama- 

 tion Service. If there were any advantages in the 

 latter form of organization, it would necessarily 

 take considerable time to make the change. In the 

 meantime, the farmers on the Federal projects must 

 plod along as best they can, until a majority of them 

 on each project reaches that stage where he is abso- 

 lutely forced to make a loan somewhere, and must 

 bow to the wishes of the chief counsel, who admits 

 that he is the attorney for all the water users, and 

 vote against their better or unbiased judgment for 

 an irrigation district. 



But what is the result of this arbitrary attitude 

 of the Department of the Interior influenced by the 

 chief counsel? The Government in the midst of 

 this national crisis is urging especially the irrigation 

 farmers to increase their acreage of food products 

 to assist somewhat in relieving the stringent food 

 situation. Had the department permitted the Kin- 

 kaid amendment to pass, so that the Federal Land 

 Board could now make the loans asked for by the 

 farmers on these projects, many thousands of acres 

 would be seeded this spring which now must remain 

 idle and uncultivated for the reason that the occu- 

 pants cannot get the credit to purchase seed and 

 the necessary equipment to farm them. 



It is all right to try out the pet ideas of cranks 

 placed in high positions and permit those who are 

 vitally concerned to adopt them as they are found 

 practical and desirable, but it is exceedingly un- 

 democratic, to say the least, to force upon citizens 

 an undesirable or unknown form of organization, 

 especially by the methods usually adopted by the 

 service. It is the same old story, if you cannot 

 meet your payments when due, no matter what the 

 circumstances are, you must encumber your pos- 

 terity with another $10 an acre. 



You may publish such portions of this com- 

 munication as you desire. Before closing, I desire 

 to say, however, that the Belle Fourche project has 



fared better in my opinion than most of the other 

 projects, and it is apparently because of the fact, 

 that we have been insistent upon a partial recog- 

 nition at least of our rights as water users, and have 

 strenuously opposed any increase of charges. The 

 decisions of the Central Review Board clearly in- 

 dicate that these rights may very easily be sur- 

 rendered or waived by the execution of new con- 

 tracts. The water users therefore should proceed 

 with exceeding caution in any readjustments of 

 their organizations. Very truly yours, 



O. E. FARNHAM. 



(Copy of Bill referred to in Mr. Farnham's letter:) 



BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and House of Rep- 

 resentatives of the United States of America, in Congress 

 assembled: 



That clause first of section twelve of the Federal farm- 

 loan act, approved July 17, 1916, be and the same is hereby 

 amended to read as follows: 



"First, Said loans shall be secured by duly recorded 

 first mortgages on farm lands within the land bank district 

 within which the bank is situated; Provided, that loans 

 are authorized to be made on lands under reclamation 

 projects, entered under the Reclamation Act, approved 

 June 17, 1902, after the issuance of patent, and on lands 

 under private ownership, brought under such reclamation 

 projects, prusuant to said reclamation act, when the owner 

 shall have acquired an appurtenant water right therefor, 

 notwithstanding installment water right payments remain 

 yet to be paid as to either of said two classes of land; also 

 on irrigated lands, other than hereinabove specified, sub- 

 ject to bonded indebtedness, in cases where payments 

 thereof are collected under the general taxing powers of 

 the state; but loans on the several classes of lands herein 

 specified shall be made in accordance with rules and regu- 

 lations to be prescribed by the Federal Farm Loan Board." 



(Copy of Kinkaid letter referred to by Mr. Farnham:) 

 "House of Representatives U. S. 



"Washington, D. C., 



"April 5, 1917. 

 "George A. Ross, Esq., 



"Newell, S. D. 



"My dear Mr. Ross: Your esteemed favor of the 27th 

 ult. is before me and I note the inquiry you make as to 

 whether the Farm Loan Act permits of making loans to 

 entrymen under irrigation projects, assuming final proof 

 has been made. Will say, for some time it was a mooted 

 question, but it is now virtually settled that it is not 

 permissible under the law to make such loans. Accord- 

 ingly, at the last session I introduced a bill to amend the 

 law so as to permit the making of loans to entrymen in 

 such cases, but the Department was against my bill. How- 

 ever, the officials claim they favor some such a provision 

 and I hope we will yet pass an amendment permitting such 

 loans to be made. I remain, 



"Very cordially, 



"M. P. KINKAID." 



SIMPLE CONCRETE STEP CONSTRUCTION 



Steps are not only subject to hard usage,, but 

 when constructed of wood with the lower part in 

 contact with the ground and subject to alternate 

 wetting and drying, decay is very rapid, making 

 them unsafe and dangerous. Steps at the rear or 

 kitchen entrance of the house encounter especially 

 hard usage, but it is a very easy matter to have 

 them durable and safe by constructing them of con- 

 crete. The three forms consist merely of that many 

 boxes open at top and bottom and also at the end 

 adjoining the door-sill. 



A rise of 8 inches and a tread of 10 inches will 

 be found convenient. For this reason the height of 



each box should be 8 inches, since every box will 

 form a step. All of the boxes should be of the same 

 width, but each one is 10 inches shorter than the 

 one beneath it, thus forming the tread of the step. 

 If the steps are few in number and not too wide, 

 1-inch boards will be stiff enough to ho!d the con- 

 crete without bulging, but if there is any doubt 

 about this it is better to use 2-inch plank. The 

 concrete for the steps should be mixed in the pro- 

 portion of 1 bag of Portland cement to 2y 2 cubic 

 feet of clean coarse sand to 4 cubic feet of crushed 

 rock or pebbles. The earth beneath the steps 

 should be excavated to a depth of 6 inches below 



