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Show ITER RIGHTS II UTipEI Commissioner of Indian Affairs Discusses Moun- tain Projects. i ! Special to The Tribune, j . WASHINGTON. Dec. 16. The com- I mlsfclonf:!' of Indian afTnira in his annual rtsport rii.-nusHiritf irriKallon on various Imttnn rrjw.jrvatioua has the following comments to innko on tho projocta at I'iiituh, L'lah; Fori Idaho, and Wind Itiver, Wyo.: "Tho controversy over water rights in tho Uint.ih valkv is still pending before tho district court for the atato of Utah, a decision in the matter not yet having been hand.jd down. In the meantime a rrsaMomi hly ;it li';iriory division of the nvmhiUe water ijetwi-en the Indians and Hie white.-, is rrwi'ie through a water con'irnii-'hifjti.-i" appuin Led by I lie court. "LaiKo ar.-as uf unallotted land within this reservation were opened to honie-i'U::id honie-i'U::id entry years uro and it is tlie et-iI'ts et-iI'ts on thH: lands who are now contesting con-testing the prior right of the Indians to sufficient water for their needs. In the entire district there are some '16.000 acres under Irrigation, bcin an increase of 11,-(mhj 11,-(mhj acres over last year. This represents an increase of over 110 per cent. The value of thu crops raised by the Indians themselves exceeded $!i5,000. "Some l.Ouu acres within this reservation reserva-tion were cultivated during the past year, 7712 acres by lessees of Indian land and f0Sj acres by the Indians themselves, an Increase of over MOO acres. The principal crops are alfalfa, k'ruin, potatoes and ' sugar bfjffts, the aggregate value of the crops raised on this project during the ; year exceeding $500,00u. A number of dif ficulties hamper the most successful operation op-eration of tins system. The canals and ditches constructed years ago are not of i .sufficient gradu and carrying capacity to nerve the area ultimately to be irrigated. ! '"The rapid growth of aquatic plants quickly diminishes the carrying capacity of tho canals, already too limited; concrete con-crete structures improperly designed and constructed, without steel reinforcing, are constantly cracking and settling. Exposure- to rigiil frost action during the t long winters augments this trouble, j Other appropriators on tho Blackfoot river, fibove the reservation headings, divert di-vert water justly belonging to the Indiana In-diana and constant attention is demanded demand-ed to see that their rights are protected. Kxcess waste, return and drainage waters discharged Into Sand crock by white irrigators, ir-rigators, flow down into one of our main canals in such intermittent quantities as to seriously jeopardize its successful operation, op-eration, frequently resulting- in consider-I consider-I able damage to the government's prop- I ci-ty. "Present plans call for the irrigation of approximately 73.J00 acres within this reservation, res-ervation, of which some 50.0U0 acres are now under ditch. About $-00,000 was expended ex-pended in this work during the year just uncled, resulting- in the addition of many miles of main canals and distributing iat-i iat-i trals, witli the attendant diversion structures, struc-tures, brk'scs, etc. Drainage of certain seeped areas had to be resorted to, with satisfactory results. Considerable areas within this reservation are leased, and still others are devoted to tho cattle industry. in-dustry. The area actually cultivated yielded a gross return of over ;:'5.000, of which $1-12. lsl belonged to the Indiana and $132. sis;; lo the whites." |