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Show ' SEES RETURN OF OURAY LANDS George F. McGonagle Says Indian Bureau Has Pledged Support, U. S. Commissioner Sells Outlines Policy as to Uintah Tracts. The policy of Utah water for Utah lands, which has been announced by the state engineer, who under the state law has control of such matters under the governor, will find powerful support at Washington in at least one Instance Georgo F. McGonagle. state engineer, expects the bureau of Indian affairs to use its influence with the department of the- interior to have lands at present withheld from development by the Ouray reservoir withdrawal returned to entry. The tract comprises rich bottom lands of the Uintah basin, and was withdrawn in connection with a project, which never has passed tho suggestive stage, under which an Immense dam would be v built across the Gi een river not far from Ouray, would back up the water for X miles, and would cover the present sites of Ouray and Kandlett and reach Jen sen as well. Included in the lands withdrawn with-drawn from entry, and therefore retarded retard-ed as to further development, were some of the richest lands of the Indian allotments. allot-ments. Dam Not Practicable. Now it appears that it is at least doubtful whether any dam could be built at Hhe point mentioned1 for the reason that bedrock has not been found there. The withdrawal has been continued, though little or no investigation has gone on. The proposed reservoir site was in the path of any railroad that would come into that part of the basin, is'o one cared to spend money on lands privately owned under the project, for fear that it would be taken from him, and further entries could not be made. In addition, if water were stored there, it could not be used to irrigate Utah lands, and tho purpose dtf the reservoir would be served only by controlling the floodwaters of the Colorado so that the disastrous floods of southern California might be averted, and the flow might be regulated to the advantage of irrigation projects in the Imperial valley, California. Cali-fornia. Support Promised. LHah officials objected to the continuation continu-ation of the withdrawal. As a result of the recent visit of Utah officials, including in-cluding Governor Bamberger, Mr.' McGonagle Mc-Gonagle and others to the national capital, capi-tal, the support of the bureau of Indian affairs Is virtually promised in the agitation agi-tation for a restoration of these valuable lands to entry. A. F. Davis, diredtor of the reclamation service, has promised to give tho situation his earnest cpn-, cpn-, sideration, and it is hoped that the lajids will be restored to entry, or, if not, that at least some definite plan will be .'announced .'an-nounced with regard to the projectJ Mr. McGonagle, who has just returned from Washington, has little doubt that the result will be the restoration ofl the lands to entry. Other matters affecting tho statfe of Utah came before the bureau of Indian affairs and Its commissioner, Cato Bells. Mr. Sells differed with his solicitors to tho extent that he declared the government gov-ernment would not claim that lands yhich . had once been Indian lands, but had now t passed from the control of the government by sale, after the Indian owners hadf'died, retained any "inherent water rightf because be-cause of their former possession b tho government. Development Expected. There are some 12,000 acres of such land in the Uintah basin, it is said that have passed largely into the hams of speculators who are not developing the lands, but are holding them for tile unearned un-earned increment thnt will come wlih the advent of a railroad and the development of the country. Unler the policy- announced an-nounced by Mr. Sells, these speculators will either have to put the water to which these lands have a right tq beneficial bene-ficial use or they will lose the right to tha water, and without water th lands would be worthless. The policv lis expected ex-pected to result in more rapid 'develop-meni 'develop-meni of many parts of tho basin. T With regard to other matters in dispute dis-pute between the government and the state over water rights in the basin, Mr. Sells did ,not announce so deanito a policy, but asked that the representatives of the basin, including the stale officials, offi-cials, Don B. Colton, former state senator; sena-tor; Oscar Wilkins of Mountain Home and Mayor Bracken of Roosevelt! should present a statement of the clafmi of the whites in an effort to reach an imicable agreement. The matter is now before the federal courts. Tho bureau also promised itsl support in hastening construction of a brEge over the Santa Clara, on the Shivwits reservation reser-vation in the southwestern part of the state. The bridge is important, as it would eliminate several fords now on the -rrowhead trail in Washington county, Mr. MtGonagle says that Clay Tallman, commissioner of the general land office, announced that he would not grant further fur-ther extension to tho Green river Carey art project. This project was started maiiv years ago. but has never resulted in mnch development work. Refusal to grant further extension would not mean that the land would he restored to entry, since It is also included in a withdrawal recently obtained by the reclamation service ser-vice in connection with an irrigation and power project. That service. however, could go ahead with the project without interference from the Carey act promoters. pro-moters. Mr. McGonagle said the interior department de-partment Is giving much attention to the possibilities of the Colorado river and its tributaries from the power standpoint. |
