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Show FACTFINDERS OKAY PR0JECT ' (Press Dispatch.) WASHINGTON, April 9. The reclamation fact-finding committee . today formally adopted as a part of its report a specific recommendation that an appropriation of a million and a half dollars be made out of the reclamation fund for beginning work on the Salt Lake basin irrigation irriga-tion project in Utah, which will cost when completed, about S12.CKKI.000. The initial work suggested by the fact-finders is the drainage of Utah lake and widening Jordan river and impounding water in one or two smali reservoirs for the reclamation of hinds between the lake and the vicinity of IVovo and Salt Lake City. This part of the project, the factfinders fact-finders are advised, can be irrigated for about $S0 an acre. Later on, as other units ar undertaken, the average aver-age cost of the entire project will rise to about $120 per acre. The fact-finders, after careful review re-view of data now at hand, concluded conclud-ed that the Salt Lake basin project offers as much, if not more, promise of success than any other new project pro-ject in contemplation, lying, as it does, close to Salt Lake City, Provo and other markets, in a country where irrigation has proved a decided decid-ed success, with soil and climate adaptable to successful diversified farming and with exceptional transportation trans-portation facilities. This project also appealed to the fact-finders because it can be built in units, and each unit, when completed, com-pleted, can bring new lands under cultivation. It will not be neces-; sary to complete the entire project j before benefits are derived, a condition con-dition that seldom prevails. The fact-finding commission will recommend that the Salt Lake basin project be built in conformity with the new conditions which, in their forthcoming report, they will urge sball apply to all new undertakings under the reclamation law. Just what these conditions are has; not yet been disclosed, but they will tend to reduce the chance for failure fail-ure which existed under the old method that is to be corrected as a result of the fact-finders' report. It is understood the fact-finders were unanimous in recommending the building of the Salt Lake basin project and that this is the first new project to receive their endorsement. endorse-ment. They also, it is understood, have agreed to recommend the building build-ing of the Spanish Springs reservoir on the New lands project in Nevada, which will greatly enlarge the area of the project and bring under water some of the best land in that vicin- j ity. Recommendations for new pro-1 jects are expected to receive the fav-, orable endorsement of the secretary of interior and when the fact-finders report is submitted these new project suggestions will be sent to the bureau of the budget with a recommendation that they be forwarded for-warded to congress for its prompt consideration. Until approved by the budget bureau, these recommendations recommen-dations .would have no standing before be-fore congress. It will be recalled that last fall the secretary of the interior recommended recom-mended to the budget bureau an appropriation ap-propriation to start work on " a new project in Utah." Tbe recommendation recommenda-tion was turned down, along with other recommendations for new projects, pro-jects, as the budget bureau would not approve estimates for new work until the factfinding commission had reported. - The earlier recommendation for a new Utah project was for $000,000: tbe fact-finders now ask fur $1,500-000, $1,500-000, which will be ample to got the work well under way. It so happens that there is an unappropriated balance bal-ance of about $7,000,000 nmv in the reclamation fund, enough to cover ail the new estimates which the factfinders fact-finders will recommend be sent to congress. |