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Show BALLINGER MAKES STATEMENT Enters Most Emphatic Denial of the Acquirement of Water Power Sites By Private Parties. Washington. Secretary Balllngor of the lntorlor department, who has roturued to Washington after an extensive ex-tensive tour of Inspection of tho public pub-lic domain and Interests In tho far west, under tho Jurisdiction of his department, de-partment, gavo out on Wednesday a statement which Is regarded as a declaration of his policy as to these mattors. Tho secretary reiterates, "without fear of contradiction," tho statement hitherto made in his behalf, "that elnco his incumbency no water-power Bites on tho public domain theretofore withdrawn have been secured by private pri-vate parties, and that ho has energetically ener-getically made ovory effort by temporary tempo-rary withdrawals to segregate existing exist-ing powor sites on tho public domain, In order to enable congress to legislate legis-late for more prudent disposition." Secretary Balllngor states that during dur-ing his trip "most of tho principal government reclamation projects havo been visited, some of them by tho aon-nto aon-nto committee on Irrigation. Tho water wa-ter users and sottlers upon tho reclamation recla-mation projects havo boen conferred with as well as questions which may lnvolvo tho Improvement of the sorv-ivo sorv-ivo and tho advancement of tho Interests In-terests of tho sotlors.H Respecting reclamation work, tho studies made by tho secretary havo Inspired him, the statement says, with "ambition to complete existing projects pro-jects as rapidly as business pnidonco and moneys available will permit, and ho Is earnestly In fnvor of securing authority from congross for tho lssu-anco lssu-anco of bonds against tho reclamation funds to glvo tho servlco tho means whoreby all existing projects can bo Bpeodlly completed and nocossary extensions ex-tensions undertaken." |
