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Show WESTERN CONGRESSMEN , AGREE ON IRRIGATION BILL MEASURE WILL RECEIVE UNITED SUPPORT OF WESTERN MEMBERS. Provision Made for Construction of Reservoirs Reser-voirs and Ditches Where Cost Will Not Exceed 10 per Acre Land May be Honiesteaded, With Payment of VS per Acre Government May Sell Water Where Surplus Is Secured. Western congressmen have agreed upon the following- irrigation bill, and its passage through congress will be secured if possible: Section 1. That the proceeds from, the sale of public lands shall be appropriated ap-propriated for the construction of irrigation irri-gation Works. Sec. 2. That the secretary of the interior in-terior is authorized to cause to be examined ex-amined and surveyed reservoir sites,, tunnel sites for the diversion of water ' and irrigation canals connected therewith, there-with, and artesian well sites and require re-quire reports as to the same. Sec. 3. The secretary may withdraw from public entry lands required for such irrigation works and agricultural lands which it is proposed to irrigate-thereby. irrigate-thereby. Sec. 4. The secretary of the interior, upon approval of the project, shall cause to be let contracts for construction, construc-tion, provided no contracts shall be, made where the cost exceeds $10 per acre of the lands to be irrigated. Sec. 5. Upon completion lands to-be to-be irrigated shall be subject to homestead home-stead entry upon condition of compliance compli-ance with the. homestead act and reclamation re-clamation of the land and payment on final proof of settlement of $5 per acrer to be converted into the reclamation fund, and eighty acres shall be the-limit the-limit of entry. Sec. 6. The reclamation fund to be used for the operation and maintenance mainten-ance of the reservoir and irrigation works until payment upon the majority major-ity portion of the irrigable lands are made, and then the management and operation of all irrigation works, except ex-cept reservoirs, shall pass to the owners-of owners-of the lands irrigated thereby, to be maintained at their expense, the reservoirs reser-voirs to be operated and maintained by the government until otherwise provided pro-vided by congress. Sec. 7. When there are more than sufficient water for the public lands in any project, or if the secretary of the interior determine that land in private ownership is better suited for the utilization uti-lization of the water, or if there is- sufficiency for both, then water rights may be sold upon terms to be prescribed pre-scribed by the secretary of the interior in-terior at not less than $5 per acre, but no water right shall exceed eighty acres. Section 8 provides for the right of condemning property necessary for reservoirs or irrigation works. Section 9 provides that nothing in the act shall interfere with the laws of any state or territory relating to water, but the water rendered available by this act shall be subject to the laws of' the state. Section 10 gives the secretary of the interior authority to make rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of the act. |