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Show WHOSE PUBLIC LANDS? 29 projects were to be repaid into the Reclamation Fund in the form of water charges. It was expected that from these two sources of income there would be a substantial flow of capital to make possible the construction of dams and reservoirs. By 1930 the total income from public land sales that went into the revolving fund reached $110,322,537 but collections on construction charges were well below expectations. Furthermore, the income from land sales had begun to dry up; they were less than a million dollars every year from 1924 to 1949. This decline was more than offset by another major victory of the West and two minor victories in 1917 and 1920. The Potassium Act of October 2, 1917, provided that all the income from royalties and rentals in the mining of potassium on the public lands should go into the Reclamation Fund and that, after the completion of projects with such funds, 50 percent of the payments should be given to the states from which the royalties and rentals had come. The major victory was the Mineral Leasing Act of February 25, 1920. It provided that 52 Yl percent of income from sales, bonuses, royalties, and rentals from the mining of coal, oil, gas, and sodium on the public lands should flow into the Reclamation Fund, 37 Yz percent should go to the states of origin for roads and schools, and a mere 10 percent should go into the United States Treasury. The third measure, the Water Power Act of June 10, 1920, provided that 50 percent of the proceeds from the licensing of power sites should go to the Reclamation Fund, 37 x/j percent to the states of origin, and 12 Yl percent to the United States as miscellaneous receipts.70 From its first year of operation the income of the Reclamation Fund from the Mineral Leasing Act outdistanced that from sales of public land, as it has ever since. The sum made available from these and other miscellaneous sources is $2,232,559,545. With additional appropriations from general funds, a grand total of $5,019,528,597 was available for construction of reclamation projects in this 63-year period.71 Sources of Reclamation Funds, 1903-1966 Sale of public lands Oil leases Other mineral royalties Water power licenses Collections $177,804,595 753,438,127 37,893,808 2,370,180 1,330,421,258 The sharing of revenue derived from public lands with the states in which they are located began, as has been seen, in 1802 with the allocation to Ohio of 3 percent of the net income from lands for roads. Most later states were given 5 percent. In the 20th century, as the public lands were withdrawn from entry for national forests, wildlife refuges, and grazing units, revenue sharing has been used to assist local governments. A first step in revenue sharing was taken in 1906 when Congress provided that 10 percent of the money derived from the sale of timber or use fees should go to the states in which the income originated for schools and roads. In 1908 this was raised to 25 percent.72 Next came the previously mentioned Mineral Leasing and Water Power Acts which provided that 37 Yl percent of income from coal, oil and gas royalties, and water power leases should be paid to the states where the income originated. In 1916 the revested Oregon & California railroad lands were assigned for administrative purposes to the Department of the Interior which was to pay 25 percent of the net proceeds from them to the State of 70 Acts of Oct. 2, 1917, Feb. 25 and June 10, 1920, 40 Stat. Part 1, p. 300 and 41 Stat. Part 1, pp. 437, 1063. 71 Bureau of Reclamation, Summary Report, 1966, Parts I, II, and III, pp. 17-25; W. Stull Holt, The Office of the Chief of Engineers of the Army. Its Non Military History, Activities and Organization (Baltimore, 1923), p. 136. 72 Act of June 30, 1906, 34 Stat. Part 1, p. 669, and Act of May 23, 1908, 35 Stat. Part 1, p. 260. |