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Show .3 6 COMXISSIONER OF IRDIAN AFFAIRS. work, however, hare been so limited that the capacity of the pumping plant installed will not exceed 5,000 acres. The only logical system for the irrigation of such large areas is by gravity. The valley at this point on the Colorado River is fertile and the climatic conditions favorable. A dam across the Colorado River and the attendant tributing system to supply these lands, would cost several million dollars and Congress has not yet made even an initial appropriation for beginning the construction of a gravity system. These lands are capable of wonderful production and the area should be fully devel-oped. I regard this ns one of the best undeveloped irrigation opportuni-ties remaining in this country and one on which the necessary appro-priations by Congress would be entirely justified. The Indian appropriation act for the fiscal year direcbs the Set-retary of the Interior to furnishin perpetuity water for the irrigation of 631 allotments on the Salt =ver Reservation, Ariz., and steps have been taken to secure this water from the storage provided by the Roosevelt Dam. Heretofore the Indians of this reservation have attempted to cultivate more land than the available supply of water would irrigate, and this additional supply of mured water will come to them as a great blessing. A diversion dam across the Truckee River for the purpose of sup-plying water to. land within the Pyramid Lake Reservation, Nev., was completed during the year at a total cost of $26,296.24. The construction. of the distributing system is being pushed as rapidly as possible and when completed will irrigahe over 3,000 acres. The Indians of this reservation are very industrious and much time and labor has heretofore been lost annually in the construction of brush dams and headings which were periodic&lly destroyed during every flood. A permanent diversion will stimulate the Indians to greater effort and come to them as a reward for merit shown. A sharp controve~yh aving arisen in the Umtah Valley, Utah, over bhe use of water for irrigation purposes by Indiana and whites, the matter Jinally reached that stage where the Indians were getting practically no water. The Department of Justice was requested to institiute proceedings and during the early part of the fiscal year the United States District Court for Utsh issued a restraining order and appointed a water commissioner to distribute the water pending a hesring and the issuance of a Jinel decree in the case. It is expected that this will reault in a substantial wknowledgment of the prior rights of the Indians. During the year the value of the crops raised in the Uitah Basin by both I n b s and whitee exceeded 8400,000. (3or ths Crew ResematiOn, Mont., something aver $1,009,000 has been arpcanded in the oonstzwtimn of various i+iim projects with an aggregate irrigsble area of about 73,000 acres, of which over |
