and place named in the advertisements. Suitable officers are designated to form a board which opens the bids in the presence of bidders and others interested. The bids, which are usually called for on a unit basis, are then studied, and a recommendation made as to the award of the bid to the best and usually the lowest bidder. Where all bids are recommended for rejection, or where the lowest bid is not accepted, the reasons are required to be given, and evidence presented in such form as to meet the criticism of rejected bidders or other persons. Especially in the early stages of the work, great care was necessary in the award of contracts as there were a number of firms formed for the express purpose of bidding on reclamation work, many of which were composed of persons without experience in construction, who were obsessed with the idea that all government contracts were profitable.

All of the contracts provide that in case of failure to execute the work properly and within the required time, the United States can declare the contract forfeited, take over the unfinished work, together with the plant and equipment, and finish the work at the cost of the contractor. Occasionally, it is found necessary to contract for the performance of certain work without competitive bidding. This is done only on the express authorization of the Secretary of the Interior.

Work done by contractors is regularly inspected by the engineers of the Service. The problem of inspection of contract work was discussed by the Director of the Service in 1910 before the Committee on Arid Lands. He stated:

When the contracts are awarded and work begun the next matter of prime importance is to secure good inspection and to hold the contractor to the faithful performance of the terms of the contract. That is where the main difficulty of the contract lies, in getting good inspectors who will exercise common sense and will hold the contractor to full performance of what he agreed to do. Many contractors apparently have

an idea that in working for the government they should not be held to the exact letter and spirit of the specifications, but that they may do what they consider a good job. There is no discretion in such matters, and a contract once signed, it is our business to see that it is fully carried out.

Construction by the Service. The instances in which the Service itself carries on the construction work have already been described.

In carrying on work by government forces it has been found advisable to follow as nearly as possible the methods employed in connection with contract work. Plans and specifications are prepared. An engineer of the Service is put in charge of the work, and another is detailed to act independently as inspector. The engineer in charge is required to keep records similar to those kept by contractors, and from these the supervising engineer is able to ascertain whether the cost is being kept within that at which bids were or might have been received.

In connection with the direct carrying on of construction work by the Service, mention should be made of the operation by the Service of plants at several of its projects for the manufacture of the cement used in construction. Of these the largest was the cement plant operated at Roosevelt, Arizona, in the construction of the Roosevelt dam on the Salt River Project. The total cost of construction and operation of this plant was over a million dollars, and a saving of approximately $600,000 over the lowest cost for delivery from outside sources was effected.

Sand cement plants were also operated on the Elephant Butte, Truckee-Carson, and Boise Projects. The total net saving to the Service by the operation of these three plants is computed at approximately $562,000.

Similarly, several small coal mines have been opened and operated to supply fuel for construction purposes under conditions where there happened to be outcrops of coal near localities where work was going on and where it was cheaper

to procure fuel in this way than to haul it from some distant railroad point. The largest undertaking, however, is that of the permanent mine opened and operated in connection with the Williston Project in North Dakota.

Activities Incidental to Construction. In connection with some construction jobs, whether carried on by contract or by government forces, the Service finds it desirable to operate various types of enterprise and services for the benefit of the men employed in construction. Thus it has in the past operated messes, hospitals, mercantile stores and recreational facilities.

Because the work of the Reclamation Service is situated in remote places in the western part of the United States, it is necessary to operate messes at which to supply the men with wholesome food. These messes are operated on practically a cost basis, the men are furnished three meals a day at the rate of 25 cents a meal or 75 cents a day. When more than fifty men eat at the messes, a steward is placed in charge, as a rule, and is held responsible for their management. The operation of messes netted the Reclamation Service $103,209.11 to June 30, 1917.

During the construction work on a project where the employees, largely transient laborers, are quartered in a central camp remote from towns, it is usually necessary to make provision not only for camp sanitation but also for surgical or hospital facilities. To meet these needs, the Reclamation Service establishes a hospital and employs a physician and The charge for this service is $1 to $1.50 a month and is deducted from the men's pay and credited to the hospital fund. The hospital operations netted the Reclamation Service $26,836.33 to June 30, 1917.

nurses.

Mercantile stores are established by the Reclamation Service in central camps for the purpose of expediting the work of the Service, but primarily to supply necessaries so that the laborers will not be tempted to leave the work and go to the nearest town for the purchase of supplies regularly needed.

by them. These operations netted the Service $338,541.00 to June 30, 1917.

The operation of amusement enterprises was forced upon the Service because of the difficulty of keeping competent men on the works, especially where these were located at remote points. Under the eight hour provision of the reclamation law no man may be allowed to work more than eight hours in one day. In a camp out on the desert or among mountains miles from other inhabited localities the opportunities for effectively spending the resultant leisure hours are limited. Under these conditions the most strenuous efforts are needed to keep alcoholic liquors out of camp and to maintain orderly communities. Some outlet for energy must be provided and experience has shown in the case of contractors camps similarly situated that it is a matter of economy to provide harmless amusements such as those advocated by the industrial department of the Y. M. C. A. Accordingly, arrangements have been made with the latter to provide skilled men to organize these activities. The small expense incurred is amply justified because of the demonstrated fact that in the end higher efficiency and economy are produced by keeping on the job the skilled men and those who have been trained to work together in well organized gangs. The amusement provided has sometimes taken the form of moving picture shows, accompanied by the sale of cold soft drinks in the hotter countries or by pastry and confectionery in the northern latitudes. Closely associated with these have been other facilities intended for the families of the workmen; for example, school rooms have been provided, the teacher being employed usually by the county school board.

Opening of Projects. Upon the completion of the construction of the project or of a self-sufficient unit of the project, the Service proceeds to test and season the works and to reduce any seepage which may be disclosed. When satisfactory conditions are obtained, the delivery of the water to

the irrigable lands is begun and gradually expanded until it reaches a point where the project or unit is thought to be ready for formal opening.

The charges made for the use of water during this transition period to those already owning land within the project are known as "rental" charges, being thus distinguished from the regular "operation and maintenance" charges, which are imposed when the project is formally opened by public notice. "Rental charges" early arose out of the necessities of the case and were imposed without specific legislative authorization, but by the act of August 13, 1914 (section 11), the Service was expressly empowered to impose such charges. The formal opening of the project or unit is announced by public notice issued by the Secretary of the Interior. By the provisions of the Reclamation Act (section 4, as modified by section 5 of the act of June 25, 1910), this public notice is required to state

I. The lands to be irrigated.

2. The date when water is to be applied.

3. The limit of area per entry.

4. The charges per acre to be made.

5. The number and times of installments in which pay

ment is to be made.

By "limit of area per entry" is meant the limit of area which will be permitted to be taken up by a single individual under the homestead laws on the public lands embraced within a reclamation project. The determination of this limit is made by the Secretary of the Interior, subject only to the restriction that it shall not be less than 101 nor more than 160 acres. Within these limits the Secretary of the Interior is empowered to fix the "limit of area per entry, which limit shall represent the acreage which, in the opinion of the Secretary, may be reasonably required for the support of a family upon the lands in question." Under this authority each 40

1

'In the original act this lower limit was 40 acres; the present provision was enacted in 1906 (act of June 27, 1906, Section 1).