Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 67.djvu/603

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

67 S T A T. ]

PUBLIC LAW 258-AUG. 13, 1953

567

Secretary may reduce (i) the reimbursable construction costs of the project or division thereof upon which the original farm unit was located by the amount of such costs which were properly assignable to the original farm unit and which were not then due and payable, and (ii) the reimbursable construction costs of the project or division thereof upon which the lieu farm unit is located by the amount of credit which might be given under the provisions of this section. (c) I n any case in which the benefits of this Act are extended to an assignee of an unpatented farm unit or to a resident owner of private lands, as provided in subsection (b) of section 2 of this Act, an appropriate extension of benefits may also be made to an irrigation district or other form of organization under subsection (b) of this section. SEC. 4. (a) After his approval of any application for an exchange chi?ge#"e^"f" °^ as provided in this Act, the Secretary may cancel and release, in whole or in part, any and all charges or liens against the entryman or against the relinquished farm unit which are within his administrative jurisdiction. I n administering the provisions of this subsection the Secretary shall take into consideration other charges and liens and the rights and interests of other lien holders as to him may seem just and equitable. (b) An entryman making an exchange under the provisions of this Credits. Act may be given credit by the Secretary upon any land development charges made by the United States in connection with the lieu farm unit for any such charges paid to the United States in connection with the original unit. A resident owner making an exchange under the provisions of this Act may, to the extent to which he or, in the case of a widow, widower, heir, or devisee, his spouse or ancestor, as the case may be, has paid to the United States the purchase price of the original farm unit, be given credit by the Secretary upon the purchase price of his lieu farm unit; such credit may also be applied in the manner and circumstances provided in section 3 of this Act upon irrigation construction charges for or properly assignable to his lieu farm unit. SEC. 5. Within ninety days after receipt of notice of the approval Disposal of imby the Secretary of the application for exchange of entry and subject P'""^®*"*"*^' **•=• to the rights and interests of other parties, the entryman may dispose of, and he or his transferee or vendee ma^ remove, any and all improvements placed on the relinquished unit. Upon the making of an exchange under this Act, any water right appurtenant to the original lands under the Federal reclamation laws shall cease and the water supply theretofore used or required to satisfy such right shall be available for disposition under those laws. Any land relinquished or reunquishid^md.' conveyed to the United States under this Act shall revert to or become a part of the public domain and be subject to disposition by the Secretary under any of the provisions of the Federal reclamation laws. SEC. 6. Upon timely application by an entryman on an unpatented Amendment of farm unit on a Federal irrigation project, which shall be found by the "•"" " * ^ Secretary, pursuant to a land classification, to be insufficient to support a family, the Secretary may, upon terms and conditions satisfactory to him, amend the farm unit of said entryman, combine all or a part of the lands of said farm unit with other contiguous or noncontiguous lands on the same project which are declared by the Secretary to be open to entry or purchase, and thereby form and designate an amended farm unit for said entryman, which in no event shall exceed three hundred and twenty acres of land containing not more than one hundred and sixty irrigable acres designated by the Secretary. The acceptance of the amended farm unit by the applicant shall be deemed an exchange within the meaning of this Act. I n extending the benefits