| Show Results of 0 National Irrigation D DURING seventeen years past acres of worthless desert have haye been ma made e productive b by government gov gov- o eminent emment irrigation On this land arc now HOW employed or ur housed persons persons The Time present value alue of the cr crOps crips ps produced thereon amounts to annually The increase of value of the tile irrigated acreage acreage acre acre- age amounts to All l time the money contributed contributed contrib contrib- by the time government o to the various irr irrigation ution projects pro pro- will y be repaid by the sale of lands exL ex ex- L wil 1 ultimately 1 U 2 2 per ler l 1 l OL CL 01 UIO UI Ull in iLI These results and others are summarized by Arthur ArthurI P. P I Davis is Da director and chief engineer of the the United States reclamation ser service cc in the Reclamation Record Mr Jr Davis Dais reminds us that the full ful importance o or of national nation nation- al irrigation cannot be measured in dollars dollars- and amid cents I In Ill the building of new commonwealths m in n the arid west the government is utilizing undeveloped resources band and creating opportunities for its is citizens The Time pl primary purpose has been fulfilled richly and Viewed from this standpoint national reclamation has bas amply justified all al its exponents have o claimed for it Mr Davis is goes on to sa say SInco 1902 tho the reclamation service has lias constructed the time Irrigation system to supply completely acres of or orland land Also Also the capacious storage re reservoirs er of or the time government gov gov- aro are furnishing a supplemental supply of of- stored water to a a million milon additional acres In c ether ther projects or ora ora a grand Crand total of or acres On tho time proJect lands aro are families In Independent ent homes Tho he population in Imi cities towns and villages in these government projects has hs been increased U by an equal number of or families That Is It to Ia say nay on tho the acres reclaimed there thero are arc no now profitably employed em em- and satisfactorily he used people The arguments arguments for increasing and making making permanent the tho naIon's nations nation's naton's na na- tons ton's Ions tion's virility prosperity amid and growth b by creating more homes of or this kind were never foyer novel more moro forcible and unI unanswerable unanswerable un un- un- un answerable than just now no American people cannot I rightly claim to have havo o ha measured up to their opportunity until the deserts of oC tho the I west and md the unused agricultural lands of the balance c cf ef the tho nation nalon have been replaced replaced b by vistas of or prosperous farmsteads I The Increase in land values alues ha has been enormous In 1902 the of or beginning beginning beginning- government Irrigation the time average Value of the desert lands In the projects did not a exceed 10 0 pet per acre rIme Tho total value alue therefore of or the 1 O acres In government projects did not exceed Government Government irrigation has ha increased the time value e cf the project lands per acre or or ora a total of or I it has Increased time the value of ot the time acres ares acres In other projects h by Ity HOO per pCr acre or The Increase in iii time the value aluc o or c land In uie the tho cities towns and villages within projects proJects' Is easily casU or 01 a total Increase In land nt values of ar due to this work With such a showing shoving t the e government go will wi be curiously curious curious- ly Jt neglectful of its is own vital ial interests if it fails fais to facilitate this system of reclamation of its is public lands The Time fund is in reality a revolving fund so that the return return re re- re- re turn of any portion of the investment is made available available avail avail- able for reinvestment in other operations The TIme government nt has hos lid had hf a great war ar on its is hands bands and it its treasur treasury is depleted depicted a t is in much the same posit position on as s the time farmer fanner who complained that were good but mt he was I cramped for ready m mOney ney However How How- ever cier eyer in I the time f jc fa e of the time necessity Y for economy the nahon nation na na- tion hon must continue to expand new homes must must- must be found for tor thrifty thrifts settlers setlers production must be i increased creased the landless man must b lw 0 provided pro with wih the manless land and a way must be found to lo infuse life b new into the great reclamation plan pIon inaugurated h by Theodore Roosevelt Roose Roose- veiL velt which is already proving itself a benediction to tl the country |
