Show RECLAIM ARID LAND attitude of administration on private and public projects secretary ballinger in an address before national irrigation congress urges uniform state laws country more thrifty in an ad addes ess before the national irrigation congress ivr vly held at spokane secretary dalling r of the interior spoke in part as follows hile the government has invested more than i in irrigation works many mally times that amount has been invested since the rs is sage of the reclamation act by enterprise and it la Is sale to u sky that a large portion of these private investments have resulted from governmental exa example mple and encouragement and et let me eay say here that it has not been aad and Is not the policy of the national government in the administration of this act to binder or interfere with the invest ment of private capital in the con st of irrigation works but ra her ther to lend it encouragement this Is particularly true in reference to irrigation ri under the carey act in the valous states while it la Is possible that persons of limited meane means may successfully en ter and acquire irrigated lands it will generally be found that it is not a poor mans proposition unless coupled with intelligent industry in agrical any one who haa has visited one or more of the reclamation projects now in operation and has seen on the one band hand the desert covered with sage brush and barrenness and on the other the water flowing over the fertile soil producing heavy crops 0 of grain or orchards of fruit appreciates to the fullest extent the benefits of irrigate n the aorl i of the west therefore who bo are lar with these wonderful wonder wonderful fui results in irrigation are highly appreciative of the importance of the recia nation mation service the greatest difficulty which the ser vice ice encounters Is in finishing the pro lecta now undertaken as against the clamor for a diversion of the funds to new fields in this respect the service has suffered in act not carrying to completion a smaller number of projects than it now Is engaged in con strutting ting I 1 cannot conceive of anything which will contribute more to the permanent wealth and prosperity cf the reclamation Uon states and territories than the continued construction on the broadest possible scale of irrigation works the danger which the government Is seeking to overcome over colbe is the establishment lish ment of small irrigation projects in localities where by such establishment the larger opportunities are destroyed tt st thus preventing areas of lands from ever acquiring the use of water for lack luck if f funds the government at present often Is required to surrender possibilities in water ap allons which mean an enormous loss in future development of irrigation works and I 1 fear the this is not fully appreciated precia ted it Is for this reason that at times private enterprises are to contend that the government Is I 1 obstructing their interests while from the larger view their interests are obstructing greater possibilities for larger areas of irrigable land ours is a nation of busy people a nation of great resources and witless and most favorably situated fir trade and commerce its wea wealth ith ii Is greater than that of any eingle single country even of france and germany combined and this wealth la Is increase ing at a fabulous rate much of it baa has been accumulated by the destruction by the sacrifice and mind by L the he waste of natures gifts it is s a fortunate circumstance that the country baa has been brought to un der stand tho the importance of utilizing and find saving our natural wealth and making it possible for the nation to continue to prosper and for the generations erat ions that are to come to have orne some share in that prosperity espe dally since no element of the nations wealth Is greater than that contained in the soil for this reason it if for no othe the work of reclamation of the arid and ml arid lands of the went west ia Is worthy of first importance in the development of 01 the nations na tlona resources every a acre c re of irrigated land will be needed in t the he nations economy in a century we have passed from a purely agricultural country to an in du and commercial country but wo NO have not outgrown the necessity for or agriculture importance of irrigation work the importance impo ance of the irrigation movement Is indicated by the work that has been done thus far the tha th e reclamation act waa wax passed in at that time the government had title in 6 states to a total of acres of arid land oc of aich which it waa estimated sufficient could bo be reclaimed to support people with the projects project a now under war ay the reclamation service 1 will by IU have made madd fruitful nearly acres at fit an estimated coat cost ol 01 00 0 00 there are acres of 0 mid arid lands susceptible tu td reclamation ajr irrigation |