Show PUTTING THE TIlE DESERT TO WORK By Dy Frederic J. J Haskin There are over two million acres of desert and unproductive land In five western states which are at present of practically no value to anyone This land not only produces neither food nor taxes but It Is al also also also al- al so a burden to the railroads which are forced to cross the desert wastes between east and west without gainIng gaining gain gain- ing either freight or passengers At the same time there are arc 1 in n these regions great streams which are almost as useless as the deserts Some of them irrigate little patches here and there but most of ot their waters waters waters wat wat- ers ers go go to waste and all of at the gre great t power power which those waters gather in their d descent scent from the mountains goes to waste No Now this country s suffering from too much mone money from overproduction overproduction overproduction over over- production and from and from consequent un un- un and the number of ot unemployed unemployed un un- unemployed un- un employed is being constantly swollen by immigrants Why not let the United States government government government gov gov- gather gathor these idle men and put them to work damming these thes e f ft r J ii u v U J Luelf power IrrIgating irrigating gating the waste lands making farms for tor the men who are out of work This question former Secretary of the interior Franklin K Lane put to the American people fir Mr Lane sl since ce his retirement from the cabinet has been the vice president of ot an ol oil company But he has by b- bno no n fi 1 renounced that Interest in the development development development devel devel- of the public domain which brought him into the cabinet He Ice U urged a systematic reclamation jot of the arid lands of the west as a means of providing r returning soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- diers with farms A complete and detailed plan was offered congress but congress was too busy to attend to It Now Secretary Lane points paints out again the great opportunity that thatis is waiting in the west and how it maybe maybe may maybe be taken advantage of in such a way as to relieve th the stress of threatened threaten threaten- ed d hard times Umes What he ho offers is again agail a a complete complete com como and well-considered well plan The Th objection will be offered that a people pea peo pie overburdened by taxes resulting from a great war is not In a position to undertake an enormous public work whatever Its value Mr Lane replies that this work can be financed financed ed by a tax-free tax bond Issue with the farm lands and the power which the project will produce as a security Lane Offers Complete Plan Mr Lane says that anybody can figure the advantages of a reclamation reclamation reclamation tion project because the proposition is Js so 80 clear and simple Here are one million acres of land a little UttIe owned by individuals some by the states some by Indian reservations most bythe b by the United States and some by y the three railroads that run tun through the desert country Taken as a whole the land is worth five to fifty cents an acre as It is now Practical engineers skilled at this Kind of work have estimated conservatively conservatively conservatively con con- that they can build three dams and power plants on the Colorado Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado river which runs through this country and make available enough water to irrigate all of this desert deceit million willian acres and at the same time I produce over one une million horsepower in electrical energy The cost of the whole 1 ic is estimated at from fifty to eighty million dollars Because of the many litany different interests Interests in interests In- In involved Mr Lane does not feel leel that tha this could be accomplished by private enterprise He says that thai it is essentially a public work and that is where his bond issue plan comes conies InThe In The railroads and the municipalities ties near the desert are in tiro tire marIet market market mar mar- ket Iet for all the power as soon as developed de de- The Chicago Milwaukee St 81 Paul railroad has proved the immense Immense immense im Im- mense advantages of using electrical power in the propulsion of its trains The results are known to the officials officials of of all the railroads that cross the desert lands They would be poor business men not to buy all the hydro-electric hydro energy they trey can use They want to do so so Mr Lane feels sure- sure that there could be made a general bond covering covering covering cov cov- ering the security of the tho improved land at about fifty dollars an acre about one-fourth one the current price of fair irrigated land and the contracts contracts contracts con con- tracts of or the proposed power users making a bond something like the present farm loan bonds As In the case of the farm fa m loan loaD bonds the national national na na- government would add its backing and indorsement The bonds should be free from taxation be because because because be- be cause they are aro to be used to create taxable ta property and an for Cor the public good With the present pres nt effort to reduce the expenses of or national government this plan would not conflict because these thc e bonds would go at once on the open market for Cor government ties tle Being the highest security and tax free they will get a good price at once once It is to be remembered ered al also al- al so that in making makiE- these bonds tax X free tree the government will be a large beneficiary because the proceeds of these bonds are not to be used for government go e tax free expenditures but bu are going at once to create in industries Ind In- In d subject to all a l federal and state taxes f A A. Bond nom Issue While Mr Lane was secretary o othe of the interior he lie had a conference with some of the largest bankers banker s and bond dealers in the country t to o ascertain their views on his project t of providing farms for the returned d soldiers These distributors of se securities securities se- se told Mr Lane that a hall hau billion dollars' dollars worth North of or tax free e bonds bonds paying S 3 per pet cent could be b e absorbed at once Mr Lane think thinks s this equally true of the reclamation n project bonds on the plan he lie has ha hasou s outlined ou tuned x Mr Lane points to the Roosevel Roosevelt t dam d m and the resulting Irrigation o a of f nearly nearl acres of land besides beside s the production of ot over horsepower horsepower horsepower horse horse- power in electrical energy Th The farmer former Is now paying less than 4 4 per acre per year for water he lie uses use s on his land la d and he lie has water whet he wants it |