Show RANCHERS BACKING IRRIGATION SCHEME Spokane Aug owning acres of land In the Crab Creek district In Grant coUnty Washington southwest of Spokane are backing a J project to lipe water from lie tho Colum Columbia bla bia river near Maicus Stevens Steens count Washington to Il a pont t more than miles nilles south at n a cost of thus providing one of the most exten extensive sive gravity systems for irrigating In Inthe Inthe the world i The laud land to be supplied with rith mols turo ture by br artificial means Is In the heart of the tho sagebrush country In eastern eastorn Washington and will be devoted to fruit and s as soon as It can lie he mado road ready for crops The Tho re reclaimed claimed area will provide homes for or from Cram to men women and children It Is cut up tip Into five ten and twenty acre tracts The armors in the district have lev locI led an assessment or of two and a half cents an acre to provide e a fund tel ti a preliminary survey and J M Spencer of Plains Mont owner 01 thousand acres of land Is actively IdentifIed with the lie project believes the plan of carr carrying water rein the Columbia river to the arId district by bv means of pipes cnn can bo be worked out successfully He said In discussing the Ule plan plait It Js is expected to bond the project foi sufficIent L funds to properly finance it Il anti and the backers believe the eye tom tern outlined will bring water to the tho tholand theland land at an Initial cost cort of oC less than 20 an acre After ACter that thal it Is the expense of maintenance will be o much below helow the present figure of oC 2 an acre 4 lr Spencer Spencor added that the survey work will be started within a short hort and If this shows that the plans can he be carried out successfully it Is expected d active operations will begin earls carly the coming year rear to be pushed to completion |