Show reclaim arid areas of wet legislation proposed to spend to open up unproductive land NATION IS TO BE REPAID would place at disposal Diep osal of settlers settler what may become most fertile soil in the country thrive on irrigated lands land I 1 washington new legislation Is bein ing prepared by committees of congress for opening up to mankind tile arid lands of the west wesl nearly acres remain un improved in the reclamation group of states more inore than all the productive lauds lands of germany and the united kingdom combined this improvement would accommodate wany many millions more people and add billions to the aggregate wealth if reclamation were attended by bv a success with flat which his bas followed the work hitherto done the results of twenty i pars ears of irrigation may be su zed thus gross cos cog net cost estimated area on oil completion of all projects acres Irrig irrigable abe acreage acres irrigated acreage in 1918 acres cropped acreage in 1918 acres crop alue of Iril gated land yield for 1918 V value average yield per acre average cot per acre on basis of total area when completed 42 2 cost per acre tin on basis of area to which service was inq ready to it supply water during tile season beason of 1918 2918 71 70 average cost per acre on basis of astuni area cropped in 1918 authorities on the requite re of irrigation lion agree that flint tile investment or advance hy by the government of funds in the nature of if loans lias haq been p productive ro cinc tive of groat great wealth Av alth at the prowl time according to director arthur artler P davis of the ro re pla placation mation service tile net invest ment of tile iho r fund Is at approximately li with that has been about five projects project ct wittich are arc now in various stages of cc in rilet antl several having been completed and we have pre lre the irrigation works necessary sary to serve alit albut tit I 1 ca i acres of land that not was the file at the end of dinst year sell water rights in addition to tit that under one of tile the subsequent quent acts the service hns has sold partial water ati r rights from re reservoirs er hy fly it to canal companies irrigation districts and others other which lind had lieen previously construct oil anil and for which the he water ster supply was inadequate in tile the latter part of the spa faasou soll the acreage hy by partial vater ight imin the government in co fortion with private projects Is a atte I itie tie over acres so that we have hale approximately 2700 acres served in whole hole or in part by the he ath the alie expenditure that I 1 hine hale mentioned the pop population illation upon the projects project bach are arc entirely pr pro ilig ts Is approximately people nerl cultural on nit tile forms farms I 1 and the increate in population of the towns and file lie new towns altogether account for about people additional making something like g awo people that nave have been afforded homes hoines as a result of if this work on the government projects there hilve have been established SOO schools churches and banks these banks bove a of OW find and de of there fire are altogether over depositors the deposits n h relation to the population ere r much greater on the reclamation pr ejects lisp in the country at t large in tile the year ear 11 1919 which was wa the peak of patr pr tr the returns from the inn t ion projects proper gross return of vegetable products were about the salt river valley in n arizona illustrates well the results of irrigation development based on the federal work the salt river project la Is in maricola maricopa Mari copa county surrounding the city ef ci phoenix capital capita of arizona according to 0 the census data and other reliable statistics about the time the reclamation act became law the population of phoenix was approximately and that of maricola maricopa Mari Illar leopa copa county while the taxable value of property properly in tile county was in ili 1920 tile population of phoenix had 1 jached that of maricola maricopa Mari copa county while the tat taxable table value of property in the county was vias close to or more than ten times what it was when the reclamation act was passed these results are attributable mainly to irrigation development by the united states in nature that country was distinctly arid with rainfall wholly insufficient t for any cultivation ilie main staple product icae or ten tell roars tc arg ago wag atvas alfalfa nl falfa coupled wit with dairying though there vere nere many and ami some fruits raised and other her industries Indus tres and A good deal of grain brain but the most important staple was alfalfa anil and dairying A few years vears ago the success of lung icing staple cotton was demonstrated for that relon region that bringing very big prices large areas of alfalfa were ploughed sloughed hed up tip the cattle were ere sold old and the people went extensively into tile rilling of long staple cotton that A at a t very profitable up tip 0 to o 1919 and was one tit of the principal reasons why the product duct that year was as so high in III I 1 about acres were p planted muted to lung hing staple cotton but the failed balled or and very little of that cotton has bas yet been marketed although it was picked six months ago it lins bag potential value but leaves the people lit in rather straitened circum jancef tan cef because of the lie lack of at a the lie present little and many of lipin are enins back to alfalfa and dairying fit I 1 ry I 1 III g clie difficulty Is to pet get high prade grade rattle cattle which they had before in a worked marked degree but gradually they ore are getting back into the fiore sibble inan industry try almost any ind industry down there Is III profi taNe frank W a railroad olli official cial reports report ii improvements in idaho which lie thinks are typical of the whole irrigation iri increase in wealth in latah county in 1900 lie ile sold tile assessed value of property B S in 1910 and in 1920 OM the increase in the he wealth of twin falls county in the last ten year period was wag about ver per cent while abile to in latah county in the 70 per cent th number of acrea acre of improved lani land and in faring farina only nt nat including waite lands and landt pot not under cultivation in tile the twin falls county section in 1910 was approximately prot acres antic nn in 1120 1920 acre while in county in ili 1000 there were acres in farms in 1010 acres and il IW 1020 am acree Indi indicating enting that ili tile nat lat ren bear cerind 10 OW acrea net of this irrigated sect itin line biad liean placed under lo in the twin fatir falls MM glnn no acres acre had bad been placed under cultivation in loll 1011 file die total value of all crops crol raised in the tin falls section tin on acres wai as 1 while in louth county on acres the totne i alue of all crops was these there people uhn lia lime taken up those these irrigated lands landd are the most aggressive and best type of horne battle anker and citizen tn a the th united statts they upend spend their money for it a large amount of manufactured things the comforts of home rind and they afford the tb heat best market per capita tor for maro mann factored eastern goods oeda one illustration tri typical of that and typical of aery e ery irrigated section in the west that la Is developed Is reflected in figure of the reel reclamation a tua tion service on the mini dako project in 1919 the slue of tile the crops was as w the value of the manufactured articles used on that project was in other wc words ards on that project in 1919 1910 they pure purchased I 1 based more than they produced IV D B dodson manager of f the 1 portland chamber Cham lier of commerce estimates that on oil the more ihan hen lOO OOOO acres of irrigated landi land reclaimed a total yield valued at fw 66 W was obtained in 1918 and M 10 Kit lyo in 1919 the value of the average yield lie ile said was QIAO per acre front from crops alone for all the irrigated land in 1918 as compared with 20 a an acre for the average of if till nil the lie cultivated land and of the notion nation in the year 1910 purpose of legislation tiie imrie e or ilie hie proposed legislation Is III to authorize and direct tile the secretary of the he treasury to franx fer to tile the fund upon lie file request renu eit of the secretary ecret cre tary ary of the lie interior a total sura sum of in the following manner during the fiscal year ending in 1022 1922 not exceeding exceed lne I 1 1923 1924 and for year for a period of three yours years not to exceed the money Is to te be used by the interior department in reclaiming arid and deml arail lands in western states slates I 1 reclaiming there lands includes tile the and survey of the lands the character cliar acter of the still soli till HIP fen feasibility nib of placing water thereon div 1 v means of ians re reservoirs tunes ca nils dikes and bueb other inpyn as engineering rony may determine vs us nod and practicable tt at tile eni eat of live five yeara year under like lie bill a valon valention tion of the property of fit the ditrI ct shall lie be ande and ani if part is found by competent in 0 o lie double the rost cost of et construction instruction the district shall issue its bonda anil and front from the he snip sale tho thereof the reclamation fund of the united slates Sl treasury sury shall be reimbursed to the amount of money expended on the projects oil and interest the whole real anti and personal property of the flip district shands i pled pledged ed to the payment of the hond they run not excepting exco fuenty five years yeara AP af under tile the exIst litz low per to open tin nn irrigation must he organized into a district ll ft conformity with will the laws hiwa of the stati or states in which the project iz if whole or tn in part Is tile total of 2 ia exio MW non to t the reclamation fund to li to lit fit r a paid to the united bulted sta states tes tre agry from thin und fund beginning lifto the lit D cil cat year 1812 1942 |