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Show ' CLIFF MEMMOTT. Editor k HONOR COMES TO YOUNG FARMERS OF ROOSEVELT CHAPTER AT STATE MEET I was immensely gratified Saturday morning when I ij read the account of the Utah convention of Young Farmers ' at sat Lake City, to note that the Roosevelt Chapter, 1$ young Farmers of Utah, had been adjudged the t best indi-itf' indi-itf' virtual farming unit in the state and would be appropriately ut cited for the fine record they had made during the year " 1951. ifl Posing- in a 3-column photograph with the state's best j young farmer, Lynn Torgensen, and Eugene Sanford, "Talk-' "Talk-' . fest" winner, was Ted A. Phillips, who served the last iu part of 1950 as the Roosevelt chapter president . . . The picture that was taken by a Tribune photographer expressed the joy and thrill that eminated from Ted Phillips as he 3 responded to the honor that had come to him and his farm-Jv farm-Jv er-buddies here in the Basin. V I had the privilege of reading the record Ted and his 'X fellow young farmers made last year in the various projects U they sponsored. Not only did they compile a great record 4 as a farmer unit, but they made outstanding contributions A to the growth and development of the Uintah Basin and the farming industry generally in this part of the country. II I'm sure I speak the hearts and minds of the large ma- J jority of the people who reside in Duchesne and Uintah counties when I say, "Congratulations to Ted Phillips and Y the fine organization of young farmers he heads, on the great honor that has come to your group and to the Uintah Basin, and may you rise . to greater heights and achieve- ments." While on the subject of Young Farmers I'd like to compliment Elmer Yergensen on the honors he won about two weeks ago when he was named the Uintah Basin Young Farmer of the Year, and as such competed in the state finals. fi-nals. . . . His amazing performance in 1950 made him a close competitor to other young farmers who were judged (jig last week-end in Salt Lake City. v E v REVOLVING FUND FOR WATER BRINGS NEW LIFE BLOOD TO UTAH FARMS . . . n,v Because of the great effect a bill recently introduced in the state logbhture by Senator Alonzo (Lou) Hopkin (D) of Hoodruff, to increase the' small-water revolving fund of , , the state by one million dollars, will have on the Uintah Basin as well as the State of Utah as a whole, I am reprinting reprint-ing an editorial in this column that appeared in the Feb. 10 issue of the Deseret News. I am a thorough advocate of . economy in government, SB ,and admire Governor J. Bracken Lee and anyone else who nil 's fighting to keep costs from increasing. However, I am .,, als0 a campion for progressive measures that will make y7 our state more productive and aid in the development of ; 1 the resources of the state. : . . I definitely place the revol-A revol-A ving fund for water in this category, and earnestly petition j all who feel as Senator Hopkin does about this program 3 to use every .ounce of influence possible to get the Gov-ijj Gov-ijj ernor to approve the measure, if and when it comes to his desk as a law passed by the legislature. A THE EDITORIAL 4 Water is Utah's life blood. A truism. . But just now we are thinking of the water which flushes to waste down Utah's many small streams without being reservoired as it might or should be to the immediate , benefit of the agricultural lands adjacent to each such aiff wastage, and to the long-term advantage of the economy of the state as a whole. We are thinking of that just now because just now the Legislature is considering a so-called "appropriation" of a million dollars which could save a great deal of such water and return its value to Utah myriad-fold. We say "so-called" appropriation because it is not that m the sense of a million dollars which would be spent for water reclamation works and then be forever gone as money I forever spent its only return the increased value of Utah's a produce. Rather, this is a loan fund. , Four years ago the legislature "appropriated" a similar sum to become a revolving fund, to be lent to small-stream reclamation projects in the state's needier counties, and re- Paid by the beneficiaries in the course of 20 years. The state earns no interest on that $1,000,000 but it does get ' me full sum of the principal back. Presently there is at least one project financed by that fund in each of the 29 counties of the state. All are solvent. The money advanced to get them going- from the four-year-i old revolving $1,000,000 is being paid back into the fund ! on schedule. !! So far, so good. So far, in fact fine! The trouble is that there are a lot more such projects which many water-conservationists believe SHOULD be got . under way and there isn't enough revolving- fund money i t0 get them started. ; They have been surveyed, the agricultural needs and 1 tne economic and physiographic sense and practicability ' ' tablished, by the engineers and economists of the state's , water and power board. 5 j All these water-saving projects need is lending money, f hl8ally Prtected on every front so it is certain to be paid back, so that it can be lent for more such projects over " and over again. , . Two years ago provision for $750,000 to be added to ;c this revolving fund was inserted as a line item in the gen-i gen-i ' eral appropriation bill. Spurred by his general urge for every possible economy, vernor Lee struck that item out. Now it is two years later. The governor has had opportunity op-portunity to give more study to this water-reclamation loaned loan-ed Project than he did immediately after having taken office. He will have a chance to reconsider. Senator Lon Hopkin of Woodruff is as earnest a watchdog watch-dog of the state's treasury as is Governor Lee himself. The governor is quite aware of this; though Republican and "mocrat the two have worked together in saving the state money in several well-known instances during the ,J st two years. Mn Senator Hopkin is a livestock man when he isn't state I rawing; he knows first-hand what "small" water means ; 'he agriculture in this state. 'I (Continued on page 2) OUR EDITORIAL VIEWPOINT (Continued from page one) He has no ax to grind for his own range because it is on the Bear river. He has none to grind for his own con- f stituents because Woodruff creek already has a reservoir project in train with the help of a loan from the original $1,000,000 revolving fund. In short, Senator Hopkin is an expert whose position can be, and is, wholly thrifty and wholly objective in this business. He has introduced a Senate bill to increase the small-water small-water revolving fund by $1,000,000. This may be translated into another line item in the state's general appropriation bill as was the case two years ago. In whichever form this proposal reaches Governor Lee we hope he and Senator Hopkin can come to an agreement as to its importance. Both have shown that they are eager to save the state money. Economy is not only virtuous; it is downright noble in the light of the country's fiscal situation these days, as this newspaper takes a good many opportunities to point out. But spending public money for projects, however desirable otherwise, that cannot be made to pay out to the advantage of the state's pocketbook is one thing. A well-protected loan in the interest of the state's economy may be forward looking look-ing thrift. . v E v SMALL BUSINESS IS STRUGGLING . . . We have to have lots of tin cans, somehow, even though the small canners and packers are having difficulty in getting them. There is more fruit produced than there are cans to put it in. That is a puzzle that is still to be solved! v E v EVERYBODY IS DOING IT ... . Once upon a time the American evening entertainment was a game of dominoes - lotto - parcheesi - checkers - and a treat of molasses candy usually a lively "candy pull" and a popcorn feast. Now the paterfamilias sits at the big table and wrestles with the income tax problems. Times have changed! v E v "It will take more than guns and ammunition to stop the rising tide of Communism. Economic preparedness must go hand in hand with military preparedness." Paul Mazur. v E v '"Controls must be measured in terms of whether they'll increase production." NAM President William H. Ruffin. 30 |