New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-03
TO POPULATE DESERTS.
The Salcation 1rmy's Fast Project
-Uhat 1t Has Done 1lrc0dy.

u nat III las none IUCOUV.
Officers of the Salvation Army, which is now
holding its international congress in London
have evolved a stupendous plan OF populating
tn arid regions Of the West. They have
scheme to remove the pauperized classes from
the great cities and make them farmers. They
want the government to advance the money for
:. colonization scheme more ambitious than any
which the great coloniZing countries OF Europe
have ever yet attempted They had q bill in
PRODUCED at the last Congress to carry out their
scheme, and although the bill was killed and
the plan called a chimera- they are now lining
UP to fight it through at the next session.
The Salvationists have figured ii all out
There is enough waste water in the United
s;ates they say. to irrigate one-hfth of the arid
lands. or 100000 acres, and of this vast ter
ritory only -hftieth, about 100000
;eres have already been reclaimed. They esti-
late that the government can settle families
G. fifteen acre tracts at the cost of So 30 an
acre. and in the bill which they want passed
Urcle Sam Is to loan out 100000 a year to
reclaim annually nearly 10000 acres. This
would remove from the cities every year. they
c-tirnate, more than 10000 families, or about
10000 souls. Such project would not only
pay for itself. its advocates say. but also net
r.ch income The money is all to be paid back
az per cent interest
Whenever the Salvation officers called
visionary in advocating such plan they point
the three colonies which they have them
elves established in Colorado, Ohio and Cali
f,rnia These settlements, aggregating about
five hundred men, women and children. have
,lst about 100000, but their founders say that
III except the youngest now self support
Ing.
The Oldest and largest colony and the
that best illustrates the settlement plan. which
the army wants the government to undertake,
is at Amity, COL few miles west of the Kan
sas line. on the Santa Fe Railroad. Here six
years ago two thousand acres were purchased
for $4,000. and at the present time one-half
the land has been taken up and the community
has grown to a population of $50. It's people
have prospered, according to Commander Booth
Tucker, who said recently that the freight alone
on Fort Amitys crops last year amounted TO
$4,000 or $1,000 more than the original cost
Of the land. OF the $4,000 expended on the
colony for land. buildings and irrigation works,
the oolonists have paid back nearly one-f fourth
$1,000.
As each family arrived at Fort Arnity il is
quartered by the commanding officer, until its
house is built and furnished. If the newcomer
is handy with the hammer" he builds his own
house; if not, he hires the village carpenter. Be
sides the home. the settler obtains two horses, a
cow. two dozen chickens, and all the tools needed
Cor cutivating his twenty of land. lie is
also supplied with cash to buy the seed for his
FIST crop, after which he is supposed to shift for
EiI self. His chief crops are alfalfa, cantcloUpe
md sugar beet. BY the time the first crop is
invested, however, he is in debt 20 the army
f"r nom $1,000 TO ST 800. He has eleven years
l. Pay back the sum. and inasmuch the in
Hot rio
& IT,. cent, he is stimulated to cancel his debt as
:onl rs possible Commander BoCth-Tucker
81! that a few have already cleared themselves
and adds: Families who started two to five
3ea:s ago with nothing now possess farms worth
from $1,000 to $1,000. The average cash income
of the settlers is $500 and there is no disposition
n."afested on the part Of any of them TO
aiaLdon their farms and return to the city"
The vital Importance Of the irrigation ditch is
zen in every deed Of property drawn up for re-
claimed Western land. At Fort Amity each