Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-05-09
aebD
FOR PUBLIC VEAL.


Some there are in this section who
do not seem to understand why the
government should go to the great
expense of installing irrigation works
ship unless there is a rake off, in it
for some one. To these it may be said
that few years ago the government
commenced a reclamation fund to be
used in the building of reservoirs for
the storage of waters and for pumping
plants for irrigation. At first this
fund was only intended for govern
ment land. Since then irrigation
plans have been greatly widened in
scope by the recent reclamation act of
congress by which private lands come
within the province of the law. Where
Irrigation has been established upon
government land tracts of not to ex-
coed 100 acres may be bought by bona
fide settlers, who, as in the case of
private ownership, pay, in ten annual
installments, their proportional part
OF the actual cost to the government
In building the irrigating plants-that
u.s. the reservoir, or pumping plant,
head gates and the main canals. When
this has been agreed to by the land
owners the management of the plant
Is turned over to them, but the title to
the plant still vests in the government,
to be finally disposed of by congress.
After the management is turned over
TO the landowners, each owner, wheth-
er he is the owner of forty, eighty, or
$50 acres, has one vote. and no one
has more than one vote in determin-
ing this, or that, policy to be pursued.
This is done to prevent the freezing
out" of smaller stock and sharehold-
ers and to prevent the management
getting into the hands of the few. Thus
the management is pure democracy.
Every shareholder is such by virtue
OF his owning tract of land, whether
1t be large or small, and his vote is
equal to every other. Over capitaliza-
ton for fraudulent purposes, or
"watered stock, is prevented.
The governments care in locating
irrigation projects ought to prevent
mistaken investment of capital and in
spire confidence on the part of land
owners in the project. The govern
ment builds lighthouses and expects
no direct returns, or direct reimburse
ments. But in the matter of building
great irrigating plants in the arid or
seml-arld west the government ar
ranges for direct reimbursement to be
reapplied in building other works
where needed. 1t has seen the good
irrigation has done other countries un-
der government direction and as
would a progressive individual or
corporation, proposes to profit by such
experiences.
Until within recent years most irri-
cation in Egypt was only annual irri-
cation and by diversion bitches from
the Nile. Now the English govern
ment is building great reservoirs and
canals by which water can be placed
upon the land at any time, and the
crops have been trebled. Within the
last fifteen years the population of
Egypt has increased nearly one-haIf
and made the country one of excep-
uonal prosperity. At Assuan, Egypt,
is the largest dam in the world. built
at cost of $4,000, 900, and finished in
1902. An illustration of the good it
has done in that section Is shown in
the fact that it is now valued at over
S1oo.0oo,000. The Egyptian govern.
~ ment, and indirectly England, gets its
returns from its large expenditure for
Irrigation in the redemption of what
Tor centuries has been unproductiye
land, in the settlement of the region,
and the greatly increased revenues
therefrom, which latter has reduced
general taxes and enabled the
khedive to support not only his in
creasing population, but to pay the
I enormous tributes to the sultan of
turkey and to England. These prob
lens have been studied by our gov
\ eminent, and from this study 1t has
concluded there Is no better method
OF investing the public funds than by
installing irrigation works itself and
encouraging the Investment Of privatet
capital In like enterprises.
Es5 -------- +
SOUTH DAKOTA IRRIGATION.