Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1905-01-21
THE IRRIGATION QUESTION
PUBLIC INTEREST IN PROJECT
INCREASES WITH TIME.
'nose Of Idaho and Washington In.
terestsd in the Great Subject Of Ir
rieation will Hold Convention at sno
kane in March-U. S. Governn.n.
to Spend Millions of Dollars.

The growth of public interest -
irrigation, as regards it's development
in eastern Washington and nortbern
Idaho, is manifest lin the recent or.
gan1zation in Spokone of the north
west section of the National Irrigation
association.
AS branch of the national organi.
cation, the purpose of the section is 70
educate the people of Washington and
Idaho to the necessity for irrigation
In these states, as factor in their
final commercial and industrial sunre.
macy, and to influence congress-
through popular demand, to set aside
adequate sums from the general irri.
cation fund for prosecuting feasible
projects in this field
There will be a convention of the
section in March, and it will be held
in Spokane.
Funds.
The reclamation fund at present ia
$27 100000, of which the state of Wash.
ington has contributed, through sales
of government lands, in the neigh
borhood of 100000. What the Sec
ton does hope to do is to secure an
annual appropriation of one or two
million dollars.
Five acres of good land under irri-
cation, properly cultivated, will afford
a comfortable support for a family of
five Raw irrigable land, with perpet-
ri
than 500 per acre. Irrigation null
tiplies the productivity of the soil.
and annual profits of from $10O to $500
per acre are not uncommon.
For the sake of conservatism, it is
safe to assume that the average tract
in the state af Washington will not
ultimately exceed 20 acres; that each
tract will support five persons in COM
fort; that the value of the land will
not be less than 800 per acre, and that
the improvements will be at least $50
to the acre; that the net annual profits
on the land will average SIS to the
acre; and, finally, that the present
value of the states arid lands is nom
inal, and the annual acre profit bag
atelle compared to possible future
profits.
Applying these figures to that part Of
the Big Bend project that will come
under the Occur dAlene system, the
following is deduced:
First, the irrigation of 1900 900 acres
of semiarid land in the Big Bend coun-
try should increase the rural popula-
ton of the state by 375,000 Accord
ing to the rule of political economy,
that for every 1000 persons engaged in
given pursuit there will be 1000 in
other callings directly supported there
by, it would also increase the urban
population by $4,000 making a total Of
$4,000 as direct result of a single
enterprise. An increase of 100000
would double the present population of
! the state.
Second, the irrigation of 100000
acres of semiarid land In the Big Bend
country should increase the taxable
property of the state by approximately
1925 100000, an amount nearly equaling
the assessed valuation of all taxable
property in the state today.
Third, the irrigation of 100000
acres of semiarid land in the Big Bend
country should cause the distribution
of more than 500, 100000 in annual
profits to tillers of the soil in the dis
trict-an amoant exceeding three times
the cost of developing the system.
Washington, - Jan. 90 Secretary Hay
has received assurances from Great
Britain, Germany and Italy that they
will cooperate with him to maintain
the integrity of China and the open
door. He believes the other European
powers to whom he had addressed the
same questions will make similar re-
plies. In any event, he feels sure of
being abe to prevent the dismember-
ment of China with the assistance OF
Great Britain, Germany and Italy.
The United States would not go to
warto prevent the ACKNOWLEDGMENT, but
Great Britain and Germany would
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