Columbia courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1902-1905, 1905-01-20
The IRRIGATION QUESTION
PUBLIC INTEREST IN PROJECT
INCREASES WITH TIME.
Those of Idaho and Washington In
terested in the Great Subject Of Ir-
rigation will Hold Convention at Spo-
kane in March-U. S. Government
to Spend Millions Of Dollars.

Inc growth or puDllc interest III
irrigation, as regards it's development
in eastern Washington and northern
Idaho, is manifest in the recent or
ganization in Spokone of the north
west section of the National Irrigation
association.
AS a branch Of the national organi-
zation, the purpose of the section is to
educate the people of Washington and
Idaho to the necessity for irrigation
in these states, as factor in their
final commercial and industrial supre-
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 Is
$27 900, 900, of which the state Of Wash
ington has contributed, through sales
of government lands, in the neigh
borhood of $3,5OO,OOO. What the Sec
tion 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
comfortable support for family of
five. Raw irrigable land, with perpet-
ual water right, rarely sells for less
than 800 per acre. Irrigation null
tiplies the productivity of the soil,
and annuaEprofits of from $500 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 500 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 Coeur d'Alene system. the
following is deduced:
First, the irrigation of 1,500 900 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 375.o0O making total Of
75o, 1000 as a direct result of 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
$225 900, 900. an amount nearly eQualing
the assessed valuation Of all taxable
property in the state today.
Third, the ;rragation 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 amount exceeding three times
the cost of developing the system.