Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-08-21
Conquest Il IA: Great
American Desert
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A rare day in June, three years ago,
was the 18th Of that month, the ami
versary Of the battle Of Bunker Hill
and the birthday of the national irri-
cation law. writes Guy E. Mitchell.
And the net result Of the latter. at the
beginning of the present fiscal year,
Is an irrigation appropriation Of $780,
100000, with an automatic revolving
law under which the fund Is constantly
increasing through additions from the
sales of Western public lands and the
repayment to the government by the
settlers Of all expenditures for irriga-
ton construction.
The anniversary this year Of Bunker
Hill National Irrigation day was duly
celebrated in Nevada as in Boston, in
the former commonwealth at the
Truckee irrigation project In the pres
ence Of a party Of distinguished United
States senators and representatives, and
government officials. who witnessed
the opening of the first completed gov
eminent irrigation works and the turn
ing Of 100000 gallons of water per
minute into great government canal.
This ceremony meant great deal
for the idea Of American home-making
under national auspices. Fifty thou
sands acres received their first govern
ment irrigation-the finished portion
Of a vast project for the reclamation
Of $50, 900 acres at a cost Of nine mil
lion dollars, under the guidance Of l..
FL. Taylor, federal reclamation en-
gineer for Nevada. Within ten yea RI
the cost of irrigating this 50,OOO-acre
tract-$1 1850, 0OO-will all have been
returned to the government by the set
tiers paying for the water rights in ten
annual installments, to be applied by
the government in the continuation of
the project. The possibilities Of this
revolving irrigation fund are indeed
very great.
Were there to be no addition to the
reclamation fund, its present thirty
million dollars would eventually re-
claim the West. But with the large
yearly additions which have been COM
ing in 1t is destined before many years
to reach the $1OO,OOOOOO mark and
become a vast fund for the redemption
Of Uncle Sans desert lands for settle
ment. And could there be a greater
work than that Of making homes for
the people?
Almost half Of the entire United
States Is comprised in the area COW
cred by these great irrigation projects,
rivaling the gigantic works Of Egypt
and British India. The following
amounts have been apportioned by the
secretary of the interior in the differ
ent States and territories:
Arizona .................. SO, 900, 900
Arizona and California. joint
projects 5000, 900
Colorado 100000
Idaho, two projects. ........ 100000
Montana 100000
Montana and North Dakota,
joint projects ............ 2,35o,ooo
Nebraska and Wyoming. joint
projects 5.75O.OOO
Nevada 2,74O.OOO
New Mexico ......... 2OO.OO0
Oregon. two projects S,25O,OO0
South Dakota ........... 100000
Should the recommendation of the
President be carried out by Congress
rega riding the repeal Of the timber and
stone act and the enactment Of COM
prehensive forestry law, the irrigation
land would be greatly increased. The
government timber sales during the
past two years under the timber and
stone act have been about three mil
Hon acres, at a uniform price Of $3.50
an acre, much of the land densely for
ested with the finest Washington
spruce and Oregon and California fiji
and redwood, worth, according to Off
cial reports. from $50 to $50 an acre.
President Roosevelt's plan is to sci
only the stumpage at the market price
allowing the land to grow up to new
forests for future crops. Every honest
friend Of both irrigation and forestry
will heartily support this splendid idea
which seeks not only to prevent the
wasteful forest destruction now going
on in the West, but to provide an In
come from stumpage sales at least ten
times the amount now received by the
government.
| Had the timber lands which the
government has disposed of since the
passage Of the irrigation act-thres
years-been sold under President
Roosevelt's plan. they would have
yielded upwards Of $125.0OO. 900, which
would have irrigated 100000 acres Of
desert and at the same time assured
the reforestation Of 4,OOOO 600 acres OF
our best timber land. Instead, 80 pei
cent Of this has gone into the pockets
Of spectators.