Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1906-03-29

t.rcat Government Drainage Pro-
5cCgs Proposed By Etli5ft
FitChcll.

: laUsiactoI Il the race Il K prese1ta-
t5vn Steenerson # Minnesota can push
5is swamp reclamation measn1e to
enact m. mt into law, he wi be deSe'v-
iDg OF the praise OF not onl this bnt
nt3re Geu4rations His bill il a pra''i-
cal ,xtension OF the o'd Homestead idea
- ;4ther, perHapa, an app ira'ion t. tn
vast areas Of our sw~m mp bands of the
i,eA emb died in the national i'liga'ion
Alw
Fhore are in the neighborhoed o.
T}f1. 600. O00 acres OF swamp ia"dS in tho
ln.ted States, some 20 ,00t, 900 Of VII ch
nave been surveved, -nd the great bulk
rould make splendid farms. if thu ex-
cess of wa er we're drained If
THE St-enerson bill provides for 'hp
b ginning OF the vo'k Of reclam nation OF
shesp huge areas. The measure is
famed aft-r the irriea'on W; it pro
,iies that the ecrip's from the sails #
peblic lands in the non-i states
.hall cons itute ",ltainagp' fond to be
expended by the Government in great
arainage worsk, and fu ther, that the
cost of such drainage shall be pro ated
among the land benefited and paid b ok
hv the settlers into the I'm 3D." to he
neei oyer again for additional reclaina
ron work.
This plan Of developing the internal
resources of the country and maxim
Aonses OF waste places, is splendid IN its
scope, and appears TO be entirely prac-
ticable and profitable. Take for in
stance, the sing e example OF the swamp
bands OF the kankakee River basin in
Indiana and Illinois Here are some
200, 800 ere, of the very richest Of
bottom laods, but subject to overflow.
they are worthless except where they
have been reclaimed through expensive
private drainage works, when thev have
become worth $1,000 and $3.50 an acre.
Yet it is estimated by the government
surveyors and engineers that the et ii e
system could be effectively dra ned at
rosl in the neighborhood OF $40 an acre.
7he same can be said oi the lands OF the
Red River Valley in Minnesota. T e'e
include the finest grain and farm lands
jn the northwest except that they are
frequently overfnwed. 1t would be
worth millions OF dol ara to the farmers
and settlers who w uld occupy these
lands in smt II tracts, to have a perfect
.yetem of drainage provided. These
extensive systems, however. especially
where they are interstate, seems to be
seasihse for handling only by the general
government.
The Steenerson bill places the er tive
management of the wo'k in the hands
eI the Reclamation Sew ce and the plan
Of operation follows very closely the
irrigation work now being done by that
sxanch OF the Interior Department
Government lands, ceded indian lands
and private lands may ba included in
sDy drainage project, but in each case
the cost OF the drainage imp OVEN mt is
TO be borne bv the owner of the land
and no settlers can have drainage pro.
yided tor more than 100 acres, thus in
suring the division of the tracts into
small farms which must be actua "
settled upon and titled.
This work the r clamation Service is
ans lifed to do at this very moment.
While primarily an engineering bureau
Ct has. in all its great irrigation poi ects,
20 deal directly with the farmer. 1t
snst ontline a mprehensiva drainage
sFstsal for each irrigation pr.j-ct, since
there is as much danger from too much
nri.stIoD as 100 little, and to do this the
Service has it. own farm and soil ex
ye7's. Some of the irrigation prciecls
.ave distinc'ivAly d -ainage features. in
nes are almost as much drainage
fAey are irrigation prof cts. In the
klamath project 1856, 900 acres, or more
,han half OF the area OF the total project.
se rieh tue land covered by eight or ten
se : o! water and is to 5e drained and
son rertad into over thousand farms.
TLe Topographic branch OF the Geolog
sal Survey, OF " hich the Reclamation
service : $50 a branch has already run
fs hnes over many of the great swamp
areas cf the eastern states and as soon
~ the Steenerson bill becomes law
theological Survey engineers viii be !
ready to launch ont into immediate |
sctivity in drainage projects.
The fund provided by the bill would |
ie slDa I az com pared with the irrigation
hsnd--it would Approximate half a
sii lion dollars a year and would start
If with about 81 coo 900. the receipts |
bom the sales for the fiscal year 1905 |
being included-bu on the other band |
abe cost OF drainage would not be go
gFeai a. that Of irrigation.
the importance Of this work of whole
~ X drainage. in order to provide homes
81 increased population, is scarcely |
second in IN poftance to the irrigation
soGk. II means that tens Of millions of
zUrey Of tie most fertile land imagin-
zbie aaich has lain Idle for ages, may
D. converted from dismal and pestilen
iIai saaIlos and use less boys into