Evening star., 1909-08-30

are, sold from SO to $500 each The streets
have all been graded and severed and ce-
ment idewaiks are being rapidly laid.
There is an abundant water supply from
a large flowing well situated near the
center of the town. which will be supple
mented by piping from Lake Cievelani.
a never-failing mountain pond few
miles distant.
There has been no boom in Burley, but
a healthful. regular growth. which has
caused property to double and even treble
in value within the last two years. as
the farmers get in their crops. There
are several permanent books and a hotel
of altistic design and all modern con-
veniences, which has been a great ad-
vertisement for the town. Everybody
goes away. Indeed, there is no adver-
tisement FOR new town so effective as
a good hotel. II you should find such
house as the Hotel Burley in Massa-
chusetts or New Jersey you would COM
pliment the proprietor, but when you
find 1t out here on the sage brush prai-
rie you feel like congratulating every
body.
There is n newspaper edited by New
England man. schoolhouse OF white
pressed brick that Is every bit attrac-
tive AS the hotel, and Of similar arch
lecture, and large number of coy look
ing dwellings, are springing up in every
direction.
The frs, resident Of Burley was Mr.. ].
e. Miller. who camped here in 1917. when
he was trekking westward in search OF
home. but the town was named in honor
of David Z. Burley, general passenger
agent OF the Oregon Short Lire ra-lroad
at Salt Lake City, who is one Of the
best known and most popular men in the
west.
Land Tributary to Burley.
There is a large area OF irrigated farm
land tributary to Burley in business
way, not less than 100000 acres in the
MI int I, ,irfao
is the Goose Creek tract" of 5000
acres. which is being irrigated by Kuhn
Brothers of Pittsburg, Pa. under the
Carey act. This tract adjons the Mini
doka project, and they will be practically
one and the same thing. Kuhn Brothers,
who have other large interests down this
way. secured q contract with the state
government of Idaho under which they
have agreed to construct dam costing
million and half dollars across Goose
creek. tributary of the Snake r.VeE:
and thus create a reservoir capable or
lmpoundins enough water to irrigate 81
COO acres on both sides of the creek
The contract for the dam was let July
f5. and work has already begun. More
than thousand men will be employed
there during the fall and winter.
At least one-third Of the land has al
ready been taken up at s65 an acre, IN
average tracts of forty acres. The origi-
nal settlers along Goose creek were sew
eral families of Mcrmons, who built 2
small irrigation plant Of their own many
years ago and have been ve.y prosperous
1t seems odd that people will pay $50 an
| acre for land on private irrigation sSs-
tenn when they can buy similar land as
low as So 80 and at maximum OF $40
an acre from the United States gov
ernment But If you will talk with old
| settlers down here you will get great
| deal Of enlightnent on such subjects.
| People who take up homesteads on gov
ernnaent land have got to live upon 1t for
| five years before they can get titles. In
| the meantime they cannot sell OF borrow
| money upon 1t. and the only way they
| can get any return for their expendi-
| lures In the way OF Improvement Is by
making what is called a '.relinquish-
| ment,'' and finding some one who viii re-
| locate the same tract under the same re-
strictions and refund the money they
| have put into 1t. These -inauish-
+, nents" can be arranged without much
! trouble There are plenty of land hungry
| people out here willing to pay in advance
the cost of improvements, and the local
newspapers always contain advertise
ments of people who want to sell "re.in-
| quis shnlentS'' for a premium
| The homesteader thinks that the law
| ought to be amended so that he can bor-
/ row money on the land the government
| has given him to purchase machinery and
implements and to make improvements.
!! From the other point of view, such an
/ amendment would defeat the object OF
| the government in dividing the public do
main into small farms, to secure perma-
1 nent settlers upon them. II people were
/ lowed to take up homesteads and then
borrow money upon them every home
stead would be taken up in short order.
| Under the Carey act, however, the re-
4 stricticn Is not severe. The locator has
| to pay twice as much an acre, but he can
borrow money to make Improvements
| upon the land. aud there is shorter
residence period.
Delay and Red Tape.
! Another criticism that is commonly
| heard out here is the great difference in
the cost of private irrigation systems and
/ those which are being constructed by the
! government 1t Is also popular opinion
| that 1t takes twice as long for the gov
| ernment 10 do the same amount of work.
| In proof OF these assertions the Minidoka
! project Is compared with irrigation enter
| prises under the Carey act In this vicinity.
1 1t is alleged that what is known as the
| Twin Falls project, which lies immediate
| ~ alongside of the Minidoka, was com
| p!eted In one-half the time and at one
| half the cost.
/ Most of these statements are recklessly
made by persons who are not familiar
W tn the red tape and the roundabout
| methods which, prevail in all government
/ work. The manager Of q private corpora
| tion Is usually given free swing TO do
what his judgment tells him is + ght and
proper. He seldom need consult more
| than three or four persons. and they the
| Officials or financial hackers of the enter
prise But in government work the en-
| gineer in charge has to refer everything
| to his super orS for detailed instructions
and it frequently happens tnat those who
| arc In authority cannot be reached or
/ they may net be alb C to consider or they
| may not think it wise to decide such cues
tions without further investigation. Ii is
often exasperating for th. government
pn nyip IL
own judgment questioned and TO have
WORK suspended which ought to be pushed
as rapidly as possible. The engineer
many critics, and is often subjected to
suspicion by those who should give him
cordial support. There are many COM
plications and red tape entanglements, so
many hearings and conferences and ref
erences necessary i'll all government work,
that the results cannot be justly COM
I pared with those Of independent contract
ors and engineers. Furthermore, gov
ernment engineers take no risks, their
work must be perfect and permanent, and
i they canno. follow their impulses and
| "crcss lots'' as private engineers can Of
ten do.
I There are several other thriving young
towns in the ne ghborhood of Burey on
the Minidoka project and one of them,
/ with about 800 people, is named In honor
OF Cnite1 States Senator Hepburn of this
state.
TRAVEL ACROSS SIBERIA.
- -