The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-09-01

taken up, but on the other hand some
of the enterprises on which the Gov
eminent is now engaged might, if left
dormant for several years, have been
entered upon by private capital.
The reclamation fund has been
larger than was expected, upwards of
fifty millions of dollars being avail
able to December, 1909, this being
twice as much as was foreseen. There
have been laid out systems which in
volve the ultimate reclamation of sew
eral million acres. Large works,
| whose magnitude is such that they
have been passed over by private and
corporate enterprise, have been built.
In all, it may be stated that in round
numbers there were ready for irriga-
ton at the beginning of the irrigation
season of the present year over 5000
farms, with an aggregate acreage of
100000 acres.
Storage of flood waters had been
created and in actual use to the ex-
tent of million acre-feet. Canals
and bitches were ready for use of an
aggregate length of more than 5000
| miles, a distance equal to that across
the United States. Fifty-eight tunnels
| feet. Many thousands of smaller
structures, such as headgates, fumes,
bridges and turnouts were completed
thousand miles of telephone in opera
ton, and yardages of earth moved
| comparable to that handled in the
same time at Panama.
More than all this showing of mate
rial progress are the excellent results
| accomplished in carrying out the pur-
pose of the act, namely, the making
of opportunities for homes. The wise
provision of the law restricting acre
| age has been enforced and there is a
well-marked beneficial result in the
| subdivision of large areas of irrigable
land and the placing of this in the
| hands of men competent to success.
fully cultivate the soil and make per-
manent homes. The speculative ele-
ment has been largely absent.
| The works now in hand will require
| all of the reclamation fund for several
years. Each large work is completed
to a point where it has made possible
hundreds of homes and where returns
are coming to the fund, but it has nu-
| merous ramificatiOns or divisions, each
of which requires considerable more
! money for completion. There is no
lack of work when these are finished
The opportunities for further conserva-
ton of the waste waters are almost
unlimited especially in localities
where attempts have been made on a
small scale and complications of such
nature have arisen, especially those of
vested rights, that successful action
can be taken only by following up the
matter with infinite tact and patience,
coupled with the resources of the re-
clamation fund.
The successful handling of the re-
clamation fund probably requires as
much, If not more, skill and patience
than any other industrial enterprise
| On the one hand are the settlers
clamoring for immediate results; on
the other hand are engineering prob
lens and complications of vested
rights to water and difficult rights
of way, with defective land titles, all
of which must be patiently worked
out under very exacting regulations.
The Federal employe is regarded by
all as a proper target; when joined
with this is the fact that the man in
control of the ditch is as matter of
course regarded by everyone as re-
sponsible for every evil in the COM
munity and you have combination
which requires almost unlimited skill,
tact and self-control.
The Reclamation Act is not a per-
feet document, but, like most acts of
Congress, is the result of compromise
of many conflicting ideas. 1t is pur-
posely very broad and leaves as many