The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-08-10

Si0os doNdASeS anu pOSSipiy a. Pi eSChe
five or ten times as large an invest
nent in the aggregate is being made
by corporations in building irrigation
works as is being invested blythe gov
eminent Much of this investment
however. has been made possible. or
at least. has been stimulated by the
government work." said he. "The fact
that the national government has
deemed it wise to take up the matter
has been one of the strongest argu-
ments appealing to capitalists to do
likewise
national private funds, but rather ar
attempt at all times on the part of the
government to stimulate legitimat.
enterprise through obtaining facts up
on which investments might be safely
made and to avoid taking up such
| work as could be handled successfully
by others.
1.-The reclamation fund has been lar
ger than was expected, upwards of
fifty-two millions of dollars being
available to December, 1909, this be-
ing twice as much as was foreseen
There have been laid out systems
which involve the ultimate rsclama-
ton Of several 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
irrigation at The beginning Of the ir-
rigation acreage of 100000 acres. Stor
age of flood waters had been created
million acre-feet. Canals and bitches
were ready for use of an aggregate
length Of more than 5000 miles, a dis
tance equal to that across the United
States. Fifty-eight tunnels had been
built Of a length of $4,000 feet Many
thousands of smaller structures, such
as headgates, fumes. bridges, turn
outs, etc. were completed, a thousand
miles of telephone in operation, and
to that handled in the same time at
Panama.
"More than ali this showing of mat
erial progress are the excellent results
accomplished in carrying out the
purpose 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 q
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 successful
ly cultivate the soil and make per-
manent homes. The speculative ele-
ment has been largely absent.
THE works now in hand will re-
quire all of the reclamation fund for
several years. Each large work is
completed to point where it has
made possible hundreds of homes and
where returns are coming to the
fund, but it has numerous ramifica-
tions, or divisions, each of which re-
quires considerable more money for
completion. There is no lack of work
when these are finished. The oppor-
tunities for further conservation of the
waste waters are almost unlimited,
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 reclamation fund. -
"Of course, there is always another
side to every large problem. 1t is not
conceivable that the reclamation act
could be wholly perfect or that its ad-
ministration could be without flaw.
The very benefits brought about by the
The requirement Of residence on the
land, or in the neighborhood, is freely
criticised as involving unnecessary
hardship, and yet this is one of the re-
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CONTESTANTS