Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1909-07-02
DEVELOP PMENT
Scheme of Gigantic Magnitude
Launched by the National
Irrigation Congress
HOMES FOR 5000 FAMILIES
Issue of Five Billion Dollars in Three Per
Cent Gold Bonds will be Asked of
Congress for Stupendous Plan

Arthur Hooker, Secretary of the
board of control of the National Irriga-
tion congress, will present a resolution
for approval by that organization at its
18th session in Spokane August to ID
memorialzing the United States con-
gress to issue per cent gold bonds,
running 100 years, to the amount Of
S., 600, 600, 900, or as much thereof as
may be necessary, for the following
/ specific purposes:
One billion dollars for drainage of
overflowed and swamp lands, thus re-
claiming an area equal to 100000
square miles.
One billion dollars for hereclamation
by irrigation of 100000 900 acres of
arid and semi-arid lands, now partly or
wholly waste.
One billion dollars to construct and
improve deep waterways, to develop
thousands of miles of territory now
without adequate transportation facili-
ties.
One billion dollars for good roads and
national highways, for the lack of
which the loss to the farm area of the
United States is approximately $780,
900, 600 annually
One billion dollars for forest protec-
tion, reforestation and conservation of
the forest resources, thus assuring
timber and lumber supplies for centur
les to come.
Give billions of dollars is an enor-
nous sum, but it is no more than is
actually required to carry out the
gigantic scheme in developing millions
of acres of lands in various parts of the
United States now absolutely worth
less, said Mr. Hooker in explaining
the plan. Congress. will not be asked
to appropriate penny. The returns
from the improvements would pay off
the bonds. The government would
simply act as banker, as it does now
for the various irrigation projects.
The bond issue would provide ample
funds as required to carry out the
work in the several divisions, at the
same time giving the best possible col
lateral to those investing in these Sc
curities.
Approximately 40,0O0.O0 acres of
land in western and southwestern states
are adapted to irrigation, which, if re-
claimed at an average cost of S25 an
acre, would be worth not less than $500
an acre, or a total of $S, 600, 900, 900,
and provide homes for more than 5000,
persons. The economic value. of irri-
cation can not be measured in dollars
and cents, but crops of from $500 TO
$1,000 an acre are not rare in the irri-
gated districts. There are already a.
600, 600 acres under irrigation and the
reclamation service estimates it will
have reclaimed 1000, 900 acres, at
cost not exceeding $4,000, 900, before
the close of 1911.
"No one questions the statement that
good roads have high money value to
the farmers of the nation, and it may
be said that this alone. is sufficient to
justify the cost of their construction an
rapidly as practicable under an efficient,
economical and evuitable system OF
highway improvement. The big points
in favor of this expenditure is the
economy of time and force in transpor-
tation between farm and market, en-
abling the growers to take advantage
of fluctuations in buying and selling, as
well as enhancing the value of real
estate.
"Reforestation and conservation OF
the vast resources are necessary to
provide future generations with timber
and lumber supplies. The government
is expending large amounts of money
every year to protect its forests from
fires, yet expert lumbermen say that
more standing timber is destroyed by
flames annually than is converted into
merchantable lumber by the sawmills- .