The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-06-22
WOULD BOND NATION FOR FIVE
BILLION DOLLARS
Resolutions to Be Presented to Nation
al Irrigation Congress Which Meets
in Spokane in August for Memorial
to Congress Money to Be Expended
for Internal improvements.

velop thousands of miles of terri
tory now without adequate transpor-
tation facilities.
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
$500, 100000 annually.
One billion dollars for forest pro-
lection, reforestation and conserva-
ton of the forest resources, thus as
surfing timber and lumber supplies
for centuries to come.
Give billions of dollars is an
enormous sum. but it is no more than
is actually required to carry out the
gigantic scheme in developing mill
lions of acres Of lands in various
parts of the United States now abb
solutely worthless" said Mr.. Hooker
in explaining the plan. Congress
will not be asked to appropriate a
penny. The returns from the i'm
provements would pay off the bonds.
The government would simply act as
banker, as it does now for the var
ious 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 collateral to
those investing in these securities.
Government figures bear out the
statement that there is enough good
land overlooked in Minnesota, Wis
consin, Kansas, Nebraska, Louisiana,
Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi
to make an area as large as the state
of Missouri, or more than $4,000. 900
acres, while in the eastern, central
and western states there is more
than as much more, or about 1907
| 100000 acres in all At conserva-
tive estimate of SIS an acre, the sale
of this reclaimed land would justify
the expenditure of s2,500,000,000,
or $50 per cent more than is re-
quired to drain it. This land would
support from 100000 to 100000
population.
approximately 100000 acres
OF land in western and southwestern
states are adapted to irrigation,
which, if reclaimed at an average
cost of $25 an acre, would be worth
not less than $500 an acre, or total
of $4,000, 100000, and provide
homes for more than $S,000,O00 per-
sons. The economic value of irriga-
ton can not be measured in dollars
and cents, but crops of from $500 to
$4,000 an acre are not rare in irri-
gated districts. There are already
100000 acres under irrigation
and the reclamation service estimates
it will have reclaimed 100000
acres, at a cost not exceeding $70,-
100000, before the close of $1911.
THE construction and improve
, ment of the deep waterways required
to provide better and cheaper trans
portation facilities is, I believe,
100 per cent investment, from the
fact that two-thirds of the bulky
freight could be shipped by water
routes, at a cost to the shipper of
not more than one-siXth of the pres
ent rail rates. The Importance of
this becomes apparent when it is re-
membered that the food question is
becoming a world problem.
THE state of New York is expend-
| ing $101, 100000 to enlarge the Erie
canal, and $100,000,000 is the
amount required to improve the Mis-
souri, river from a point about 40
miles west of Yellowstone park to
where it meets the Mississippi river.
l2547 miles Then there is the pro-