The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-02-28
NEW PLAN FOR Al
LOT|hG LAND

Los Angeles, Ca11r., Feb. 28.-The
largest available hall In Los Angeles
has been engaged in which to conduct
the initial steps in the Yuma irriga-
ton project land lottery tomorrow
The plan decided upon for the allot-
ment of the Yuma lands is an entire
ly new one and representatives OF
the General Land Office at Washing
ton are here to observe its workings
with view to it's adoption in the flu
ture distribution of all public lands.
Early tomorrow morning the sew
eral thousand persons DESTROYS of
filing claims will assemble in the
hall hired for the purpose. Cards
will be distributed to them by agents
of the government, and on these the
prospective claimants will be re-
CURED to write their names and post
office addresses. At any time dur
ing the next ten days the applicant
may appear at the land office in this
city and, upon being identified by the
card, may make application for any
Of the 173 farms that the govern
ment is to give away.
The necessity for the new plan
arose from the anxiety of claimants
to be first on the spot when allot-
ments were made. AS early as two
weeks ago several hundred men and
women had already formed in line
before the land office here, with the
evident Intention of sticking fast to
their posts until the day when the
allotments were scheduled to be
made. In order to prevent the hard
ships which must necessarily result
from such an endurance test Secre-
tary Ballinger directed that the new
plan be adopted.
The opening of the Yuma irriga-
ton project to homestead entry will
mark the birth of a new agricultur-
al district in the Southwest, whose
growth and development are certain
| to be rapid The project, which has
been completed by the government at
an expenditure of about $5,000,000,
provides for the diversion of the Col
orado river on both banks about IL
miles northeast of the town of Yu-
ma. It will redeem 1900 acres of
an Indian reservation on the Cali
| fornia side and about 5000 acres
of public land on the Arizona side.
The Yuma valley lands are espec-
tally adapted to the growing of al
falfa. When the alfalfa acreage is
sufficiently increased, the valley is
expected to become the feeding place
| for cattle in transit. Dairying Is eX
| pected to become another profitable
| enterprise, as stock requires little
| food other than alfalfa. The climatic
conditions are excellent for poultry
raising and bees. The Yuman valley
is destined also to take a prominent
lplace among the horticultural districts
in the Southwest. Many deciduous
fruits such as figs, apricots, plums,
peaches, pears and olives, may be
raised.
One hundred and seventy-three
farms of 40 acres each are to be al
lotted by the government. The
! charges are as follows: Ten dollars
per acre for the land, which amount
is to be credited to the Indians who
belong to the reservation; SIS per
acre, which represents the pro rata
cost of the irrigation works; 81 per
acre for maintenance and operation
of the system for 1910; total, $66
per acre.
Easy terms will be made for the
payments. One dollar per acre per
| annum is to be paid for the Indian
lands, $3.50 per acre per annum for
the water right charges, and 81 per
acre annually for actual maintenance.
No interest is to be charged on de-
ferred payments The entryman who
selects a 40-acre farm, all Of which
is irrigable, will be required to pay
at the time of filing the sum Of $500
and each year thereafter a like
amount until the full charge of $3,-
900 is paid. In other words, 40
acre farm will cost $4,000 with ten
years in which to make the payments.