Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-05-04
Farmers Under Government Reclamation Projects
 Promptly Paying
OVER A MILLION
 DUE APRIL FIRST
to Pay Is Test of Success of System of
 Reclamation

WASHINGTON, D. C., May 3.-The acid test of the practicability of all the government reclamation work is at hand. On April l there was due and payable into the reclamation fund from the settlers on the various projects, ap- proximately $l,000,000 for water rights. If the farmers are able to meet their payments, it is evidence that the gov ernment is able to secure a return on it's investment. If the payments are not made the law is failure in one of its most important provisions and the operations of the reclamation service would quickly be brought to an end.
 But a careful canvass of the projects on which water rights charges are due indicates that the settlers as a rule are able and willing to meet them.
 On the big North Platte project in Wyoming and Nebraska there were 335 farms with charges due on April l. It is reported that 227 of them paid up as early as last December and of the remaining 10S the engineers in the field estimate that not more than ten will be likely to be cancelled. Most of those could relinquish at this time at profit.
 Even on the Truckee- Carson pro iect in Nevada where conditions have been as unfavOrable as any could be, the reports show few delinquencies. On the Okanogan and Sunnyside projects in Washington, the Shoshone in Wyom- ing and the Huntley and Sun river in Montana, it is predicted that every farmer will meet his obligations.
 The payment of their indebtedness by these farmers will probably be the most important single event in the his tory of national irrigation There never has been any doubt as to the com potency of the engineers to construct the projects, but doubt has been ex- pressed as to whether the government could get its money back. The dollars of the successful farmer in the districts will be the answer and the vindication of the reclamation law
 There have been failures as it was inevitable there should be, but the ab- solute failures and the abandonments have been surprisingly few. In numer- ous instances those who underestimated the task or came without experience or sufficient funds were able to retire with out serious loss. In numerous other instances many retired with some gain, but the greatest number of failures was found among those who took up the projects never intending to use them themselves, but to speculate for profits on bona fide homeseekers who came later.
 Where the reclamation service finds that failure has been due to conditions not under control of the settler, it IS possible that some way may be found to protect his rights, but where the evi- dence is that the settler has made no effort to protect himself, he need expect no aid from the government. The farm CTS who came to farm, however, are making good.
 The crops produced on the irrigated lands operated by the water systems of the government in 1909 had an estimat, ed value of $14,000,000 and the land values increased not less than $105, ,OOO,' 900 as the result of the construction of the federal irrigation works. The rec lamation fund has had more than $60,- O00,000 under the act and more than $4,500,000 are still in the treasury of the United States but not available.
 The great question has been, Will the money come back? Indications are that