Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-05-03
ACID TEST OF RECLAMATION
Ability Of Farmers to Pay is Being
Fully Demonstrated.
GOVERNMENT GETS MONEY BACK
Land Taken in Nehrnska and Nevada
is Being settled for without Delay
by the Men who settled
Thereon,

WASHINGTON, May 1.-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. approximately 81 OOO.O 600 for
water rights. If the farmers are able to
meet their payments, it evidences that the
government is able. to secure a return on
its investment. If the payments are not
made, the law is a failure in one Of its
most important provisions and the opera
tons of the reclamation service would
quickly be brought to an end
But careful canvass of the projects on
which water rights charges are due indi-
Gates that the settlers as rule are able
and willing to meet them.
Farmers Are Paying Up.
On the big North Platte project in Wyo-
ming and Nebraska there were 1885 farms
with eli rges due on April /. 1t is re-
ported that 227 OF them paid up as early
as last December and of the remaining
lOS the engineers in the field estimate that
not more than ten will be likely to be
cancelled. Most Of these could relinqulsh
| at this time at a profit
! Even on the Truckee-Carso project in
]
unfavorable as any could be. the reports
show few delinquencies On the Okanogan
and Sunnysde projects in Washington. the
Shoshone in Wyoming and the Huntley
and sun river in Montana it is predicted
that every farmer will meet his obliga-
! tons
The payment of their Indebtedness by
those farmers will probably be the most
important single event in the history of ma
| tional irrigation There never has been
| any doubt as to the competency of the
engineers to construct the projects, but
doubt has been expressed as to whether
the government could get its money back
The dollars of the successful farmers In
the districts will be the answer and the
vlndcation of the reclamation law
Basis for Failures.
There have been failures, as it was in
evitable there should be, but the absolut,
failures and the abandonments have beer
surprisingly few. In numerous instance!
those who underestlmated the task o
came without experience or sufficient fund.-
were able to retire without serious loss
| In numerous other insta aces many retired
! with some gain, but the greatest number
| of failures was among those who took W
| the projects never intending to use then
| themselves, but to speculate for profits or
bona fide home makers who came later.
| Where the reclamation service finds tina
a failure has been due to conditions no
under control of the settler, it is possible
that some way may be found to protect hi:
! rights, but where the evidence is that tn,
settler has made no effort to protect him
self he need expect no aid from the gov
eminent. The farmers who came to farm
however, are making good.
The crops produced on the irrigated land
operated by the water systems OF the gov
eminent in 1909 had an estimated value o
81, 900 coo and the land values increased no
less than S1O5,OO0OGO as .the result of tn
construction Of the federal irrigation works
The reclamation fund has had more thai
S6O,0GOOOO under the act and more thai
$45OO,0OO are still in the treasury of tn
United States, but not available.
The great question has been, VIII tn
money come back? Indications are that
will.