The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-01

little more settled we have no doubt
but that we shall have hundreds OF
millions more. There is no antag onism
between Mexican and American inter
ests. and ] believe that the relation of
the two countries Will be closer and
more cordial as time goes on"
Big Reclamation Schemes.
The conversation here turned TO the
new irrigation schemes which the gov
eminent has under way, and Senior Her
nandez said:
We expect to do a great deal in
retaining our government lands. and
in the introduction OF irrigation works
which Will water not only them. but
those OF private parties we'll. A
great part of this country is high and
dry. but we have many torrentiat
streams which might be held back by
dams in reservoirs, which would give
water for irrigation. Such undertake
ings are costly, and we have arranged
that they may be carried on through
government loans. We have estab-
lished here at the ca pital what might
be called ''the Bank of the Farmers"
1t is really loan association for irri-
CATION and agriculture 1t was or
ganized stock company, but it is
now operated as an offtcial institution.
the government having purchased most
money to farmers at a moderate rate
of interest. provided they invest at
least 80 per cent OF the loans so re-
ceivcd in improving their properties
1t has already loaned about $4,000
600. and during the past seven months
1t has affected transactions aggregat-
ing almost 100000 pesos.
I'm this bank. under certain condi-
tons farmers can have loans up to
of "a al Of hat
erty. For instance, a farmer owning
a property worth 100000 can get a
loan OF $4,000. and if this is invested
in irrigation works he can get a sec
ond loan of sSso 300 more"
Artesinn Wells for Farmers.
We have also an appropriation from
congress OF s25o.000 Il year TO be used
in arteeian Irrigation. This is to be
| invested much like your own reclama :
ton fund. which has done so much
to irrisate tracts In the west. we are
| using the money TO sink wells In diff
ferent parts of the republic
We have three classes of projects.
One is the drilling of wells for the
small landholder. say the man who
owns thousand acres or less. II he
wishes to have an artesian we'll bored
we have our engineers report on the
possibility of finding water and II
an artesian we'll with the understand :
ing that II sufficient water for irri-
| cation is struck the owner OF the land
Will pay the cost OF the boring and a
small interest thereon
| The second class is as to land hold :
| inss of medium size. that is. estates
of hundred thousand acres or so. In
| this case when the engineers reports
are satisfactory. the government bores
wells, but In this case only on the un-
Outstanding that the private owner is
to have only half of the land that can
be irrigated by the water supply, and
that he must give an equal territory to
be irrigated by the other half to the
! government. The latter part is then
government land and as such 1t lis di-
vided up and sold at the high rates
that irrigated tracts easily bring"
The third class deals with the irri-
cation OF the big estates Take for
instance man like Terrazas. the great
land owner in chihuahua. who has an
estate of seven or eight million acres.
IL we should bore wells on his estate
it would be with the understanding
that we were to have a grant of 100, 600
acres. provided we could strike water
sufficient for the irrigation of that
land. This tract would then be divided
up and sold and Terrazas would expect
to make his profit out of the increased
value Of the surrounding territory"
I'm all of these projects, the money
received by the government for the
sales OF land goes back to the rccla l.
nation fund. This fund will rapidly
grow and In time we expect 1T to result
in the adding greatly to our irrigated
territory"
I Irrigation In the Imperial Valley.
! here referred to the Imperial Valley
of California, and asked Senior Her
nandez what would be done with thai
lob, de- ~ lx,k1
Mexico He replied:
Our part OF tho Imperial Valley IL
quite as valuable as that which lies ir