Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1914-05-14
Market ADVANTAGES
OF NORTH DAKOTA
Western Irrigated Land and
the High Fixed Charges.

captain |. +. Baker, Of Bismarck,
was enroute home Saturday atefr at
tending the conference at Denver,
COL, of irrigation men and land
companies thar have been develop
ing tracts of land in the west at the
various reclamation projects of the
government. Delegates to this con-
ference were from Idaho, Montana,
Oregon, Washington, California and
other states where the government
has been expending money in irri-
cation work. Captain Baker repre-
sented North Dakota.
The object of the convention was
to discuss problems that have arisen
since great irrigation projects have
been completed, for conference of
land owners, and for recommended
ton for legislation by congress for
the future welfare of the various
projects. The government has spent
100000 in it's various irriga-
tion projects in the west. Many
land companies have been formed
which have bought up tracts of
ground that could be benefited by
water privileges and have expended
large sums of money in digging
bitches and making the water avail
able for purchasers of said land.
The expense of this has cost the gov
ernment about $50 an acre, on an
average, to get the water to the
land itself, and the additional ex-
pense of bitches and other prepara-
tion for cultivation has been from
$50 to $75 more per acre. The
land owners are confronted with
handicap in the amount of fixed
charges against their land, which
will have to be met from the pro-
ceeds of it's cultivation. The prin-
cipal crop adapted to most Of such
the convention showed that the rais-
ing of alfalfa for sale was not
paying proposition for the man who
cultivated the ground. The land
companies have not been able to
make the sales which they anticipat-
eed at the prices asked, and it was
admitted that there was no profit
for the purchaser and small culti-
vator at the price he had to pay. 1t
is probable that many of the land
companies will be losers on their in
vestments. The California dele
gates were the loudest in their COM
plants, particularly the fruit grow
ers, whose delegates declared there
was no profit in raising fruit and
paying the prices asked for irrigated
land. The opinion was expressed
that the time for taking profits by
the cultivator of irrigated land had
not yet arrived in this country, as
there was too much other land which
could be had for less money on
which crops could be raised without
irrigation.
Captain Baker said: North Da-
kota is the most fortunate state in
the Union in many respects. It's
geographical location brings it with
in a comparatively short distance of
the largest markets in the country.
Duluth, large primary market it.
self, is only about 400 miles dis
tant and has the additional ad-
vantage of 500 more miles of the
cheapest water transportation in the
world from that point, bringing our
products to the very doors of the
great milling center of Buffalo; and
then we have the great milling CEN
ter of Minneapolis. The natural ad-
vantages for marketing products
grown in this state are not fully
realized by either our home people
or by farmers in other states. Com
pared with many of the western and
northwestern states that are distant
from primary markets, North Da-
kota has a great advantage. 1t
costs less to get shipments OF grain
to Duluth and Minneapolis from
North Dakota than it does from the
western irrigated DISTRICTS to Oma-
ha or Kansas City, and, when there.
the great consuming markets are
still far beyond. Transportation by
the Mississippi or Missouri water
ways does not offer any advantages
to North Dakota. A shipment from
Bismarck on the Missouri river.
south, the same distance that would
be required to reach Duluth or Min
would still leave our prod
ucts as far from the consuming mar
kets as ever. Our markets lie to the