The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1914-04-18

Is the fundamental source of the
permanent wealth and prosperity of
the state, its conservation from waste.
and dedication to maximum duty In
retaining our arabic waters to
farms. is inherently within the prov
vince of the state So our water law
is predicated ON the theory that bene-
fetal use alone constitutes title to
the flow of our streams. and that the
state may inquire into the manner of
such use by a claimant in order to
prevent waste. 1t is the purpose and
intent of the law that no water right,
based on reasonable beneficial use,
shall be invaded. jeapordized, or its
owner put no annoyance; but where
claimant is wasting this agricul.
tural heritage of the people, then the
state will enforce its sovereign right
to compel It's beneficial use or suf-
fer its forfeiture to those who will
so use 1t in promoting the states up
building and welfare. No man can
find fault with this law, other than
those who, by default in the bene-
fetal use of streams over which they
claim control, are today wasting the
vital factor in our colonization and
industrial development
The conversation to beneficial use
Of all the surface waters within our
boundaries would reclaim approx
mately 100000 acres of fruitful
land; or afford 75acre farm for
10000 farm families, as against the
5000 present number of farms 1t
is the opinion of those who have
given our artesian sources of water
supply the most study that, ulti- |
mately, larger area will be irrigated
by natural flows and pumping, than
the maximum acreage above given for
our surface sources of supply.
The agricultural development of
Nevada is essentially, from the
known conditions, an engineering and,
as well, a scientific problem. In
other states, where agriculture de,
ponds on rainfall, the soil and climate
only engage the attention of the
homeseeker. But in the semiarid
region, prior to climate and SOIL
comes the contingency of water
supply for irrigation. This is our
condition with respect to securing
our share of the westward trend OF
We have been hither,
to content to drift, conscious that we
were making no particular agricul
tuarl advance, at all corresponding to
that of states like Utah, Idaho. Wyo-
ming, etc, with like conditions to
meet, but more or less opened in.
stead. to doing for agricultural devel
opment what those states have done
to achieve their advance.
More coIonists Needed
We want colonists. But how few
Of our people have analysed this
question at all! There are probably
sufficient miners here to supply the
labor requirements of our mines.
There is no special demand, either,
for more lawyers, doctors, bankers,
clerks. laborers and
artisans. Going through the lists of
professions and avocations, we shall
find the supply fairly balanced with
the present demand-until one gets
to the farmer. Here is the crux of
the whole problem of state develop
ment. We have not enough farms
and farmers. Increase these. and at
once dozen other lines of industrial
opportunity Will afford room for more
people to establish themselves here
without crowding.
We can approach this problem of
state up-building from any standpoint
and get back to new farms and farm
ers as the one solution. Now it has
been said that probably $4,000 farm
hunting homeseekers pass through !
Nevada annually looking for farms
on which to locate, and that one or
two thousand of these actually stop
of at some point in Nevada to investi-
gate. Out of this number only a |
comparatively few remain. 1t is en-
couraging to note, however. that in |
respect to previous years, far more
actual settlers have come to. and re-
manned in, Nevada the last three
years than in any other like period
prior thereto. 1t is likely that if a |
census Of settlers who located here
in 1913 were taken. the showing
would be far in advance of any other
single year.
Now this is in part due to natural
causes, part to the colonization eff |
forts of the several railroads, but in
my opinion mainly to the work of