The Parker post., 1914-06-06

there could be a quick return. But
comes an immense amount of labor,
improvements, expenditure in the i'm
prOvement of the land, before it be-
comes a real irrigation proposition.
1t is a matter of not few years, but
matter OF a great many years. 1t is
only when they organized and have
adequate financial backing that they
! become a perfectly safe and sound en-
/ terprlse; and it is the failure to rea-
lize that that has brought SO many
into difficulty; not the ultimate val
Tie of the property, but the failure to
provide for the earlier needs of the
! settler and of the government. That
country is remote from all centers
| it is now unieveloped country; there
are great opportunities in the live
stock business, and all the local mon
ey, all the capitalist money, is alb
sorbed in that enterprise The mon
ey used for this enterprise there
| comes largely from the state savings
banks. The state has a savings
bank in which are deposited quite
largely the accumulations of it's wage
workers. The state pays 31a per
cent interest on small accounts and
3 per cent on large accounts. 1t has
on deposit now about $4,000, 900.
Nearly all of that money is loaned
out at 5 per cent as farm loans orfOr
urban development, WOrkmen's homes
within the limits of the city; all
practically loaned out for the purpose
of upbuilding the state, for improve
ment purposes. The bank has been
running a great many years. It's ex-
penses do not near absorb the diff
ference between the 31a and per
cent it pays and the AZ and per
cent that it charges. 1t has now so
large an accumulation in it's reserve
fund that it's condition is absolutely
beyond question. When hearing that
you had established in this country
a postal bank system, it seemed to
me there could be no more wise or
no more sensible and safe use for
that money to arrange in some way
for its safe loan in the upbuilding
of the agriculture of the western
country. We have through this coun-
try an immense amount of money in
vested in enterprises absolutely sound
and absolutely right, lacking only cul-
tivatiOn of the land and use of the
water to make them profitable, and
it seems that the great problem be-
fore the West today is to bring these
enterprises into full use If you are
to do this by the extension of such
aid as I have indicated, then there
must of course come first of all soml
public, thorough and impartial inves-
tigatiOn of these enterprises to de
termine which Of them have an ade
quate water supply, which have lands
supply land and water at prices which
settlers can be asked to pay. If the
unsafe and discredited enterprisesare
eliminated - and assistance Of this
kind is only for those that are legiti-
mate and have right conditions back
OF them-1 see no reason why better
results should not come here than
have come to Australia because you
do not have to go half wayaround the
here in great numbers; they are ca
ger for land, and the hard conditions
that confront them in obtaining land
are driving them away from here;
they are going to Canada, to Aus
tralia, to take advantage of the lib
eral and generous offers presented
% them there Unless something of
this kind is done | feel that they
will go in increasing numbers. You
must realize in this matter that you
are entering into competition world
WideA There never was a time in
the history of the world when the
settler was as valuable as he is now
and when there was as much brainen-
listed in the enterprise. South AT
RIGA is offering this inducement; 1 see
from the newspapers that the Canad-
ian Pacific Railway extends aid to
the amount of $4,000 to each of the
settlers on its irrigated lands; even
far-off Argentine is Investigating this
matter with a view to taking SINH
lar action. Now here is a democ-
racy, rich country, and as mat
ter of business and humanity and a
matter of taking care of her own and
continuing this as a land opportun-
ity, | believe this is one of the most
important steps to be taken in the
reclamation of our arid lands
CEMENT az PARCEL POST