The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1915-06-04
AFTER MANY DAYS

On another page Is puDllsneu TIC
telegraph correspondence between the |
Great Northern officials, at st. Paul, |
and the directors of the West Okano-
gan Valley Irrigation district relative
to the construction of the long pro-
posed irrigation system, having for It's
aim the watering of the valley lands
from the British Columbia boundary
to Tonasket This is the nearest solu-
ton of the construction of the project
that has yet been reached after years
of negotiation, and it now looks as
though the enterprise is an absolute
surety after so many tedious months
OF waiting, and the almost exhaustion
o. hope and patience of those residing
within the boundary of the territory
THAT the system is to reclaim. The pro-
posal as presented by the railroad
company and acquiesced in by the
land owners as represented by the di-
rectors is not altogether what those
who are directly interested would have
liked to have had, but it conforms ex-
actly to the original plan, which at the
time of formulation was considered
good enough for the purpose, and will
convey and distribute water in suffici-
ent volume to reclaim all the acreage
reclaimable under the projected sys-
| TEN of fumes and bitches.
Nothing that enters into the scheme
OF things in which man has the guild
ance is absolutely certain, but negot-
iations have gone so far, and definite
understanding reached, in the matter
o! placing the contract for completing
this great and vitality important work
that it's failure to materialize is hardly
a remote possibility. Just when actual
| construction will begin can not be
| conjectured at this time, but when
| contracts are once signed it can be
expected that action will speedily fol-
low. There have been so many dis
appointments in the past three years
| that a final and favorable conclusion
| of the long drawn out negotiations
seems too good to be true. Naturally
the information given out this week
| by the directors of the progress of
| correspondence and flattering pros
poets of reaching an immediate I'M
derstanding between the parties at in
terest has created a feeling of cheer
| full buOyancy and confidence for the
future in the community, feeling that
will grow more pronounced with fur
Their favorable developments, arousing
spirit of optimism that will encour-
age investment in extensive and per-
manent improvements, inaugurating
campaign of building that will mark
rapid growth of the town.
What the construction of this irriga-
| ton system will mean to Oroville and
| the entire stretch Of valley to come
under the benign influence of water
| is so patent to the public that it is not
necessary to dwell at any length up
on the subject. 1t is only through ir-
rigation that the valley lands, and e3-
pecially the lower bench lands, can
produce anything, and with the ap-
plication Of water every acre can be
made to produce heavily. As every
acre will have to meet it's proportion
ate cost of the system each acre must
be made to produce some income. I'm
der irrigation, as experience has dem
onstrated, large tracts can not be sue
cessfully handled by a single individ-
ual, and hence the consequence will
be that the large holdings will have
to be cut up into smaller tracts, thus
providing homes for largely increas-
ed population. The filling up of the
adjacent valley will naturally give an
impetus to the growth of the town,
and the largely increased acreage of
producing lands will be q contributary
resource to support a town of con-
siderable population. Just now it
would appear that the sun of prosper
ity for Oroville and the upper Okano-
gan valley is breaking through the
clouds. Let the project once get fair
ly under way and there will be a rapid
Transformation in this part of the state
that will make it an attractive locality
to flock to and to stay with after
flocking.