Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-11-19

One of the addresses given at the
International Irrigation congress at Ell
Paso which will be of especial inter-
est to Idaho people was that deliv-
cred by w. o. Cotton of Idaho Falls.
who had for his topic, THE Operation
of Irrigation District Laws in Idaho
and Why Some Irrigation Projects
Have Failed" Mr.. Cotton Is an irri-
cation engineer who has an extensive
knowledge of irrigation projects, their
successes and failures, in this state,
and his address puts a new light on
many subjects. 1t is as follows:
Honorable president, ladies and gen
tlemen of the International Irrigation
congress:
Under such a subject 1t is only fit
ting that the material furnished should
come from Idaho, where the 1914 re-
port of the state land board discloses
the fact that in the last few years, 80
irrigation projects have been inaugu-
rated under the Carey act, with segre-
cations granted and approved which
total 1,S1S,970 acres, (to say nothing of
q great many others which are either
pending or have been rejected under
the Carey act) Two projects have
been inaugurated and built under the
United States reclaim; ton service, re-
claiming a total OF 100000 acres; one
project under the United States Indian
service covering $4,000 acres; 10 prof.
ectS have been inaugurated under the
irrigation district laws covering up
wards OF 100000 acres, besides a great
many stock and cooperative COM
panies which cover over 100000 acres,
making a grand total of 100000 acres,
of something less than one-fourth of
all the irrigated area of the United
States. Is 1t any wonder, then, that we
have made some mistakes and that
some INSCRIPTIONS promoters have
been allowed to mislead the public I'm
der our good name.
The engineering structures on these
projects are practically completed. and
thus far we, like Our neighbor states,
have left the settlement of our large
acres to the tender mercies of the law
Of the survival of the fittest The fact
that successful irrigation development
depends entirely upon creating pros
porous and contentcd settlers on the
land, has not been favorably acted
upon in our state.
We are in great need of a land set
Element policy, which will relieve some
of the needless suffering and hardship
which the pioneer settlers are COM
PEELED to go through.
The subject of this address Is some
what misleading, when taken together,
as there are but few failures under the
district law however. we are confront
ed with some irrigation failures.
GENERAL.
Irrigation district law as compared
to the laws governing the operation OF
Carey act stock companies, etc, have
five distinct advantages as follows:
1. 1t permit the purchases or initia-
ton of large tracts of land with small
payments.
.. 1t prevents monopoly of water
companies with the consequent alb
normal water rates.
3; 1t places control of the entire
project in the hands of the water users
4. 1t facilitates the collection of as
sessments.
5. 1t makes the repayment Of con-
struction cost possible.
The irrigation district law of the
state of Idaho was passed by the state
legislature III 1897, Dut was not thor
oughly operative until 1899, at which
time it was amended. Since this time
10 projects have been inaugurated,
most of which are operating success
fully. In fact, there has been but one
failure operating under district law.
INITIATION OF LARGE TRACT.
Prior to the advent of the irrigation
district law, canal companies were
formed fora the purpose of constructing
irrigation works, which usually con-
sisted of a crude diversion dam In the
supply stream, and crude canal sim
ply to assist nature to water few
acres or possibly a few farms in the
valley adjacent to the streams. In a
short time the necessity arises for a
canal on higher ground to cover more
farms in the same valley, hence an
other canal company is formed. This
same procedure has gone on in some
cases until there arr several canals,
one above the other, all watering pa