Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-25

Mrs. Llttlepage, VINO is assistant
statistician of the reclamation service,
has probably a more intimate and COM
prehensive understanding of the OPP
portunities offered in the western states
Than any other woman, and, it is said,
she knows more than any other woman
about the arid lands and how to make
them fruitful by the application of wa
ter. The greater part of her time is
employed in telling the people of the
country, by word and by pen, what the
government Is doing for the people now
in the west and those considering
move in that direction. Not day
passes without callers at the Washing
ton headquarters of the service, and
letters of inquiry from homeseekers
approximate from 200 to 1000 a month.
A woman sees the woman's side OF
any project. and 1t was of this view of
her work that Mrs. Littlepage spoke
to recent interviewer:
IF the thousands of women who are
now working in stores, offices and
schoolrooms, some of them just sue
ceeding in stretching their incomes up
to the ever-soaring scale of living ex-
penses in the city, could only be made
to understand how really independent
and generally we'll off they might be-
come by migrating out to the govern
ment lands. / think there would be
double-quick exodus of women from the
oyercrowded business ranks
Some OF our most prosperous farmers
in the west today are women and girls
upon whom have fallen the burden of
family support. Every day scores of
letters come to my desk written by
women who are anxious to find out what
their chances are in taking up the west
ern land tracts School teachers espe-
cially seem Interested in the farming
venture. and ] am personally acquainted
with many of them who are now pros
porous farmers and landowners in the
western states.
''Of course. a woman must be suited
to conditions or be of the nature to
adapt herself to them. If she contem-
plates taking up a government grant of
land and she must face the fact that
she has to repay the cost Of her irriga-
ton plant. II must be kept in mind
that irrigation farming must be inten-
sive, because il is expensive.
The reclamation service is different
from any other bureau of the govern
ment in that 1t has no appropriations
from Congress. 1t is self-supporting
deriving it's income from the sale of pub
lie lands. and the repayment of the set
tiers for their irrigation projects; for
every settler must pay back the cost of
his water supply.
Terms, however, are made as easy as
possible for the homeseeker, the govern
nent being very careful OF the farmers
money The land costs the settler moth
ing but the fee for filing, but he or she
rust paw for every irrigable acre Five
Der cert of it's entire cost must be paid
down for the water right and no more
is asked for five years, and fifteen more
years are allowed in which to pay for
the entire irrigation system. No in
terest is charged and at the end Of the
twenty years the farmer usually finds
that the whole sum has amounted to in
terest on the real value of his invest
ment.
of course the reclamation work of
this bureau would be of no use without
settlers upon the land. but so far 1t has
by the time any project is completed
homeseekers are waiting to take up the
land and apply for the water rights.
Less than 90 of 4hA ~ coo 5aRpEt6c41