Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1917-09-25

United States Senator VIM. E.
Borah announced Saturday, after
having made a trip through the
Kootenai valley of Idaho, that found
ing his opinion upon the many re-
ports of government engineers and
privately employed drainage experts
of repute, he could find no reason
why the project to reclaim overlooked
lands in the valley was not feasible
and that upon his return to the ma
tional capitol he would at once in
troduce, bill providing for treaty
with the British Columbia govern
ment for the draingae of the Koo-
tenai valley in Idaho and Canada.
The senator states that there is
no reason why the government should
not assist the retaining of land in
northern Idaho. He said: 81 am
convinced that there is no richer,
more productive land in the United
States than that l have seen today
in the bottoms along the banks of
the Kootenai river. l have seen land
that produces 1877 bushels of oats to
the acre; 1 have seen the corn, pota-
toes and all kinds of roots it pro-
duces; | have seen a large portion
of 10000 acres of the level valley
and l know they will produce more
than all the backyards of the eastern
states should they be plowed up and
put into crops. For years and years
the government has annually spent
huge sums in protecting the farm
ers along the banks of the Mississippi
river; there are also thousands of
acres of land in southern states which
should be drained and for which the
government will undoubtedly make
appropriations. | feel today that
shall be able to impress congress with
the magnitude of your project in this
Kootenai valley, show it that recla-
nation means an untold increase in
crop production and convince it that
the Kootenai valley project is as
worthy as any of the work which has
ever been done along the Mississippi
river"
Senator Borah came to Bonners
Ferry at the solicitation of State
Representative A. J. Kent, for the
sole purpose of looking over the Koo-
tenai valley drainage project. He
was taken THROUGH the bottom lands
in an auto and was accompanied by
Mr.. Kent, DR.. E. f. Fry. president
of the Kootenai Valley Commercial
Club, o. c. Wilson. prosecuting at
torney and G. w. King, editor of the
Herald. The party spent six hours
on the road stopping frequently to
inspect gardens and grain which had
been planted after the usual spring
overflow. The senator was amazed
when he was shown beets weighing
from 10 to II pounds each, potatoes
of unusual size and wonderful uni
formity and superior grain, all grown
on the higher parts of the bottom
land which the overflow waters sell
dom reach but tending to give an
idea of what the valley of 10000
acres would produce if the land which
is now good only for wild hay should
be drained.
81 knew you had a wonderful val
ley" said Senator Borah," l have
heard of its productiveness but
never realized the magnitude of it.
believing. We must have this valley
drained"
All day long the senator refused
to talk politics. 81 am here to talk
drainage today" he said. 81 am
deeply interested in this drainage
project and intend to see that drain
age is accomplished. If 1 can do this
| will feel that my years as one of
Idaho's representatives at Washing
ton have not been in vain, / will
have accomplished something worth
while of benefit for hundreds of
years to come to the nation, the
state and this district"
The government has a budget of
several million dollars which is to
be used for drainage and reclamation
projects. When the treaty with the
British Columbia is secured it will
not be much of a problem to get
part of the national budget spent
for the Kootenai valley project, be-
lieves Senator Borah.
The treaty with British Columbia
is necessary because the engineers