The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1918-12-02
Doubling the Productive Area of the United States
Is Not a Job for a Piker, Either in Cash or Vision

IN LAST week Saturday Evening Post is am
article by Emerson Ilough entitled when the
BOYS Come Home from France, - which is one
of the clcarcat and broadcast views yet expressed of
the problem of how best to connect the discharged
soldier with idle land. and Of the twin problem Of
the reclamation of our vast unused areas. II YOU
missed that article it is worth looking up
Mr.. llough * famous as n novelist aud journal
ist. Actually he knows by observation and contact
far more about the waste places and unused areas
of this nation than a large majority Of those who
seek to qualify and often actually do qualify as
land and development experts. lie has, moreover.
the advantage of u truly national view of the land
development problem.
The writer estimates the total area of lands
subject to reclamation by stump pulling, drainage
aud irrigation at approximately 250, 000, 600 acres.
lie rs not deceived a. to the magnitude of the task
of retaining that land, or any considerable part of
IT. He does not expect it, or amy part of il To be
ready for soldicr-farming operations when the BOYS
come home, although the article evidently was writ
ten somc time before the sudden termination of
actual fighting. He foresccS years of painSiaking
effort. titanic labor and huge OUTLAWS of money be-
Tore the productive area OF this nation can bc don.
blrd. II Is, IN his view, no proposition 10 be tackled
with a ON million dollar. hurried survey.
We are grateful 10 the men who have volunteer.
ed to fight for us. We are u nation eager TO show
our gratitude. II II will be- a benefit 10 our return.
eel soldiers TO give them land we will give it 10
them. but we must be- very certain that in giving
them land we are actually comforting n benefit and
not unloading a harden onto their shoulders.
The problem Of rcwarding the men who have
fought and offered 10 fight in this war is wholly
different from that presented ut the close If the
civll war. Then the major portion of the vast pro-
dictivc area of the central west. the west and north
west was open 10 homestead entry. The man who
knew good farming land had only TO go ont and
select IT and there was So much good land that the
men who knew nothing about il had next 10 no
chance 10 GO wrong.
The land that is left today. am area as large
rs our present productive acreage. can only be made
proiitabIy productive by an initial investment of
capital, varying widely aS To different sections and
classes of land, but always too great for the aver.
age would-bc farmer 10 provide. Moreover the nm.
deriaking Is too great for private enterprise.
even # private capital could obtain control of areas
IN sufficient acreage to Justify the huge investments
necessary.
Mr Hough apparently regards all private land
Development schemes as dangerous and dishonest.
Ia that he Is wrong. Many irrigation enterprises
nave failed which were undertaken in perfect hon.
eNty by men who sirovc valiautly 10 make them
successful and who went broke in the effort. The
writer, however. shows how wcll he understands his
raw Rand problem when he points out that this vast
undertaking is no job 10 he entrusted wholly IA a
federal bureau in Washington. II is. as he shows.
a proposition IN which the federal aud state COY.
'rnilenis must unite in complete harmony and
practical cooperation.