The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1919-04-18
IMPORTANT LAND LAWS
ENACTED BY LEGISLATURE
Definite Construction Policy for Re-
clamatiOn and Settlement of Wash
ingtOn Lands Enacted Into Law.

mgt0n Lands Enacted Into Law.
Thru legislation adopted by the
1919 session of the state legislature
the State of Washington has adopted
definite construction policy of land
reclamation and settlement. Three
bills were enacted into law thru which
this policy will be worked out. These
are the Reclamation bill, known as
the Banker bill, the Land Settlement
bill, and the bill to submit to the peo-
pie at the next general election a con-
stitutional amendment which will per-
nit the condemnation of land for rec
amation and settlement
There are in the State of Washing
ton about 5,50O00O0 acres of highly
fertile land, of which approximately
three million acres are arid, two mil
lion logged off, and half million
swamp and overflow. This land is of
little value in it's present condition
but will produce as abundantly as any
land in the state when reclaimed by
irrigation, clearing, and draining and
diking. The reclamation of most of
this land is too costly for individual
effort or private enterprise. This
work can only be carried out thru
state and federal aid. The legislation
provided in the three bills adopted
furnishes the machinery thru which
this aid may be obtained.
The reclamation law establishes
state reclamation service, patterned
closely after the federal service. 1t
provides for a revolving fund of five
million dollars, which is to be used to
assist reclamation districts to finance
their projects. These projects must
first be Investigated and approved by
the reclamation board composed of the
commissioner of agriculture, the state
hydraulic engineer, the commissioner
of public lands, the state treasurer,
and the president of the state college.
By means of the aid to be obtained
thru the state and federal reclamation
services all the suitable arid land of
the state may be reclaimed, and means
for retaining the logged-off and
swamp and overflow lands may also
be provided.
As agricultural land is only valuable
when it has been settled and brought
to state of production, it is neces-
sary that the reclaimed lands be set
tied, and to aid in the successful set
Element of the lands reclaimed under
the reclamation act the land settle
ment bill was enacted. This gives the
reclamation board the power to acquire
lands in reclamation projects, improve
them and sell them to settlers under
conditions which will give the great
est assurance of success to the settler.
The proposed constitutional amend
ment will permit the condemnation OF
land for reclamation and settlement
purposes.
"The passage of the reclamation
and settlement legislation by this leg
islature marks the beginning of new
era in the development of the agricul-
tural resources of the state of Wash
ington," said Thomas B. Hill, of Sc
attic, executive secretary of the
Washington State Land Settlement
Association, which has been promot-
ing this legislation since its organiza-
ton last June. "The growing need for
such legislation has been apparent for
number of years, and the point was
finally reached when it was evident
that agricultural development must re-
main practically at standstill, unless
the state provided the machinery for
its continuance.
Through the machinery now pro-
vided there will be made available for
development and settlement in this
state several million acres of land, all
as productive as the four hundred
thousand acres of land already re-
claimed in this state. Something of