The citizen., 1919-12-25
GREAT RECORD
FOR RECLAMATION
NEARLY 100000 ACRES HAVE
BEEN RECOVERED FROM THE
DESERT AND POPULATED.
CROP RETURNS ARE IMMENSE
Total Increase In Land Values Due to
This Service Is Estimated at ss56..
100000 - Fund Is Capital In
vested.
BY JAMES p. HoRNApAv.

BY JAMES p. HoRNADAV.
MISUNDERSTANDING the last rs
years the reclamation service Of the
federal government has constructed an
irrigation system that supplies water
TO 1.TS0,0O0 acres Of land. All Of this
land has not been made TO blossom as
the rose, but all OF II Is producing
vegetation. On the government re-
claimed lands are 10000 families in
independent homes. The population in
cities. towns and villages In these gov
ernment projects has been increased
by an equal number Of families. That
IL TO say. on the 1.7S0,0OO acres re-
claimed there are now profitably EN-
ployed and satisfactorily housed 400.-
600 people. As a creator Of wealth, It's
service to the nation and state has been
as great as In its principal task Of
and almost worthless desert IL has
carved an empire Of nearly 100000
acres intensively cultivated and pro
ducing crops whose annual average
gross returns per acre are about double
those for the rest Of the country.
Since the first government ditch be-
gan turning Its waters on the land In
1905 the crops produced on the re-
claimed lands have had a total value
Of more than S250.OO0,OOO. The pres
ent annual crop returns are now more
than s70,OOO.OOO, not including the
value of crops grown on the million
acres outside of projects which are
supplied with stored water.
Land Values Greatly Increased.
The increase In land values has been
enormous. In 1902. the beginning of
government irrigation work, the aver
age value of the desert lands In the
project did not exceed so per acre.
The total value, therefore. of the
1.TS0.000 acres In government projects
did not exceed s17.sO0.OO0. Govern
ment irrigation has increased the
value Of the project lands 5000 per
acre, or total OF $3560O0,000. II
has increased the value # the 1000
/ 600 acres In other projects by 500
per acre, or S10000O,0O0. The increase
in the value of land in the cities,
towns and villages within projects Is
easily S1OO.OO0.OO0, or total increase
in land values of S556,0OO.000. due ia
this work
In connection with the above sum.
mary no consideration has been given
10 1,13S,OO0 acres of land included In
government projects which will be lr
rigated when the engineering werks
are completed, the present market
price Of which has Increased at least
$50 per acre by reason OF this fact
The increase in the price received fol
tate lands included in the project,
and now mostly disposed OF was a.
least S3,OOO,0O0 Of direct revenue de
rived by the states. Dividing the acre
age reclaimed-1, $50, ,OOO-into the ne
cost of the works of $122845,000, W.
have cost of approximately $50 pei
acre for the lands In reclamation prof
ects~to which the government car
now deliver water. This cost, how
ever, includes the cost Of serving
stored water to about 100000 acre
of land. II these lands be Included
the average expenditure per acre bene
fted is less than s45. and this cost in
ciudes large storage works and canals
useful for future reclamation on prof
ecfs now being completed. the utiliza
/ ton Of which will further reduce thes,
figures Of cost. .slsyr.-,sc siEs q 80 60
Revolving Reclamation Fund.
Up to the end Of June, 1919, ther,
had been diverted from the Unite,
States treasury and made avallabl,
for Reclamation purposes S119ss2.
OS4.50. OF this amount there was casl
on hand June 30, $1.O0S,502.52. Ou
of the funds thus made available, in
vestlgations have been made Of pro
posed projects which have never beer
approved for construction requiring M
expenditure of $l.2O7,954. This leave,
4 relmbursable investment in irrlga
Top Works Of sll7,665.627 The Sc
curist for the Feturn of this invest
ment y represented by constructed
projects. --.1SeEH-sa-- ''-''N-i.-ss,s
Under tbs provisions Of the reclaim
ton act OF June IL. 1902. by which the
reclamation fuhd was created this is
made a revolving fund, so that the re-
turn Of any portion 6f the Investment
is made available for refhvestment In
other operations. The reclamation
fund. therefore. can be compared with
capital invested In any business In
commercial enterprises, and the au-
th0tfty 10 so use the fund makes POS.
sibf6 the construction Of works agere-
eating aNcost greater than the amount
Of the original investment
Must Gu Government Expenses.
Every government that participated
IN fne World war Is wrestling with
the problem OF how to reduce
expenditure. Here I'm the United
States the problem is worrying con.
gress and the execnive department OF
the federal government. many state
governors are concerned with II, and
city. county and township authorities
are not able 10 ignore IA. The presi.
dent OF the United States and the sec