The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1919-05-15
A BUSINESS PROPOSITION.

Under this heading, Col. Hofer
of The Manufacturer, published a
Salem, comes out strongly in favo
of the proposed measure to pay ir
rigation and drainsse district bono
interest for the first FIVE years aftel
such projects are started. Thi:
measure is No, 304 on the ballot
and its purpose has heretofore beer
set forth in these columns, and ha:
our unqualified Endorsement. This
Eastern Oregon section is especially
interested in the passage of this
measure, and the people of Morrow
county should support it unanimous,
ly. We are glad to give place to
this Endorsement by Col. Hofer.
Among the measures to be sub.
mitted to the voters at election June
8, is one of particular merit from
the standpoint Of agricultural and
industrial development.
From any angle it can be con-
sidered the measure to permit the
state to pay irrigation and drainage
district bond interest for the first
five years after such a project is
started, by issuing state bonds, said
bond money with interest to the
state to be repaid by such districts,
six months after maturity of such
district bonds, seems safe and
sane proposition. 1t seems doubly
safe when it is provided that no such
drainage or irrigation district can be
started without the approval of a
state board comprised of the State
Engineer, the Attorney General and
the State Superintendent of Banks,
who respectively pass on the feas-
ibility of the drainage or irrigation
system, the legality of the contracts,
ETC., and the holding Of the bonds
by the state as security for these
farmer organizations.
The plan is businesslike way of
using the credit of the state for de-
veloping what is, now waste land so
that it can be used by settlers and at
the same time requiring these set
tiers who have the benefits of this
improvement of their land, to pay
for it. The first five years on any
farm is the hard time and when a
man needs help, BY that time some
thing is coming in.
Individual bond buyers would not
take the time to examine titles and
investigate the advisability of these
different little projects scattered
over the state on some 100000
acres of this unused land, but they
would buy the bonds Immediately
the interest was guaranteed by the
state.
This is a legitimate way of using
the credit of our great state to de-
velop and increase its resources and
at the same time provide means for
thousands of returning soldiers as
well as other settlers to acquire
homes.
The state fixes the price and terms
of sale at which the land can be
bought, in tracts of 60 or 80 acres,
and there is no chance for land
spectators to shove the price up
when the improvement starts.
These lands are located in the
Willamette Valley along the Colum-
bia river, in the valleys along the
coast and in Eastern, Central and
Southern Oregon, about equally
divided.
Settlement Of these lands will
mean S50,000,O00 of outside capital
spent in construction work in the
next ten years, and add hundred
million to assessed valuation of
state. ,.'
lnasmuch as it is development
proposition for the whole state, the
expense Of which is borne by the
beneficiary and not the taxpayer, it
owuld seem that undivided support
should be given the measure at this
time when we are exerting every
effort for increased production and
industrial development.
--t-t--
BY what reasoning does the ideal
ict nuttra nt,f RI Of WIG ORC pn+ 70 ,,,doa