The Nevada County picayune., 1920-01-01
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 $556,- 100000 - Fund Is Capital in- NCcfad
By JAMES p. HORNADAY,

years the reciamatiOn service Of the federal government has constructed an Irrigation system that supplies water to l.1S0.OO0 acres of land. All of this 1 land has not been made to blossom as l the rose, but all of it Is producing vegetation. On the government re- claimed lands are 10000 families in independent homes. The population in l cities, towns and villages in these gov ernment projects has been increased l by an equal number of families That 1 is to say, on the 1,7S0,000 acres re- l claimed there are now proftably em- l ployed and satisfactorily housed 400,- l GOO people. As q creator of wealth, it's 1 service to the nation and state has been l aS great aS in its principal task of l home making. Out of the uuinhabited and almost worthless desert it has l carved an empire of nearly 2000,OO0 l acres intenSively cultivated and pro 1 ducing crops whose annual average 1 gross returns per acre are about double 1 those for the rest of the country. 1 Since the first government ditch be- l gan turning it's waters on the land in l 1905 the crops produced on the re- 1 claimed lands have had q total value l of more than 50,0O00OO The pres ent annual crop returns are now more l than S70O00.OO0, not including the value of crops grown on the million acres outside of projects which are l supplied with stored water
 Land Values Greatly increased.
 The increase in land values has been enormous. In 1902. the beginning of l government irrigation work the aver l age value of the desert lands in the project did not exceed S10 per acre. 1 The total value, therefore. of the l 1.7So,O0o acres ill government projects did not exceed S17,SO0, GOO Govern ment irrigation has increased the value of the project lands $20O per acre. or total of $356. 100000. II has increased the value If the l,0O0,- GOO acres in other projects hy S1O0 per acre. or $100,O00 GOO. The increase in the value of land in the cities 1 towns and villages within projects is easily S1Oo. 100000, or total increase in land values of $.l56 o00,OO0, due to i this work.
 In connection with the above sum mary no consideration has been given to 1,13S,000 acres of land included in government projects which will be ir- r.gatcd when the engineering works are completed. the present market price of which has increased al least l Inv of flP The increase in the price received for state lands included in the projects and now mostly disposed of was at least S30OO,00O of direct revenue de- rived by the states. Dividing the acre age reclaimed .7S0 000-into the net cost of the works of $l22 ,645 900. we have cost of approximately SG9 per acre for the lands in reclamation prof ects to which the government can now deliver water. This cost. how ever. includes the cost of serving stored water 10 about 1.00o000 acres of land If these lands be included the average expenditure per acre bene- filed is less than $45. and this cost in- cludeS largo storage works and canals useful for future reclamation on prof ects now being completed, the utillza- ton of which will further reduce these GgarPS of cost.
 Revolving Reclamation Fund.
 Up to the end of June, 1919, there had been diverted from the United States treasury and made available for reclamation purposes $l19. .SS2. oS4.50 of this amount there was cash on hand June 30 100S, ,102. .52. Out of the funds thus made available. in- vestigations have been made of pro posed projects which have never been approved for construction, requiring an expenditure of $l POT .914. This leaves il reimbursable investment in irrga- tion works of $117,6Gl, ,G279S The SC curity for the return of this invest ment Is represented by constructed projects.
 Under the provisions of the reclama- ton act of June F. 1902, by which the reclamation fund was created, this K made a revolving fund, so that the re- turn of any portion of the investment Is made available for reiuveStment in other operations. The reclamation fund therefore. can be compared with capital invested in any business in commercial enterprises, and the au- thor.ty to so use the fund makes pos ~hle the construction of works aggrc- gating cost greater thar the amount of the original investment.
 Must Cut Government Expenses.
 Every government that participated in the world war k wrestling with tha problem of how to reduce expenditure. Here in the United Stales fine problem is worrying con .'..'SS and thr executive department of fhe feGeraI' government, many state .o4ernor, are concerned with if. and .ity, county and township authorities