The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1920-08-02
APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
SAW IRRIGATION PROJECTS

hepfeS6nCaClVe ana MIS-. burton l..
French are back in Moscow after an
absence of few weeks during which
time Mr. French has been with the
appropriations committee on its tour
of inspection of reclamation and
other government projects in the
western states.
Mrs. French arranged to meet the
party at four or five places along the
way and reports a most beautiful
trip, she having visited San Francis
co, Portland, Seattle, Yellowstone
and Glacier Parks and other points of
interest.
Mr.. French reports: 81 regard the
trip of the appropriations committee
that has just come to an end as the
most important congressional trip
that was ever made to the west.
About half of the committee was in
cluded in the party, also the chairman
of the Committee on Public Lands
and one of the members of the COM
mittee on ways and means; in addi-
ton, the party was joined by sena-
tors and representatives of the vari-
GUS states whose projects we visited.
'The people of the west understand
thoroly that all available public land
within the rainfall belt has passed
into private ownership. In spite of
this, the economic demands of our
country and of the world are such
that more land must be brought un-
der cultivation and made productive.
The chief essential ways in which
this can be done are thru drainage
and irrigation. In the west, our
greatest problem is to reclaim our
lands by irrigation with drainage on
every project as part of the scheme
of reclamation"
The committee visited irrigation
projects in Nebraska, Colorado, Ne
vada, California, Oregon, Washington
Wyoming and Montana, travelling
seven thousand miles by train and be-
tween two and three thousand miles
in automobiles.
Continuing Mr.. French said: "Our
experience was a revelation to all of
us and especially to the eastern mem
bers of the committee. / am sure
there was not a doubling Thomas
among them at the conclusion of the
trip.
claimed at various expenditures, up
to $3.50 per acre. and we did not
visit single project where, from an
economic standpoint, it was not
profitable to reclaim the arid terri
tory even at great cost.
"Fer twenty years, it has been rec
ognized that the lands that could be
reclaimed at small cost, had, In large
part, been brough under water, and 1t
was recognized that the cost of re-
claiming additional lands was a prob
49,, 40
only some organization of command
ng almost unlimited financial back
ing could undertake the work. AS the
and was mostly in the hands of the
government and as the government,
making it's lands available for home
the government naturally
became the agency for working out
he problem.
Cup to the present, the government
las reclaimed approximately two mil
ion acres of land by irrigation that
are now under cultivation at a cost
If approximately. one hundred twenty
Millions of dollars. The total crop
value, up to last year, on reclaimed
lands on government projects am
ounted to two hundred fifty million
;wice the initial cost.
''The cost of the Huntley project
IN Montana was S1.8OO,O00; last
year, the crop value was $949, ,999, or
more than half the initial cost; the
,ank deposits on that project will be
approximately half million this
year.
The Minidoka project in Idaho cost
,
he crop value last year was between
i've and six million dollars, and the
,ank deposits between three and four
million dollars; 1900 people find
ZONES on this project; 120 teachers
ire employed in the schools; 25
hurches are scattered thruout the re-
laimed lands and garden, in fact,
las been built up instead of a desert
uch as it was II years ago,
"The Boise-Payette project has
aiken over old canal systems under
which about 100000 acres of land
we're irrigated, and has built addi-
ional reservoirs and canals so that
he entire acreage under ditch is in
he neighborhood today of 270,OO0.
like $4,000 new families
re in this section of our state by
cdSOll VI CllS plOJSSl, ooOoc wv e~eAo4
ional teachers are in the public
between 20 and 80 churches;
nd last year, the crop production
vas between five and six millions of
ollars.
ssThese are just few of the sam
les of what might be called before
nd after that were brought to the
ttention of the committee.
'The committee was made ac-
TAINTED with the great Columbia
liver project in Washington that will
lean the reclamation of upwards of
wo million acres of land; it was
lade acquainted with the vast recla-
lation plans in south Idaho that will
lore than double the irrigable area
f our state.
"The committee went over careful
the immense projects of Oregon,
[ontana, Wyoming, California and
5her states and will be personally
dvised on the proposition that is
DIV being urged by the west of hav-
g the government get behind a two
CONTINUED On page four.)