The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1920-06-24
MUST SHOW A
UNITED FRONT
FOR IRRIGATION
E. F. Blaine Says People of Ma
tion Must Be Taught Need of
More Production
EAYORS COLUMBIA PROJECT
Hopes to Make September Meeting
Most Notable Irrigation Con-
ference Ever Held

The necessity for an organized cam
paign of education to impress upon
the people the vital Importance of the
reclamation of the waste lands of the
West if the nation is to successfully
meet the demands for increased food
production, was impressed upon an
audience at luncheon Friday noon
by E. F. Blaine of Seattle and F. E.
Elmendorf, of Spokane.
The subject of irrigation was dwelt
upon as a whole by the speakers with
special emphasis upon the necessity
of the communities of this state and
the states of the West working to-
gether to the end that the people of
the East and Middle West may be
brought to realize that irrigation, by
increasing food production, is vital
matter to them personally. When this
has been accomplished, the matter of
interesting capital in the proposed
projects will become simplified to
marked degree.
Mr.. Blaine, who is chairman of the
Washington Irrigation Institute, chair
man of the state development bureau
of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce,
chairman of the Washington delega-
tion to the irrigation conference at
the national capital and former chair
man of the state public service COM
mission, declared he was for the ir.
rigation of all the arid lands Of the
Northwest and not in favor Of any
particular project to the exclusion of
any other.
He emphasized the necessity for
team work and united effort to the end
that the people Of the East might
learn that the nation, thru the invest
ment of $14O,00O, 900 in irrigation had
created natural wealth in the amount
Of $5OO,O0O,O00; that every dollar
spent for irrigation purposes had
brought four dollars in return.
Opportunities for home building he
declared had been and must continue
to be the foundation upon which
Americas. national life is builded. A
broad, comprehensive program of re-
clamation and land settlement will do
more than any other one thing to al
lay the spirit Of unrest which has
come in the wake of the war. It will
likewise meet the demand for sol
dier's bonus and contribute at the
same time to the material and social
well-being of the individual and the
nation.
Speaking of the Columbia River Ba-
sin project, Mr.. Blaine said he re-
garded it as the Vests greatest agen-
cy for bringing into being nation
wide wave Of enthusiasm for reclama-
ton and land settlement. It is big
enough to arrest the attention and
enlist the interest of the people Of the
nation and its promotion will tend to
hasten rather than delay the construc-
ton of uncompleted units of existing
projects or new projects of lesser mag
nitude.
Mr.. Blaine outlined plan of cam
paign whereby it is proposed to make
the irrigation congress to be held In
Seattle September 16 and IL the larg-
est and most noteworthy conference
OF its kind ever held in the country.
de asked that this community show
its interest by cooperating with other
districts of the Yakima valley in maxi
ing the most notable display of pro-
ducts of irrigated lands ever assem-
Dled and by taking memberships IN
tne state organization.
Mr.. Elmendorf, who represented the
Spokane Chamber of Commerce, spoke
more in detail of the Columbia River
Basin project, in which is planned the
reclamation of 1,75O,OOO acres of fer
nle lands in southeastern Washing
ton.
The last session of the Legislature
appropriated 100000 for a survey OF
the land which has been made, the fed.
eral government making check OF
tne survey and report on the same
which will be published in less than a
month. -re@
The Spokane Chamber of Commerce
Mr. Elmendorf stated, was behind TINS
proposition, as it had been behind ev-