The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1921-12-27
RECLAMATION PROJECTS
SPLENDID INVESTMENTS

interest in that branch of the gov
ernment's activities. The Presidenr
called attention to the fact thai
reclamation and irrigation project.
had increased land values in irri
gated sections of the country $500,
900, 900, and that in the year 1926
crops on irrigated lands alone ex
ceeded in value 100000, 900, say.
an exchange.
The President further called at.
tention to the fact that the Law
which authorized this work provided
for the return of money appropri-
ated, so that in the long run recla-
nation and irrigation projects dc
not cost the government anything.
These facts are dealt with more in
detail in the annual report of Secre-
tary of the Interior Fall, which
clearly shows the wisdom of the
reclamation and irrigation work,
which was commenced under the
reclamation act of 1902. Since that
time the government has spent in
the neighborhood of $4,000, 900
in construction work. On basis
of productivity the land before work
was commenced was practically val
ueless. 1t is now valued at half a
billion and is raising crops valued
in round numbers at S10O,000,00 a
year. From the standpoint of add
ing this much taxable property to
the federal government and to the
several states, the investment would
be a good one were none of the
$4,000 900 of original cost ever
returned.
In addition to the creation of land
and crop values, above mentioned,
there are 32,835 farms and 223
towns upon the land irrigated by
these projects. The combined pop
ulation of the rural and urban COM
munities is in excess of 100000;
this population sustains $40 schools,
CAT churches and 247 banks; the
banks have deposits of $4,000, 900
held by $4,000 depositors.
AS Secretary Fall points out in
his report, "The reclamation law is
unique among American laws in re-
quiring that money expended in
carrying out its provisions be after
wards collected from those for
whose benefit it has been spent"
An example of how this works out
is afforded by the balance sheet for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1921.
That sheet shows receipts of col
lections from those who have farms
in the irrigated districts. These col
lections are under three items as
follows: Repayments on construc-
ton work, $1,384,689; repayment
on maintenance and operation, ST.
357,842; rentals for water power,
etc., $1,459,351. These three items
alone represent repayments into the
public treasury of over 100000
in one year from farmers who are
obtaining benefits from the irriga-
ton projects.
In calling attention to this feature
of the reclamation act, Secretary
Fall says that he has heard criticism
that the older states received no
help from the government in their
development, while the newer states
of the west and southwest are being
developed at the expense of the
public treasury. Secretary Fall re-
flutes the latter part of the state
nent by citing in substance the
facts shown above, and, then re-
calls that many of the middle west
states were settled through bonus
lands and military land grants, and
in addition thereto receive proceeds
of public land sales. He shows by
tabulation that the older states of
the union received from proceeds
of public land sales in the aggre-
gate, more than $2s, 100000, while
some states of the middle west were
opened up and practically settled in
their entirety through land grants
and homestead acts.
Secretary Fall does not criticize
this policy, which prevailed both be-
fore the civil war and during the
twenty years following the civil war
but he cites the historical record to
show that development of the sew
eral states has always received fed
eral encouragement in the form OF
outright. donations of land, or its
equivalent, and that in point of his
torial accuracy, the development OF
iarid and semi-arid districts through
the reclamation and irrigation act:
are the only instances where the
money originally appropriated by
a ~ 4 n L