The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1921-06-15
SHOW WESTERN
]. POSSIBILITIES
IN IRRIGATION
Manager of Portland
Chamber of Com
merce and F.W. Rob-
inson Give Data in
Washington.
Herald Washington bureau

cussing oregon possibilities In in
creased prosperity before hearing
Of the house committee on irriga
tion, W. ID. Il. Dodson, general man
ager Of the Portland chamber o
commerce, produced some interest
ing figures as to the need of recla
nation for the western states and
particularly with reference to Ore
gon.
Frank w. Robinson. for many
years in Portland and Oregon and
now general freight traffic mana
ger of the Union Pacific at Omaha.
and II. II. Adams, vice president OF
the Union Pacific. also told the
committee OF the need for the re-
clamation of arid lands In the west.
Mr.. Robinson took four counties In
Idaho and compared them. Two
were irrigated lands and two were
fine nonirrigated lands. The in
creased standard OF citizenship with
growth OF population and progress
sive spirit in the irrigated counties
were startling.
Tracts Remain Big
He showed that nonirrigated COM
munities had q tendency to remain
In large tracts, with small growth in
population, and lacked the essential
surety OF crops possessed by the ir-
rigated section. In the productive
line the irrigated lands were con-
stant factors in prosperity and made
new and better markets, increased
the distribution OF goods and made
railroad transportation more equal
ly loaded and in the end would
result In better revenues. more
freight and lower rates on all COM
modities.
Mr.. Dodson showed that he had
made q close study and deep re- I
search into the factors bearing on
the reclamation OF the west: as pro-
vtded for in the McNary-smith bill.
now being considered.
EosSiDu1ticS TOI0
Where will you extend your agri-
cultural fields7" he asked. "It
should be done within the limits of
your own country II possible. You
have within the nation proper about
100000 square miles. There are
l,903.000,o00 acres OF land within
lhese confines. OF this total S.
'ss.ooo acres are owned as farms
md ranches. In the farm-owned I
srea but +7s.451.0 900 acres are call
ID improved. and 400.34s.O 900 acres
n this farm area are called un- ,
improved. II
"of the area classified as i'm ,
proved. but 2ss.oO0.o00 acres arc I
cultivated. this including the por- ,
Ion OF the land carried as summer 4
allow each year. Thus you find
our agricultural wealth confined I
o farm area that is actually one I
eventh OF your total land area in 8
he nation. From this $4,000. .OOn c
'eres was produced in 1919 sl6.- {
'26.ooo.ooo in crops and Ss,s57.-
100000 in livestock. or an aggre- 4
ate from the soil of s24.ssa,OOO,- g
90. s
Population Studied
STUDY another division OF the
ubect. On your 1908. 900, 900 acres
'ithin the states proper were about !.
o5.OOo,ooO people. On I.215, ,OOO.-
90 acres OF the whole was found !.
population OF but 100000 and !,
n the remaining 6ss,141.000 acres !,
'as s7,oOo.000 people. Here you !,
Ill find that you have about one !,
ixth OF your total population oc- =,
npying two-thirds OF your landed !,
rea' and fiye-sixths OF your popu- ;,
ltion living on one-third OF your =
'tal area in land.
ANY thoughtful banker will admit .
'om hrst-glance study. that the op- :,
ortunity for further agricultural A
spansion is largely found in that =
Vo-thirds OF the country where 4
lere are but one-sixth Of the pop
lation.
THE group Of sixteen reclama-
on states has the two-thirds area
the country, with but one-sixth
the population, In them alone
the large opportunity for agri-
iltural expansion within the ma g
onai confines. Except for the acre
'e OF overflow lands in the south
n and a few other states, these
ciamation states offer practically q
% only hope for the country in the 4
ay OF agricultural expansion. q
West Must Expand
III there is. to be any great agri- a
itural expansion OF the nation, IL n
nst be In the western states H
Town as the reclamation group. n b
reuiture is to expand there, ii q,