The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1921-12-22
RECLAMATION PROJECTS HAVE PROVED SPLENDID
PUBLIC INVESTMENTS.

TIE reference in President landings message to Congress
regarding the reclamation and irrigation work which has been
performed interest in that branch of the
activities The President called attention to the fact that
camaon and irrigation projects had increased land values
in irrigated sections of the country $5OOOOoOO and that in
the 1920 irrigated lands alone exceeded value
$1O0OO0O00.
President further called the fact that the
which authorized this work provided for the return of
money appropriated that in the long rum reclamation and
irrigation projects do not cost the government anything
These facts dealt with in detail in the annual
port of Secretary of the Interior FALL which clearly shows
the wisdom of the reclamation and irrigation work which
under the Reclamation Act of 1902 passed by
Republican Congress Since that time the government has
spent in the neghobrhood of $130000O00 in construction
work On basis of productivity the land before work
practically worthless 1t is valued at
half billion and raising crops valued in round numbers
Creation of Tangible Wealth.
From the standpoint of adding this much taxable property
to the federal and to the several states the invest
ment would be good Of the $13OOOOOOO of
original cost returned
In addition TO the creation of land and crop values above
mentioned there 80 farms and 223 towns upon the land
irrigated by these projects The combined population of the
rural and urban communities is in of 450000 this
population susns $40 Schools GAO churches and 247 BANKS
the banks have deposits Of $4OOOO0 held by 284O0O de-
postors.
AS Secretary Fall points out in his report The recaa
ton law unique among American laws in requiring that
expended in carrying out its provisions be afterwards
collected from those for whose benefit has been SPENT An
example of how this works out afforded by the balance
sheet for the fiscal year ending June 3d. 1921 That sheet
shows receipts of collections from those who have farms in
the irrigated districts. These collections under three
items follows construction work $50;
maintenance and operation 1857 82 rentals
for power etc. $1459351 These three items alone
represent repayment into the public treasury of 00
600 year from farmers who obtaining benefits from
the irrigation projects
Projects Pay For Themselves.
In calling attention to this feature of the reclamation act
Secretary Fall says that he has heard criticism that the older
states received help from the in their develop
men while the states of the West and Southwest
being developed the expense of the public treasury Secre
tary Fall refues the latter part of the statement by citing
substance the facts shown above and then recalls that
of the Middle West states settled through bonus lands
and military land grants and in addition thereto received
proceeds of public land sales He shows by tabuaton that
the older states of the Union received from of public
land sales in the aggregate than $20000 while
states OF the middle West opened and practically set
tied their entirety through land grants and homestead acts
Secretary Fall does not criticize this policy which prevail
ed bath before the Civil War and during the twenty years fol
lowing the Civil War but he cites the historical record to show
that development of the several states has always received
federal encouragement in the form of outright donations of
land its equivalent and that in point of historical
the development of arid and semad districts through the
reel on and irrigation acts the only instances where
the originally appropriated by the government is to
Sc repaid by the settlers themselves