The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1921-09-16
Legislation Proposed to Spend
S250,000,0O0 to Open up
Unproductive Land.
NATION IS TO Be REPAID
Would Place at Disposal of Settlers
What May Become Most Fertile
Soil in the country-320,00o
Thrive On irrigated Lands.


Thrive On irrigated Lands.
Observation-Disclosures legislation is be-
Ing prepared by committees of congress
for opening up to mankind the arid
lands of the West.
Nearly 2OO,OOO,OOO acres remain UNI
imprO, ed in the reclamation group of
states-more than all the productive
lands of Germany and the United
Kingdom combined. This improve
ment would accommodate many mil
lions more people and add billions to
the aggregate wealth if reclamation
were attended by a success commen-
surate with that which has followed
the work hitherto done.
The results OF twenty years or irrl-
CATION may be summarized thus:
Gross cos. S135,OOO,00O; net cost.
127.0OO.0OO estimated area. on COM
pletion of all projects, 3,212,092 acres !;
irrigable acreage, 1,732.374 acres;
irrigated acreage in 1918, 1,516
acres; cropped acreage in 1918, l.051.-
1913 acres; crop value Of irrigated land
yield for 1918. S66,0000O0; value
average yield per acre. $63.06; average
cost per acre, on basis of total area
when completed. $40; average cost per
acre on basis Of area to which service
was ready to supply water during the
season of 1918, $40; average cost per
acre on basis of actual area cropped
in 1918. $129.
Authorities on the results of irri
CATION agree that the investment ol
advance by the government OF funds
in the nature of loans has been pro
ductive Of great wealth.
AT the present time" according t.
Director Arthur P. Davis Of the re
clamation service. 1.-THE net invest
ment Of the reclamation fund is ap
proximately S1oO.OOOOOO. With tina
has been constructed about twenty
FIVE projects which are now In vari
Gus stages of completion. several hav
pared the irrigation works necessar
to serve about 1.67500O acres of lane
That was the amount at the end q
last year.
Sell Water Rights.
in addition to that, under one q
the subsequent acts the service In
sold partial water rights from reese
voirs constructed by 1t to canal con
panies. irrigation districts and other
which had been previously cOnstruc
ed and for which the water suppl
was inadequate in the latter part
the season
1.-THE acreage served by parti
water rights from the government
connection with private projects is
little over 1000 600 acres. SO that "
have approximately 2.700,000 acr
served in whole or in part by Il
government. with the expenditure til,
have mentioned.
1.-THE population upon the projec
which are entirely government pr
tects Is approximately 100000 Peep
agricultural population on the farl
and the increase In population
the towns and the new towns all
gether account for about 100000 pc
pie additional, making something u
$4,000 people that have been afford
homes as result Of this work.
ION the government projects the
have been established 800 schools,
churches, and 2l6 banks. These ban
have a capital of $812. 100000 and ,
posits Of $113,OOO,0OO. There are.
together. over 100000 depositors T
deposits IN relation to the populati
are much greater on the reclamatl
projects Il an in the country at lar
"In the year 1919, which was
peak u prices. the returns from