The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1922-09-14

| service will celebrate Its twentieth
anniversary next year Immediately
after the enactment of the organic
act the reclamation service was or
ganized by the secretary Of the In
terror first under the direction and
control of the director ~ the geological
survey but not a part of the geological
survey; then on March o, 1907 by or
der Of the secretary Of the interior, as
an independent service under dlrec.
tor Of Its own. Investigations and sur
veys were begun in 1902 Immediately
after the Passage Of the act, and con-
structlon was begun in 1903 Projects
were selected In most of the arid and
semi-arld states. Active construction
work reached maximum In 1907. and
then fiuctuated to 1T the How OF In
coming funds to another maximum In
1915.
In 1906 and 1907 the reclamation
service began the delivery Of irrigation
water from works constructed under
the act. and also from several canal
systems built under private auspices,
government projects In association
with improved and more extensive
systems of distribution, as well as
large storage reservoirs built by the
service. Since the passage of the
reclamation act the gross expenditure
hereunder has been, roughly. $780,
UO.Oo. This includes considerable
mn hot 4. ,l.k
rapidly; for example, the annual turn
over for operation and maintenance.
The net investment I'm construction
work to date is In the neighborhoOd Of
$13O,OOO.OOO.
Big Increase in Land Values.
II Is impossible to give precise values
for the project lands before and after
the government work. but II Is known
that the direct increase In land values
has been great. This Is illustrated BY
the frequent sales Of the irrigated
lands at high prices. Such prices are
commonly reported at 500. $500 and
$500 per acre. and In the case Of high
ly improved land have, In rare in
stances, reached as high as 81 900 or
1880. On the basis Of productivity.
the desert lands were well nigh worth
less before the government work, and
large areas Of the projects were then
held at SO per acre or less.
1t has been roughly estimated that
government irrigation has increased
the value Of the project lands 500 per
acre on the average. or a total Of over
$35O,OOO,OOO: that 1t has increased the
value Of 1,OOO,OOO acres In other Lroj-
ects served under the Warren act BY
$780, or a total of $100,OOO,OOO. The
increase In the value of lands In the
cities, towns and villages within the
projects Is believed to exceed $780,
100000, making total increase In land
values of over s5OO,OOO.OOO. based on
government reclamation work. These
estimates are, Of course, extremely
rough and would be less In 1921 than
in 1919, owing to changed financial con-
ditions.
Growth Of Irrigated Acreage.
The following table shows the pro-
gressive Increase in irrigated acreage.
and crop value since 1913. These fig
ures. 1t should be particularly noted.
relate only to those areas on the recla-
nation projects proper which are COW
cred by crop statistics, and do not In
clude large area receiving either q
complete or partial water supply IN
der the Warren act from the irrigation
works constructed by the service. In
cluded In these areas, from which no
crop statistics are secured by the serv-
Ice, IT is estimated that the value OF
nearly $ll4,OOO,OOO.