Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1922-09-15

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 of the geological
survey but not a part of the geological
survey; then on March 9, 1907. by or
der Of the secretary OF the interior, as
an independent servi,e under a direc-
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 1908. Projects
We're selected in most of the arid and
seml-arid states. Active construction
work reached a maximum in 1907, and
then fiuctuated to fit the flow 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.
which were absorbed into the larger
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,
100000. This includes considerable
money that is turned over somewhat
rapidly; for example, the annual turn
over for operation and maintenance.
The net investment In construction
work to date is in the neighborhood of
$130,OOO,000.
Big Increase in Land Values.
1t Is impossible to give precise values
for the project lands before and after
the government work, but 1t 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 5000, $500 and
$500 per acre, and in the case of high
ly improved land have, in rare in
stances, reached as high as $1,000 or
$1,000. 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 $40 per acre or less.
1t has been roughly estimated that
-
the value of the project lands 5000 per
acre on the average, or total Of over
350,OO0,O00; that 1t has increased the
value of 100000 acres In other Iroj-
ects served under the Warren act by
$780, or a total of $10000O,O0O. The
Increase in the yalne of lands in the
cities, towns and villages within the
projects Is believed to exceed $780,
coo, 900, making a total increase in land
values of over $500,000,000 based on
government reclamation work. These
estimates are, of course; extremely
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 chose areas on the recla-
nation projects proper which are COW
cred by crop statistics, and do not In
clude a large area receiving either a
complete or partial water supply I'M
| 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
crops produced in 1920 amounted to
nearly $114,00O,000.
Irrigated
Year. Acreage. Crop Value.
| 1913 ............ 694.1 JAP $15,676, All
1914 ............ 1921 16,475,517