East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1922-11-29
SOON TO
Be CHIEF HOLDERS OF
FARM LAND, IS BELIEF

YAKIMA, Wash, Nov. 29.-"We
may look ahead to the land passing
into the hands of capitalists, and It's
operation by tenants" said Prof Q. L.
Waller of the State College of Wash
fngton recently, addressing the wash
ington Irrigation Institute here on the
question of development of the raw
lands. His conclusion was drawn
from a survey of the rapid increase IN
the price of farm lands throughout the
United States.
"The average value of rarm lands,
including improvements, between 1850
and 1920 increased at rate equivalent
to compound interest on the original
valuation of 2.65 per cent, but from
1900 to 1920 the rate was b.45 per
cent. Considering the large area OF
poor lands included in the farms, 1t
would seem from the 1920 price that
the better farms must be selling from
$500 to $500 an acre. 1t Will readily
be seen that even at $3.50 an acre the
cost of farm involves an amount OF
capital very few young men would
have unless they inherited it. We
nay therefore loon aheau " ''tF
passing INTO the hahdS Oh cup1ta'is'0'
and its operation by tenants
He quoted O. E. Baker, agricultural
economist of the L. S. Burea uof Eco
nomlcS, as saE-h hS: improved laie' III
creased less thah per cent an aCie
rom l9lo 10 l9Zo as eonipaieu WIZ
rtfNttF
10 per cent 10 81 per cent pleNiou9
decades: ana thlS per cent increase
was pfacticahy confined ~ the pre-
carlously productive Seliil-allu ldnus
OF the Great FltlhS region ne Id l'
IN the united states sultaple Aor as II
cultural uses "lthout lrflSatioii' III al,
age, OF hedEy lertiil%atioii 10 lie"d1' az
1 occupied. consequently one o. tl'
great queStlohs oelore the -Ailici i''
people iS' NO" " iilaiil'aih 'i'' SUP ~
| OIL loodS ana llpers lor tlle i"cie"a. II :
population at that hiSh leNel " "liio4
we are accustomed.
occasionally we near the S11tei''ei''
maze that we alleduS nave ei'"%l
| iands under cultlNatloh ana IN crop
sald frof' Naller' that the Chlltet
states has surplus OF 1ood' that dt.f'
| ing the war we 1ed our aliles anc
could 40 IL AGAIN; tflat lts d hlstah'
TO advocate the aeVelopheht OIL any
more JANUS eltEef oN slliSatioh' ul'tlll-
age, OF clearing cot7otef llilfts-
just no" we are 'Npor',''@ 'ooc'
out that cannot '"C tohS. o"I Popu'
,atioh Is rapialy increasing anu IN
lew years our own people VIII ledu'''
III ohe produce the larlilS can laise
since the -estaollShhleht ol ieuerai eA-
perlment statlonS acre Eields nave
oee,i constantly incleasIi's' anu VIII
pFopaply commune TO ior some ui'le
because Oh Sc4entllic research tue pro-
uuctiENS OF ohe American larlh mas III
creased apouI 10 per cent III the laS'
aecaoe' Inc time Will come however
"heil lufther increase III acre NleIo
VIII cost mucil money LOT iertlilzerS
ana intense cuitlVa'ioh' ana "heh sucf
DoStS nave grown peyono the cost o
oi'iis in6 ne" id'ioa ulle' "u't'Ndttoh
men tHe puoilc VIII oell'a"o me req
Idhi"t'on OIL our deserts py iFr'@a'3oh
tile drainage OF wet landS. ana the
ciearlhs Vi that CLASS Oh stump iahos
tllilt IS suildple lor crop proanction'
me aflu lalluS are IN" iltleot' Shu
propably Will De the flrst developed
we nave only irrigated ABOUT l9 mA-
non acres OF ard lands ana they ar
giving us an annual J!eld or dcuo'2 inc
acre production OF 2tnef iands 81 the
united states. lhcy VIII, therefore
'ay interest at very much higher COS
OIL deVelopment th2n W1ll the SWAMP
ana cut-oVer 'ahds. II the total area
that can be irrigated were added tc
the improved area, the 9ddittor woNd
be less than per cent, The Co;um'