Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1923-02-23
Borrowing Trouble.

Dispatches from Washnton d. c. this week report that cong
ress has passed bill oppopratng The of 100000 for the pur
pose Of making of the Columbia Basin irrigation project to
its feasibility The legislature the Of Washington
years ago appropriated half Of that prove the
ona its feasibility Later the business and commercial
interests of the chief cities Of the state raised considerable
of money the opinion Of General George Cocktails the
merts of the project General Goehas gave immediate approval
THE undertaking which would add 7530O0 productive lands
to the states 1t be supplied with water by gravity
TEN at cost of $l4499 per will require but 40 per
acre for operation and maintenance BY pumping water
from the Columbia river o3o0 could be irrigated at slight
ly higher is estimated that the productivity of this land when
placed under cultivation would justify the expenditure of 1878
acre o make it ready crop
Right the heels of the plan to reclaim the Columbia Basin
reclaim five of the large
as the whole of France Several millions of of lands would be
made tab six million units power and irrigated homes for
three million farmers would be provided Water heat light
enormous production from the soil and countless industries
the direct results The nations widest river be tanned utilized
harnessed the greatest Of American deserts reclaimed The
significant part of this that the latter named project would
be between the Columbia Basin region and the markets
All of this brings the economic questions What shall do
with all the products from these great irrigation projesY
little than year and half ago the writer drove through
large part of the Columbia Basin project is magnificent in
spring Thousands of of land lacking only the
a touch of far the eye could three directions
stretched gently undutang plain beautiful project call
ing forth nothing but admiration could the onooker have the vision to
look forward years it waered cleared and eveed
with alfalfa and clover dotted with orchards its fields
porting fine stock and the whole land peoped with happy
conented, prosperous people.
This land has had its settlers Ten dozen years ago
project brought hundreds people that nhopab
land They homeseads built little shacs and cleared level
and seeded small acreages The shifting SOIL transported
by vagrant winds and the burning of early cut down the
crops before they scarcely pouted Then the voters of the
down the bond plan and the homesteader moved
leaving poor weather under the and rains of
Each little house standing alone
in the grey sagebsh monument OF the OF buried
hope some day might have been home where prosper
y and independence might have reigned,
problem presents itself to the traveller passing
million and all placed under cultivation? This
the northwest of the union far from the
consumption Freight high and transportation
uncertain placed into production the
crops be hay potatoes and livestock Idaho is
Undergoing lust this Her hay
tatoes worth freight transport them to
the Perhaps there for alarm markets
However many things considered is that Washing
ton Oriental markets which may look 1t
has East via the Panama canal Perhaps in the
fifteen years will be required place the project completely dnd
domination population will have increased sufficiently
this surplus without confusion Aaska development
have where will call for millions of dollars
agricultural products transportation be high
y developed that will be possible supply not only the Atlantic
coast markets but those of Europe we'll Many things trans
pe fifteen years meantime let be hoped that the federal
government will no time laying foundation for the deye
opmen Columbia Basin and Colorado river projects even
though they be for the benefit Of generation yet unborn