The Fallon standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1920-1958, 1924-08-27
DR.. Mead Files Report
On Proposed News Units
Costs and Power To Pay Reviewed; Higher
Land and Water Will Apply 10 All
New Projects

construction by advancing so per cent
of the cost, requiring the settler to
pay In cash 40 per cent, 1t will leave
money to be spent on things like
live stock and farm implements. The
advantage OF this kind of advances
has been tried out in so many coun.
tries that there is nothing experimen.
tai about H. Ii is far safer than the
Investment in canals, and II has
greater social and economic value
Under the state land settlement law
OF California, the board can advance
OF the Improvement and equipment
OF farm up to $4,000 This has
proved the best part of the whole
scheme and Is the one which has en-
abled settlers TO stay on the land and
meet their payments TO the state.
Money advanced for farm im-
rovements should pay per cent in.
teresf, and the period of repayment
should vary from three to 20 years
A 20-year loan on permanent im-
provements like house is safe and
yearly payments of per cent on the
principal. making a total of S Ter
cent. will pay off the debt IN 20
years.
Arrears Cause Studied
For the last six months I have
seen the extreme agricultural de
pressing arrears of payments demand
for postponement of payments on
federal irrigation projects One rea.
son has been the extreme agrlcul.
tural depression, which. however Is
temporary and may be ignored There
are others more serious which We
must consider One of these Is the
terms on which the settlers have
bought farms and the prices they
have paid for them. Another is the
lack of capital and lack of other
qualifications indispensable for sue
cess in agriculture. The evidence is
conclusive that we must in the future
pay more attention to settlement
problems and the qualifications of
settlers il we are 10 escape compli-
cations and losses that will diseredit,
IL not terminate, this policy. We
cannot go on ignoring the things
which determine ability to make pay
ments. while expendlng from $4,000
TO $4,000 on S0-aere farms To pro-
vide water.
Improvement Essential
There is little prospect that any
irrigation works built hereafter by
the government will cost less than
500 an acre. and one now author
ized may cost $500 an acre. To pay
these large prices for water means
that farms must be improved and
equipped for growing crops and for
handling livestock in a way TO secure
the largest results That alone costs
more money than many settlers pos
sess even when land is free To put
settlers without capital and Otter
without experience, on irrigated
farms does not give them an oppor,
tunity; it simply involves the bur
den Of reclamation in trouble and the
government in loss
HhNH u thb Ahhd W NC iNtldiiueN
hereafter is privately owned, or viii
he when the works are authorized
The price at which its owners sell the
land to settlers and the terms OF
which il is sold are likely to be as
important factors IN development as
the cost OF the water right. Initiation
Of land prices high interest rates and
too short a time for payment for the
land TO enable the money to be
earned ont of the soil are among
the main reasons why settlers arc
Lot paying the government. w
must in the future consider land
prices and the mortgage debts OF
privately owned lands
Il am not now presenting solu
ton for the old projects. What
have seen in the past 8 years oI
the achievements of planned set
tlement aud financed form develop
ment in other countries eompels m,
10 realize that we are ignoring tho
most valuable features of reelama
tiou, and a few demonstration like
the colonization plan | propose viii
assure the success of reclamation IN
the future"
WEATHER REPORT
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