, 1924-08-27
DR. Elwood Mead Urges New Colonization
Plan for all New Reclamation Projects
(Continued from Page One)

for bringing land promptly, under
irrigation culture is to neglect u
fundamental condition for success.
Hereafter more attention must be
needed in agricultural development
is to be obtained; where and how
settlers are to be secured; and
how the settlers must be aided and
directed to enable them to use their
money, efforts and time, to the best
advantage. The acre cost of water
rights under past public notices has
varied from $14 to Sis, with only
three over 500. New projects
under consideration AIRY from s97
to $157. This is for the canals and
reservoirs only. In order to use
the water and to create homes land
must be leveled, houses, barns and
fences built. These with farm equip
ment. will add close to 500 per
acre to the cost of the farm.
I'm order that the famers may
succeed, a practical business super
intendent who has a knowledge of
farm conditions should be employed
to plan settlement and to advise
settlers. His work should begin
before settlement in ascertaining
where the things needed in farm
development "a be acquired. This
would include horses, cows. and
other livestock. He could secure
plans and estimates for houses and
hD CO that uyhan 1n+tln,. a,;-.
they can he saved time and labor
and be helped to use their money
to the best advantage. The land
should be sold to settlers on terms
that would make it a commercial
undertaking. The interest recon-
mended is S per cen and the yearly
payments on principal 1 per cent.
With such yearly payments the set
tier could pay for his farm in 3415
years and with these small pay
ments he would be relieved from
the danger of mortgage foreclosures
and would he each year adding to
his equity in the property.
Farms should be valued accord
ing to location. quality of soil and
'AEN VI oAAAANuANN vi lliASdNlols -
map should be prepared which
would show location of farms, valu-
alton of each. and such information
as would enable intending settlers
who rave not seen the area to know
the reason for these prices.
There should be a capital re-
quirement which would vary with
the size of the farm. It should be
a percentage of the cost of the farm
and its development. and for a 40
acre farm should not be less than
$1,000. Farm laborers could be
accepted without any capital. pro-
vided they could make the initial
payment IN the land and furnish
40 per cent of the cost of their
dwelling and other necessary i'm
provemerts.
The first need of a settler is a
house. 1t is a permanent improve
ment, and if he can be aided in it's
construction by advancing so per
cent of the cost, requiring the set
tier to pay in cash 40 per cent, it
will leave money to be spent on
IlluSS IKE livestock ana farm I'M
plements. The advantage of this
kind of advances has been tested
out in so many countries that there
is nothing experimental about it.
1t is far safer than the investment
in canals and it has a greater So
cial and economic value. Under the
state land settlement law of Cal
ifornia the board can advance for
the Improvement and equipment of
a farm up to $4,000. This has
proven the best part of the whole
scheme and is the one which has
enabled settlers to stay on the land
and meet their payments to the
state.
Money advanced for farm i'm
provements should pay 5 per cent
interest, and the period of repay
ment should vary from three to
twenty years. A twenty-year loan
on permanent improvements like