Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1924-12-21
IRRIGATION BIG
INDUSTRY FOR
LOWER VALLEY
Big Pumping Plants and
Canals Represent In
vestment of More
Than $12,O00,OO0

WITH a total investment IN
pumping plants and canals of
approximately $12, 25O,OO0, irri-
cation is by far the biggest bus
mess in the Valley. And the II
large plants with more than
100000 acres under cultivation,
probably are doing more to make
the delta of the Rio Grande
bloom as did the Valley of the
Nile, than any other one under
taking.
The pumping plants located on the
Rio Grande have an estimated val
ue Of $4,176, 700, while the hundreds of
miles of canals are valued at $S,184, 900
and reach 486, 800 acres, according to
F. s. Robertson, president and man
ager of Cameron County Water I'M
provement District No. 2. Eliminating
all waste land, ABS, 07O acres of the
land reached is cultivatable and con-
siderably more than one-half of that
area now is under cultivation.
prises, has had its ups and downs but
now is o. a firmer basis and is be-
coming more solid financially year by
year. As more and more Of the land
reached by the canal systems is put I'M
der cultivation the industry becomes
trenched, Mr.. Robertson explained.
Only one system in the Valley re-
more stable and the more firmly en-
tains the name under which it was or
gained, the American-Rio Grande
Land and Irrigation Co.. of Mercedes.
""All the systems originally were
built by private interests and after 60
ing through receiversiips, except in
two instances, nave been acquired by
water improvement districts organized
under the state law. with the exception
of the United Irrigation Co., Of Mis-
sion and the Mercedes system (men.
TONED above)," Mr.. Robertson said.
THE reason for their failure was
that they we're inadequately financed
to begin with and the development was
not suffice ntly rapid to pay the in
terest and accumulate the sinking fund
to pay off the Indebtedness as it came
due. The majority of the systems were
built with 10 year bonds, the promoters
expecting development to be sufficient
ly rapid to care for the paper at the
time of its maturity.
When the original owners were I'M
able to pay the outstanding debts re-
ceivers were appointed and the systems
were operated under reciverships for
a number of years. During this period
ho roIyr cnotiuh r,onoy v,oc av,;lahlo an
keep the plants running and little or
no progress was made. The condition
gradually became more and more unsat-
isfactory until the original water i'm
provement district law was passed by
the Texas legislature in 1913.
First Law Remarkable
This law proved unavoidable, how
ever, and little progress was made un-
der it. In 1917 it was entirely rewrit-
ten in practically the same form in
which it is on the statute books today
A number of amendments nave been
passed. Mr.. Robertson said, but the
fundamental principles still are the
same.
After the corrected law was passed
in 1917 the industry almost imme-
diately showed signs of life and soon
were operating a number of the larg-
est systems and development was be-
coming more and more rapid.
Many of the first districts had a
hard road to travel financially even
under the new plan but all Of them
passed that day and now are on
a firm foundation, according to Mr..
Robertson.
The provisions of the law briefly are
that any block of landowners may cir
culate . &~etition for the creation Of a
district. When this is signed by a
majority of the owners and by the
wners of a majority of the acreage, It
is presented to the commissioner rs
= The court ~holds a hearing Of
these favoring and opposing the dis
trict and decides whether the project
is a worthy and feasible one. If the
is favorable an election is
At this election all taxpaying
voters residing within the bounds Of
the district are permitted to cast a
ballot for or against the formation Of
the new district and for the first
beard of directors. If the election is
carried the first directors serve until
January 1 of the first even year when
a new directorate is selected by bal
lot, and an election is held each two
years thereafter. Five members com
pose the board. After the district is
created by the first election a second
election is held for the purpose of vot-
ing bonds with which to build a sys-
tenn or to purchase one then in opera
tion. This election is open only to
qualified voters who are landowners
residing in the district and must car
ny by a two-thirds majority.
The Rice Experiment
"Irrigation in the Valley first was
in Brownsville in 1902. Mr.
Robertson said. 1T was used there
to irrigate rice but the crop proved al