The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-06-06

quired to operate its plants on the
Madison and the Missouri. Such 6
need came in 1919, when extremely
low water made it necessary not only
to tap this reservoir but to drain II
practically dry in order to keep the
plants running and the industries OF
the state in operation.
Incidentally, however, this reserve
supply turned out to be a godsend
to hundreds of farmers along the
stream, who were enabled to divert
these impounded waters to the
bitches of their irrigated farms,
which otherwise would have had to
report crop failures. Thus in a very
practical way an identity of interest
was demonstrated between hydro
electric power development and ir-
| rigated farming.
Another feature of interest to the
farmer is the use of hydro-electric
energy to lift the water onto the land
where irrigation by gravity bitches is
impossible or impracticable. During
the last 10 years Montana has devel-
oped system of irrigation by cleo
trically driven pumps, of which there
are now more than $50 in use in this
state, ranging in size from to $500
horsepower and capable of irrigating
81, 900 acres of land. OF the several
irrigating pumping districts, the old
est and best known is the Prickly
Pear irrigation project near Helena,
where farmers purchase water pump
ed to their lands at the low contract
price of $1.75 per acre foot At
Plains is another project comprising
1900 acres to which the water is
pumped electrically from wells, the
cost being around So per acre foot.
Montana has more than 2,250,000
acres of land susceptible to irriga-
ton. If the experience of California,
Utah and other western states is to
be repeated here, where we have an
abundance of electric power avail
able at low price, irrigation by |
electrically operated pumping plants
will undoubtedly outstrip the de-
velopment of irrigation by gravity |
bitches in the very near future. And |
here again will be demonstrated a
further community of interest be-
tween the agricultural and the hydro
electric enterprises of the state.
Customer Ownership
ISOJ only are the consumers Ol
electricity rapidly multiplying in
number, but these same consumers
are becoming stockholders in electric
light and power companies in ever
number. During 1923
alone, half a million consumers of
light and power bought two hundred
million dollars worth of stock in the
supplying them with cleo
ric energy.
This nationwide trend toward Gus
omer ownership has been duplicated ,
n the case of the Montana Power
company. Today many thousands of !
is customers in all parts of the state I
re sharing in its quarterly disbursal Z
# dividends and are actively inter- r
sted in it's future. q
Leads in Per Capita Consumption Y
The civilization that has been
cared upon coal and petroleum, cop
er and iron, will be maintained by !.
he progressive development of this !.
over of the waters. The Industrial ?
rganization that seeks out and E
lines the coal and iron, that drills y !.
ito the earth for veins of copper ore :
r pools of petroleum will be recreant :,
} it's own and the public interest if :,
neglects the development of water =
overs. Such development is almost =.
gclusively the field of Americas r.
ublic utilities. And not the least :,
mong these is the Montana Power =.
ompany, which supplies 5000 Mon -
ina consumers with dependable ser ~
Zee at what the Electrical World" :.
aims is ''the lowest average price in p pt
lie country" placing Montana at the ~ ~
cry head of the 48 states of the ~
MON in the per capita consumption ~
electricity and having an average -
inual output of more than 1,000,-
10000 kilowatt hours, in conse- g
Ience of which it is rated as one ~
the largest hydro-e1ectric enter
Uses in the United States.