Evening star., 1925-06-22
NEW RECLAMATION
PROGRAM OUTLINED
Work Would Hold Up All
! Projects Until Policy
Is Changed.
Nv the Associated Press.

8y the Associated Press.
CHEYENNE, Wyo.. June "a
new program in reclamation shoula
be adopted by the Government, Secre-
tary Work declared in an address mere
today, asserting that no new pro1ecls
should be undertaken until an ehuul
ing policy is established.
Responsibility for the success OF
Federal reclamation, he said, hes Hrsl
with the people in communities ana
States directly affected; second, with
the Reclamation Service. and hnally
with Congress.
.If Federal reclamation is to be re-
Carded as a source for obtaining Gov
prnment money to be spent locally, IN
stead of first aid to settling perma-
nent community, 1t will fal as II
already has in some instances, ne
continued, 1.-THE Department OF IN
terror stands between the new farm
ing communities and Congress. WIN
out help from the farmer we cannot
interest the latter.
AgitatOrs Are Blamed.
'The farm pest on many projects
has not been grasshopperS or cut
worms. but men who have been fram-
ing the farmers. often dividing them,
and for fees arraying them against
each other Reputation has actually
been urged and farmers advised that
If payments were delayed the Govern
ment eventually would tire OF trying
10 collect and charge 1t Off.
Since the purpose OF the act was
to create home owning farmers. our
first care should be their welfare.
Heretofore the Reclamation Bureau
has made construction the central
idea on the theory that building
irrigation works would create lrrlSat-
ed agriculture. 1t has done this after
a fashion, but 1t is too largely
tenant agriculture"
The Secretary asserted that since
there was no sound argument against
trying a new method, he had recon-
mended to President Coolidge that the
new program include:
Cooperation between the Federal
Government and the States where
projects are located.
Urges Low Interest.
Advances to settlers to help COM
plete the improvement and equip
ment of their farmS-a low interest
should be charged on these advances.
That where projects include land
in private ownership held in excess OF
homestead units, development should
not begin until an agreement has
been reached with these owners fix
ing the price of that land to settlers
and methods of colonoiZation."
All Government irrigation projects,
Secretary Work said, should be or
ganized into districts, managed and
operated by the people living on them,
who would decide all local questions
themselves.
He expressed the hope that the next
Congress would pass legislation re-
quiring States to assume part OF the
financial risk and responsibility for
every new project undertaken within
their borders.
Sees L. S. Aid As Sound.
'I am convinced that Government
aid in construction OF irrigation works
IS fundamentally sound in theory, al
though it's policy has failed in re-
suits" he declared IF irrigation
works are to be built on a large
scale. the Government must assist
in 1t, as private enterprise will not
build them because there is no margin
of profit in such undertakings.
The fact that it does not pay di-
rectly is no evidence that it has not
great potential value to the Govern
ment. but this value is in futurity and
we must plan accordingly.
Reclamation of arid lands is only
an incident to the agricultural prob
lem of this Nation as a whole. 1t is
the loss of the soils fertility in every
farming state that alarms me, for
there is a direct dependence between
fertility of the soil and fertility of the
mind. Irrigation is intended to popu-
larize farm life so that the farm
shall be the ideal home unit and may
continue to be the base supply for
young men who may later become the
Nations advisers.
1T is our purpose to build reclama-
tion from the ground up. From the
farmer to the Government, rather
than from the Government to the
dam and the dam to the desert