Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-09-09
VIEWS
DITCH PROJECTS
ED MILK RIVER AND sun RIVER
PROJECTS PLEASED AT PROGRESS
Montana's Prosperity Following Lean
Years Demonstrates Possibilities of Its
Resources and Courage OF Its People,
He Declares; Travelling Over West

ffoi'ahas IftSpttftf IoiiohfhS htdt
Years Demonstrates Possibilities of Its
Resources and Courage OF Its People,
He Declares; Travelling Over West
The recovery OF Montana from the
depression of a few years ago Is n splen-
did demonstration of the great poten-
twialities of the states resources, out
standing among which is the courage
and determination of its people. says
DIR. Hiram Newton Savage OF Washing
ton. ID. c., former supervising engineer
OF the, federal reclamation department
office In Great Falls, who arrived In
Montana a few days ago.
DR.. Savage was stationed at Great Falls
In 1913 and 1914 and for five years be-
fore was located at Helena with the rec
lamation service. While In the service
he designed and supervised preliminary
construction on both the u River and
Milk River reclamation projects, and be-
fore leaving the state this time will visit
both districts.
At the time the Sur River project was
announced as ready for construction a
banquet was held in Great Fails for F. H
Newell, then director OF the reclamation
service, by business men. Mr.. Newell
stated that the people Of Montana were
indebted for the promotion and approval
for construction of the MIX River and
$500 RbOJSN~o w Az RSAoosNA3Ny "a
Mr.. Savage.
Urges Completion
Two years ago Mr.. Savage returned to
Montana on a tour Of the principal irri-
cation projects of the western portion Of
the United States. preparatory to making
a report to President Coolidge. He was
impressed with the delay in providing
adequate irrigation water to supply lands
under the Sun River project and empha-
| cf1ad In h{c voN~r+ hofh tLr Vo4l 49,
the obligation Of the United States to
complete the work it had projected at
the time the settlers were invited.
On my present trip to Montana I was
astonished and gratified by the splendid
crops which are being harvested through
out the state this season." said DR.. Saw
age. Areas and yields in the Yellow
stone valley are notably unprecedented.
Maximum yields brought to my attention
in Cascade county are more than 60
bushels OF wheat to the acre and the
carrying on Of combine harvesting opera
lions marks a progressive departure here
tofore unknown to me.
Evidence of Prosperity
One OF the most important features
in Montana's prosperity Is contained in
reports / have received that the the be-
ginning OF the wal the then about 500
banks owed $27, 000, 900 to eastern banks
and hat Notwithstanding the seven lean
years which follower, the present 200
banks owe to outside banks less than
$500 600 and the total deposits OF today
exceed the total held by the larger num-
Der OF banks at the start Of the war"
DR.. Savage left the reclamation service
in 1916 and is now an "engineer-at-
large" his activities taking him to all
portions OF the world. In 1915 he went
to San Diego, Calf, and In response to
a request by the chief OF. engineers OF
the United States army he designed and
constructed water conservation work to
insure an adequate supply Of water for
the projected military training camps.
After completing a survey and making
designs for additional works to care for
water requirements OF the city of San
Diego for the next so pears, DIR. Savage
undertook extensive foreign travel with
special reference to engineering service
He first travelled around the world to the
east by the northern route, visiting Eu-
rope, northern Africa, southern Asia, the
Philippine Stands and Honolulu. On this
trip he made an expedition up the Nile
river.
Circles Earth Again
Subsequently he made a second trip
around the world, travelling to the west
and taking the southern route. He again
visited the Hawaiian islands, where he
made a study and report on water re-
quirements with reference to irrigation
and domestic supplies. After a trip to
New Zealand and Australia, where he in
spected all Of the important irrigation
hydro-electric and transportation sys-
TENS, he went to the Philippines again,
where he spent some time in making in
v~estigations and reports to Gen. Leonard
Wood.
Visits to China and India were made
and DR.. Savage travelled up the Ganges
river. into the Punjab country, where
more than 10000, 900 acres are being irri-
! gated, and down the Indus river. where
two irrigation districts were projected,
the work of which is now approaching
completion.
MIR. Savage then travelled up the Per-
sian gulf and made a report on the drain
age and irrigation requirements on TO-
900 900 acres Of and between the Tigres
and ~Euphrates rivers to King Fiesal OF
Mesopotamia, or Irak, as 1t is now called
Without doubt, according to Mr.. Savage
this area included the Garden of Eden
After a trip across the Arabian desert
Mr.. Savage made a more thorough study
Of the natural of Palestine. He
subsequently travelled up the Nile for G
second time on an expedition which re-
quired a visit to the headwaters Of the
river. a walk across a portion Of the
equatorial zone of Africa in the two hot
test months OF the year, n out to the
Indian sea. He returned to Egypt t6
make a report to Lord Allenby, King
Fuad Of Egypt and to an engineering
commission for the ALLEGATION of waters
of the Nile, as requested by the Sudan
Egyptian and British governments.
Tours Projects
In 1925 and the early part Of 1926 Mr.
Savage made a our of the federal recla-
nation projects of the western portions
of the United States n of dominion
and corporate projects of Canada. report.
/, ing directly to President Coolidge. Later
} in 1926, at the request Of ministers ano
} ambassadors of Latin-American countries
at Washington he visited a majority Of
the republics in the West Indies, Cen
! trail and South America. This required
J q trip down the west coast of South
! America with frequent trips to the In
r terror, q crossing of the Andes noun
tains and a teamer trip up the cas-
/ coast.
|, While on this tour Mr.. Savage visited
} the C-haquecamata mines being operated
, by the Chile Copper company. a sub.
2 sidiary of the Anaconda Copper Mining
company of Montana. He also went 1,80t
miles into the interior to inspect thu
Iguassu falls, which are $40 feet higl
and two miles across at the crest. Tit
absence Of coal in Argentine and the de
, mand for heat and power has caused Of.
ficials of the government to look to thes'
! falls, and others nearer, as q source o
hydro-electric energy.
Mr.. Savage is now making an inspec
| tion of IRRIGATION projects I'm the western