Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-09-09
Rx FRANK l. WELLER

WASHINGTON, Sept. S.-tPy-De-
spite favorable terms Of purchase,
settlement of unimproved farms on
federal reclamation projects has
Jagged so seriously that Secretary
West of the Interior department has
found il advisable to personally in
spent of finance for irriga-
tion farmers. The situation has ex-
erted a depressing influence on many
farmers who already have their lands
under cultivation and up to the
present time have been able TO meet
their obligations
Accompanied by DR.. Elwood Mead.
commissioner Of reclamation, and
HNep. T6Usg CfamtUn, chairman or
the subcommittee Of the house com
mittee on appropriations for the in
terror department, the new secretary
will conduct a hurried tour. Aug. ~
to Sept. 4 Of irrigated regions In Mon
tana, Nebraska, Wyoming, and North
Dakota.
At Sidney, Mont, the party will 60
into conference with directors OF the
local irrigation district, which is q
part Of the So, 000-acre Lower Yellow
stone project in Montana and North
Dakota. There the government holds
options on 81 farms averaging 90
acres each, most of which are owned
by non-residents who will nat i'm
prove them. Potential settlers are
men of small can who are willing
to take over improved farms, but
who, because of the expense incident
to construction of buildings and ir-
rigation systems, will not take the
u~nimproved land even where il may
he had merely for the liquidation Of
unpaid taxes.
For the most part, authorities say,
the irrigated regions are far removed
from money centers, making IL al
most impossible for settlers TO OBJ
tain cash or credit. Local banks lend
only on improved farms, and then
usually on 90-day paper a. interest
ranging from s 20 I'D per cent, terms
described a. entirely too hard for
agriculture to meet. On projects
where irrigation IL a joint liability,
the farmer who has established him
self sees in the presence Of unim-
proved land a very definite factor
contributing to high water costs, and
In the governments failure 70 obtain
settlers a menac to his W pros
perity.
AT AlHiAAs l4OMLst a tWfA4GIEIEE vi
be held with directors Of the Milk
river project of $4,000 acres. There
an ample and cheap water supply
makes it possible to grow good crops,
but the average cropvalue last year
was but SIS an acre-a dry land
value on irrigated farms. The pro-
ject needs at least 200 more settlers.
The Gibson storage dam, now n
l. -A-m4-sa-ArA -. &kA CO. w4rAa
project near Great Falls, Mont, will
be inspected. When completed it will
be f6O feet high with a storage ca
paeity Of 105, 900 acre feet. sufficient
to guarantee a full flow for the $4,000
acres already irrigated and for an
additional $1,000 acres. IL is expect
cd to aid materially the development
Of idle lands.
No series problem Is expected in
the Garland division or the Shoshone
project in Wyoming. 1t already has
a good diversified agriculture. The
Wildwood division, however, 10000
acres which we're opened last year.
neers settlers. Its crops have a
value Of $50 an acre. The Frannie
division, settled chiefly b. cx-service
men. is overcoming its problem Of
aikAii elimination. rs increasing the
rrigable area and its crop value.
After reviewing the proposed
Casper-Alcova project at Casper.
Wyo.. Secretary West and his ON
panion will stop at the recently COM
pleted Guernsey dam on the North
Platte project In Nebraska and Wy
oming. With It's 213,000 acres North
Platte is pointed to as one of the
most prosperous projects. A few
years ago the government covered
more than 100000 capital indebted
ness for settlers there, but water
users now operate their own irriga-
tion systems, make their payments in
full and on time. support eight sugar
factories and six cooperative cheese
factories. and have we'll organized
purchasing and marketing ~associ-
ati0ns.