The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1944-01-06

II western states. BY feasible
projects is meant those embracing
land with good soil, suitable topo-
graphy and for which an adequate
irrigation water supply can be
provided at cost which can be
repaid by the water users on the
usual terms after just and equit-
able allowance for subsidiary ben
eft. 4 III.
Out of the aggregate of such
projects it can be safely assumed
that SO percent are both highly
desirable and upon which engi-
neering data are now available or
could be made available. in a rel
atively short time. For the pur-
poses of this paper, I am, there
fore, proposing a program for the
construction of milti-purpose rec
lamation projects, with the irriga-
CATION of 10 millions acres to be
the predominant objective. OBJ
viously this is round figure
chosen for purposes of discussion
without regard to selection of
specific projects. Such a figure
would boil the potentially irrigable
lands down to the projects with
the best soils, those most favor
ably located climatically and
which can be developed well with
in the known limits of repayment.
Time does not permit a full
discussion of all the arguments
which favor adoption of such a
program. I shall attempt merely
to advance 10 good reasons for my
belief that this country should
start now to plan through to the
retailed blueprint stage for such
a reclamation program-work to
begin with the cessation of HOSTILE
ties.
/. The construction work under
this program will promptly pro-
vide temporary employment in
great volume in that section of
the country in which postwar un-
employment will be particularly
acute. The mass migration of
workers in recent years to defense
industries on the Pacific Coast is
well known. Census estimates of
population made on March 1, 1943
indicates an increase in civilian
population in the Pacific Coast
states, between 1880 and 1913 of
27.7 percent as compared with an
increase for the entire country
of "A percent. A part of this
increase must be absorbed in some
new form of employment as ex-
elusive war material industries
close down. Unless there us such
provision these migrants will start
flowing back into areas less able
to integrate them into a peace
time economy. Under the sug-
gested plan as construction work
is completed, workers will find
permanent occupation on farms
and in the cities and villages
which will rise out of the desert.
2. It will prevent or substan-
TALLY alleviate two types of re-
current national disaster - floods
and drouth. Upstream storage
provides runoff regulation down.
stream and irrigation projects are
the best known device for pro-
viding stability on farms and
ranches in an arid country. sub.
ject to wide fluctuations in rain
fall.
8. It will create in areas now
waste or sparsely populated, op-
portunities for $4,000 profitable
farms and a means of livelihood
for 100000 businesst and profess
sional men, tradesmen, mechanics
and craftsmen in the cities and
lation is based on 80-acre irrigated
villages which service these new
farms and the well known fact
rural areas. This rough calcu-
that in an agricultural area twice
as many people make their living
in urban centers as are directly
engaged in agriculture. These fig
ures add up to the equivalent of
two average agricultural states.
4. It will step up production of
foods and fibres gradually over
the long period of years required
to bring irrigated land into full
production and the products will
be almost exclusively those which
we have never produced in sur
plus. Thus consumptive needs of
a population expanding in num-
Der and in requirements arising
from higher standards of living,
can be supplied from domestic
sources. Population growth in
this country between 1880 and
1943 is estimated at about 49,
100000 and is increasing now at
the rate of about IL million to
1.3 million yearly and we must
not lose sight of the fact that it
requires approximately 3 to 3.5
acres of cultivated land per capita
to produce the foods and fibres
for which there is demand at
present levels of consumption.
Considered in the aggregate we
were net import nation on agri-
cultural commodities before the