WATER 131 



the townspeople reply, "that there will be a big market for 

 your additional crops in the rest of the country." 



When the vote is counted it is discovered that a vast ma' 

 jority of the city people are for the conservancy district and 

 an equally solid majority of the country people are against it. 

 Since there are more city people, the bill is passed and the dis 

 trict is established. 



Unfortunately for everyone concerned, it turns out that 

 the farmers were right. No one will buy their surplus crops and 

 they can't pay their water rent and taxes. To make matters 

 worse, the costs were based on the belief that a certain number 

 of acres could be irrigated by the project. Planners are always 

 optimistic. But, as the ditches silt up and the river water is 

 wasted in flash floods, it is soon found that the system will not 

 supply that many acres. And even if it would, that would be 

 little help since a number of the farmers refuse to use the irri' 

 gation water because of its high price. 



The result of all of this is that the cost of water must be 

 doubled. And the result of that is that hardly anyone can pay 

 for it. Now three things can happen. The conservancy district 

 can collapse. That would mean that all of those who lent money 

 to start the district would lose it. The farmers could be forced 

 off their land and their farms sold to others who might succeed. 

 But the farmers are in no mood to be thrown off their farms, 

 and besides, if the ones who know that land cannot farm it 

 profitably, it is hardly possible that any outsiders would be 

 successful. The third possibility is to borrow money from the 

 federal government. This last plan is accepted. The Recon- 

 struction Finance Corporation lends money to the Guadala 

 jara Conservancy District on the condition that the costs are 

 reduced. This means that those who lent money to start the 

 district will lose some of their money, but not all of it. 



However, this has not solved the problem. If the district is 



