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1 PULSE OF THE IRRIGATION INDUSTRY | 

 II II 



IMMIGRATION AND IRRIGATION. 



BY BENJ. W. THOMPSON. 



IN the August number of THE IRRIGATION 

 AGE the relation of these factors to 

 each other was tersely stated in two or 

 three sentences. 



It is quite surprising that in actual 

 practice it has required a succession of 

 disasteruus experiences to make men see 

 that irrigation without prompt and ex- 

 tended settlement of the lands leads di- 

 rectly to failure. 



Immigration from the old world has 

 been greatly foreshortened by the de- 

 pressed condition of the country since 1893. 



Tbe same cause has stimulated the de- 

 sire to change place among our iesident 

 American people, but it has also prevent- 

 ed large migrations to irrigated lands, be- 

 cause people have been entirely unable to 

 realize cash for their possessions and so 

 could not move. 



Settlers upon irrigated lands require at 

 least a small amount of capital and some 

 knowledge of that class of farming. 



Hence the question of ability to people 

 the new areas with suitable tillers of the 

 soil is becoming prominent in every new 

 and unfinished canal proposition. 



The cautious capitalist is coming to un- 

 derstand the relation of this factor to suc- 

 cess or failure and new enterprises will 

 have to demonstrate their ability to pro- 

 vide population before they can borrow 

 money to build. 



There have been some examples in Ari- 

 zona which may contain instructive lessons 

 for coming canal promoters and builders. 



The Florence canal was built in good 

 times by parties with money and ability to 

 borrow. The land covered, known as the 

 Casa Grande Valley, is very excellent in 

 quality and much of it ideally located for 

 irrigation. Florence was a growing town 

 and the lands under the canal reached to 

 the Southern Pacific railroad, giving them 

 an outlet. The canal was completed and 

 put in operation while the country was 

 prosperous. 



But in a short time it failed, bringing 

 ruin upon its principal owners because its 



income was insufficient to pay its fixed 

 charges and expenses. 



The reason of the failure seems very 

 plain. No adequate effort was made to 

 procure settlers for the lands. The pro- 

 jectors seem to have taken it for granted 

 that people would rush in and take up the 

 lands as soon as it was known that they 

 could be irrigated. 



It it quite probable that this would have 

 been true if the public had been thorough- 

 ly informed by judicious advertising of the 

 advantages of this new field. 



In the absence of this information the 

 general public practically knew nothing of 

 this new canal and took no interest in its 

 lands. 



The Arizona canal in the Salt River Val- 

 ley, Arizona, was built earlier than the 

 Florence. The lands under it were all 

 taken up by the time the canal was finished. 



Through the operation of the very lib- 

 eral desert land law of that time quite a 

 large proportion of these lands came into 

 the hands of the principal owners of the 

 canal stock. The canal became to this ex- 

 tent a private land speculation. 



The withholding of so large a portion of 

 the lands from profitable contribution to 

 the fixed charges and expenses of the ca- 

 nal retarded its growth and debt paying 

 power. In times of damages from floods 

 they were compelled to borrow and draw 

 from personal resources to meet emergen- 

 cies. 



Because of the near location of the lands 

 to the large town of Phoenix, of good times 

 which prevailed for six or seven years 

 after its completion, the principal owners 

 were able to carry the load and sell quite 

 an amount of the lauds at a handsome ad- 

 vance on their cost. 



The experience, however, was a hazard- 

 ous one, and at other times and circum- 

 stances might readily have ended very un- 

 favorably. 



The co-operetive canals of the Mormon's 

 on the south side of the Salt River were 

 built upon a plan which combined safety 

 and success with entire fairness and jus- 

 tice to all parties interested. 



135 



