THE IRRIGATION AGE. 309 



While it has been demonstrated that irrigation investments on a 

 large scale do not return a fair interest to the persons who furnish the 

 money, yet, on the other hand, there is no doubt that taking the com- 

 munity as a whole the benefits arefar beyoncl the first cost: but, un- 

 fortunately, these benefits do not redound to the advantage of the 

 men who have furnished the capital and have taken all the risk and 

 trouble of managing a large enterprise. These facts, although recog- 

 nized for some years, have been so unpalatable to the promoters of 

 the country that the men wao have had the courage to state th^m 

 have baen continually assailed ani the correctness of their statemeats 

 called into account. The truth, however much we dislike to admit it, 

 is so generally recognized that it is worse than useless to attempt to 

 conceal the actual conditions. Many instances can be cited where 

 meritorious projects now under consideration are awaiting definite 

 action because it is impossible to show to the investors a single exam- 

 ple of profitable investment of this character. Millions of dollars 

 could be had for the construction of irrigation works, if it could be 

 demonstrated to impartial and critical experts that similar invest- 

 ments were now returning a fair interest on the original capital 

 employed. 



We have the anomalous condition existing of great enterprise or 

 state or national importance languishing for need of capital. At 1 he 

 same time it. is admitted that these enterprises will benefit the com- 

 munity to a far greater extent than the first cost. On the other hand 

 are millions of dollars awaiting an investment, but deterred from the 

 fact that it cannot be shown that these enterprises will prove profita- 

 ble to the investors, although unquestionably yielding returns far in 

 excess of their cost. Putting these things together the question 

 arises, what shall be done'? And the answer must be that the com- 

 munity benefited, whether the state or nation, must in some way 

 either furnish the capital for building these great works, or secure to 

 the men who take the risk, a fair earning on their investment. How 

 this is to be done is a matter of detail and cannot be worked out until 

 general recognition can be had of the conditions just described. 



The utilization of the vacant lands now comprising a third of the 

 whole United Stal es. and the consequent increase of population and of 

 all industries, is to a large extent dependent uponaccuring more water. 

 It is not possible, taking the year as a whole, to secure a greater 

 amount than now exists, but it is possible to increase the available 

 supply many fold by saving that portion which now goes to was e. 

 in order to increase the available supply two methods are especially 

 prominent. The first is that of storage of the floods or winter waters, 

 and the second is by pumping water from underground, or from 

 streams from which it cannot be taken by gravity. Pumping is es- 

 sentially the problem for the Great Plain region, and to a less extent, 

 for money parts of the West. It is particularly important in many 



