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PULSE OF THE IRRIGATION INDUSTRY. 



A CHANCE FOR SETTLERS. 



Donald Bradford, manager of the Mon- 

 tana state and land commission, reports 

 that the commission contemplat -s giving 

 setilers an opportunity to buy wa:er with 

 labor, in the Clark's Fork Valley district. 

 This valley is in Carbon County and it is 

 claimed ca,n l>e redeemed and made fertile 

 by the construction of an irrigation ditch, 

 such as it is proposed to build. The work 

 of surveying the ditch is soon to be com- 

 menced This section vras once surveyed 

 but the survey was rejected so a new one 

 will have to be made. Mr. Bradford 

 estimates that there is enough land in the 

 district capable of irrigation to make 

 farms of ItiO acres each for forty families. 

 The Daily Independent of Helena, Mont., 

 gives the following account of the enter- 

 prise and what is proposed: 



''The plan of t*ie commission is to have 

 the settlers construct the irrigation -system 

 under state supervision and direction, the 

 title to remain vested in the state, which 

 will pay in warrants for the labor employed 

 in the work and accept the warrants in 

 payment for perpetual water rights. The 

 charge for those rights is to be based on 

 the actual cost of construction. The war- 

 rants will also be accepted in payment for 

 merchandise by Bridger merchants. 



The only interest of the state in the 

 enterprise is to socure the settlement of 

 the land, and to this end every assistance 

 possible is to be given to the settler by the 

 commission. It is the first time in the 

 history of the country that a state has 

 undertaken the management of the con- 

 struction and maintenance of a system of 

 irrigation for its 'arid ^lands. Should the 

 experiment prove a success, as it promises 

 to. it may become a prime factor in the 

 future development and greatness of a 

 state second to none in point of possi- 

 bilities. 



'The state arid land grant commission, 



to quickly inaugurate the building of 

 homes in the state, has undertaken to con- 

 struct a canal to reclaim several thousand 

 acres of very fine land adjacent to the 

 Clark Fork river in Carbon county/ said 

 Mr. Bradford. 



'It is hoped that a sufficient number of 

 actual settlers may join this colony to 

 build the water system and thus prevent 

 the necessity for the employment of out- 

 side labor, as it is the purpose of this 

 commission to aid home-seekers in every 

 way to secure and improve their homes at 

 the least possible cost and without profit 

 to any one for construction. As it will be 

 seen in the accompanying form of certifi- 

 cate, title to the canal remains in the etate 

 and only the actual cost of construction, 

 maintenance and operation will be 

 charged. 



To prevent the settler from turning 

 speculator in land, his water right pur- 

 chased must equal in units the number 

 of acres filed upon and in this connection 

 it is deemed proper to suggest that eighty 

 acres utilized to the best advantage will 

 equal in net profits 160 acres farmed with 

 hired labor. 



The terms of payment have been made 

 easy, so that while the state is secured, 

 the settler may easily meet his payments. 

 The farmer will, as far as practicable, be 

 employed in maintenance work and be 

 given credit on toll charges. Construction, 

 will begin June 1. and will be pushed to 

 completion as rapidly as possible. It is 

 desired that all the land shall be taken 

 and appliances for water filed and teams 

 and men ready to b?gin work on that day. 

 Each farmer or purchaser of a water right 

 will be given a section of the canal to 

 build and will be paid by the yard of 

 material at the ruling rate, which will be 

 announced at the proper time. 



In the past, the only offer that has 



