THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



205 



usually gives up trying to understand the general sys- 

 tem or to appreciate the rank of the various employes. 

 As time runs on, and considerable time is liable to run 

 during the construction of one of these projects, the 

 original estimates of cost are increased. The advertis- 

 ing is also increased, if possible, and the intending set- 

 tler accumulates years, experience and liabilities while 

 waiting for water. It is a delight to meet any of the 

 agents of the service at any time. They are optimists 

 of the first water and can give more information about 

 the economic and social problems that they are working 

 out than would be expected of one who had made a 

 specialty of these sciences. It is somewhat difficult to 

 obtain much specific information of an engineering char- 

 acter except from the head of the advertising department 

 at Washington, who, to our surprise, is not an engineer. 

 Naturally the cost of management runs high in a gov- 

 ernment irrigation project. However, the final result 

 must be satisfactory to all concerned and the Reclama- 

 tion Service is performing a great work. 



From all of these agencies some systematic plan 

 should be evolved which would lead to the construction 

 of the best kind of irrigation works at a minimum cost. 

 The social and business ptoblems that have to be solved 

 when the settlers finally take charge of the irrigation 

 works are also of great importance. Let irrigators dis- 

 cuss questions of this kind at the Irrigation Congress. 

 Let us unite every interest that seeks to encourage the 

 growth of agriculture and the future of the race, in a 

 movement that will discourage the man who comes to 

 the congress to advertise himself and his policies. The 

 tendency has been to favor politicians, red fire and gen- 

 eralities and to drift away from the fundamental prob- 

 lems upon the proper solution of which the future of the 

 West largely depends. If we have a mission, let us per- 

 form it if we have none, let us discontinue the congress, 

 rather than to employ it as a stage for the grandstand 

 performer. The congress has a responsibility. If the 

 valleys of the Rocky Mountain region are to support the 

 highest type of rural life, a foundation must be laid. 

 The congress can do much to provide this. Those who 

 seek notoriety and who have patent policies of their own 

 to exploit, will soon depart and time spent in assisting 

 them is time lost. Let us consider great questions rather 

 than waste our strength in supporting men of passing 

 importance with their measures of questionable value. 



Maxwell 

 Again. 



In the Mesa Department of a recent is- 

 sue of the Arizona Gazette we are in- 

 formed that George H. Maxwell has re- 

 cently been in Mesa and has told the peo- 

 ple of that town that he will locate 10,000 families in 

 the Salt River Valley within the next five years. He 

 states that to do this will require a great deal of money 

 and work. He does not, however, intend to do it alone 



but with the aid of the citizens of the valley, whom, he- 

 believes, may help him in accomplishing this great end. 



This is a very laudable ambition on the part of 

 Mr. Maxwell and is entitled to all the encouragement 

 which the people of the Salt River Valley may give him. 



There are some facts, however, in connection with 

 his project which makes it appear impossible. He pro- 

 poses to organize a company, called the Homecroft Com- 

 pany, whose object will be to get the people from the 

 crowded cities to locate on farms where they will be able 

 to make themselves self-supporting and more independ- 

 ent than in the crowded tenements of the large cities. 

 Mr. Maxwell, it is stated, will make his headquarters 

 in Chicago, where he believes there are thousands of 

 people who would gladly go on a piece of ground if an 

 opportunity to do so is presented to them. 



Like many other of Mr. Maxwell's past efforts, 

 however, we note he wants ten of the leading citizens of 

 Mesa to take stock in his Homecroft Company at $100 

 each, which would mean $10,000 for Mr. Maxwell. He 

 only asks $50 down, and informs the people that each 

 $100 invested in preferred stock would draw 6 per cent 

 interest, which would make it a safe investment. Mr. 

 Maxwell fails, however,, to inform the people of Mesa 

 how stock in his Homecroft Company would be made 

 to pay 10 per cent. He states that he would use this 

 money to aid Mesa, furnish a room in Chicago to display 

 advertising, fruits and other products, so that people 

 would have a chance to see just what that country pro- 

 duces. 



While, as stated above, Mr. Maxwell's ambition is 

 laudable, and may result in some good for the Salt 

 River Valley, it is our impression that ten thousand 

 dollars will not go very far toward locating ten thousand 

 families in the Salt River Valley. All good colonization 

 agents throughout the country estimate that it costs 

 from three to five dollars per acre to properly colonize 

 virgin land. Mr. Maxwell's project with 10,000 families, 

 which would represent possibly 50,000 people, counting 

 five to a family, would mean that he could put these 

 people on the land at an expense to the people of Mesa 

 of about ten cents per head. It is our opinion that Mr. 

 Maxwell should go into this matter more carefully and 

 organize along safer lines. 



THE IRRIGATION AGE would be very glad, indeed, 

 to assist him in an enterprise of this kind, but it should 

 be carefully studied out in advance and an exact esti- 

 mate made of the cost to locate an individual or fam- 

 ily. There are so many ramifications to a proposition 

 of this kind that it should be well and carefully figured 

 out. On the other hand, it seems to THE IRRIGATION 

 AGE, that a guarantee of ten per cent to some of the 

 leading citizens of Mesa and other towns of the valley 

 is entirely uncalled for, in view of the fact that the lead- 

 ing citizens of the valley are usually large land holders 



