159 



FOREST POLITICAL MISCELLANY. 



PARAGRAPH XL. 



NATIONAL IRRIGATION LAW OF JUNE 17, 1902. 



1. States: The law is applicable to all States and territories, ex- 

 cepting Texas, traversed by or west of the 100''' degree of 

 longitude. 



2. Funds: The expense of survey, construction and maintenance 

 of the works erected under the law is to be paid or rather to 

 be advanced out of a "reclamation fund," amounting, in 1906, 

 to $30,000,000, supplied by: 



(a) Receipts from public land sales (deducting 5o/o for educa- 

 tional purposes) within the State benefited; 5lo/o of the receipts 

 obtained from a given state must be spent in it also. Un- 

 fortunately, the best contributors amongst the states are those 

 requiring the least irrigation ; 



(b) Receipts from sale of water rights at works constructed. 



3. Motive: 



(a) The individual settler can enter or acquire small tracts only ; 

 the expense of irrigation works, however, is so great, that opera- 

 tions must be conducted on a large scale, for the benefit of 

 many thousand acres at a time. Private control of large tracts 

 is objectionable ; private control of water supply is intolerable. 



(b) Irrigated farmland is more productive than farmland in 

 the humid region depending on uncontrollable water supply. 

 More homes are required ; and none are better than irrigated 

 farms. 



(c) The statelaws creating private irrigation companies have 

 proven failures. 



4. Entry by settlers: 



Land supposed to be irrigable can be withdrawn, by Se- 

 cretary of Interior, from all entry, excepting homestead-entry. 



