1905 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



389 



ing canals, laterals and headgates un- 

 der the Reclamation Act, is to provide 

 homes for the homeseekers. Conse- 

 quently the farm unit is limited to 160 

 acres and in some instances to less 

 than this amount according to the 

 character of the land. Although the 

 government contemplates irrigation 

 projects for the benefit of home- 

 steaders, and endeavors, as far as pos- 

 sible, to undertake works with the 

 view of bringing water to available 

 government lands, yet, in the event 

 that individuals are willing to sub- 

 divide their lands and to sign a con- 

 tract which will prevent land specu- 

 lation, anticipating increased values 

 through irrigation, irrigation works 

 will be undertaken under the Recla- 

 mation Act even where the land is in 

 private ownership. This is the case 

 in the Salt River Valley, Arizona, 

 where a dam capable of impounding 

 enough water to irrigate 200,000 acres 

 of land will be constructed. The set- 

 tlers in that section have gone ahead 

 and accomplished marvels. The de- 

 velopment has exceeded the water sup- 

 ply, but they are willing to sub-divide : 

 the government is coming to their aid. 



The commercial organizations of 

 California will make possible the work 

 of the government under the Recla- 

 mation Act by effectually conducting 

 the campaign for the sub-division of 

 great tracts where irrigation works 

 are under consideration. There are in 

 California 152 Chambers of Com- 

 merce and other quasi-public improve- 

 ment organizations of like character. 

 They all work in harmony through the 

 California Promotion Committee, the 

 state central organization, which is the 

 clearing house, as one might say, for 

 the expression of united public senti- 

 ment for progress. The executive of- 

 ficer of the California Promotion Com- 

 mittee is Mr. Rufus P. Jennings, a 

 prominent merchant of San Francisco, 

 who has established business-like prin- 

 ciples in the work of building up the 

 state. Mr. Jennings is a constant, op- 

 timistic and cheerful worker for the 

 state and the whole west. He has so 



systematized promotion ciTort in Cali- 

 fornia as to make the sentiment of the 

 commercial bodies of the state an irre- 

 sistible force for pi o.;: ess. Already 

 the California Pror :<,: ion Committee 

 has heard from inovt than 70 owners 

 of huge tracts of ' ;-;d that they will 

 sub-divide. Some < these properties 

 are so vast that it would take a man 

 half a day to ride across one of them, 

 and their sub-div'sions oftentimes oc- 

 casions a considerable sacrifice on the 

 part of the owners. 



There are more conimercial organi- 

 zations in California than in any other 

 state. They expend in their regular 

 routine work all t!x way from $1,000 

 to $30,000 a } car each. Those who 

 support them obtain no direct bene- 

 fits, but share results with the rest of 

 the community. The organizations in- 

 vite confidence and command respect. 

 They have nothing to buy and noth- 

 ing to sell. They crystallize public 

 sentiment. Primarily their function is 

 to advertise 'and induce immigration. 

 The larger part of this work is per- 

 formed through the California Pro- 

 motion Committee, the local organiza- 

 tions devoting themselves more par- 

 ticularly to making ready for the set- 

 tler and of caring for him when he ar- 

 rives in California. In this immigra- 

 tion work the commercial bodies can 

 be of the greatest assistance to the 

 government which desires a progres- 

 sive class of agriculturists to take up 

 land under the reclamation projects. 

 If the settlers succeed, and everyone 

 conversant with conditions in the 

 areas to be reclaimed is convinced that 

 most of them will succeed, they will be 

 enabled to return to the government 

 the sum expended on the project in 

 their territory as contemplated in the 

 Reclamation Act. In the great Truckee- 

 Carson project recently completed 

 the government lias finished the work 

 (or at least enough is completed for 

 demonstration), and it remains for the 

 intelligent and industrious settler to 

 do his part. When it is known that 

 in a little over two ynrs the Califor- 

 nia Promotion Committee has sent out 



