THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



239 



in point of fact. Senator Hansborough was the father 

 of the bill and if any individual is to receive credit, 

 ex-Senator Hansborough should be given that honor. 

 Incidentally, Senator Newland's name is used in this 

 connection by the Reclamation Service and the sena- 

 tor seems to reciprocate by rushing to their defense 

 whenever they are in danger. 



Exceptions were taken to editorials in 

 Exceptions our May issue by various individuals 

 Taken connected with the Reclamation Serv- 



To May ice concerning the method of secur- 



Editorials. ing representatives of the Water 



Users' Association, who attended the 

 reclamation hearings before Secretary Lane, in Wash- 

 ington, during the month of May. One correspondent 

 finds it difficult to understand how we reached our 

 conclusions as to the plan of meeting, and on what 

 we base our charge that the Reclamation Service 

 maneuvered to have invitations sent to its friends. One 

 correspondent declares that the Reclamation Service 

 had nothing whatever to do with the men who c^me 

 from the projects, as Senator Lane did not restrict his 

 invitations to members of these various bodies, and that 

 every man who had a complaint to make was asked to 

 attend or present his complaint in writing. In reply 

 to these criticisms we have to say that the only means 

 we have of securing quick news service from Wash- 

 ington is by taking what the daily papers of Chicago 

 get from their various Washington correspondents. 

 It would appear that the Washington correspondents 

 Tiave not been as careful to verify some of their reports 

 by reference to the heads of departments. A com- 

 munication from one of our subscribers at the national 

 capital gives another angle to the criticism. He says 

 the Washington correspondents are not given "straight 

 goods" concerning reclamation affairs and that we 

 should secure the official reports of all proceedings. 

 This we wrote to secure, but was informed that the 

 department hasn't the means to publish a transcript 

 of proceedings of this hearing. 



It is possible that the proceedings may be printed 

 by order of Congress. Until such report is brought 

 out, and all of the facts obtained, it may be well to 

 suspend judgment at the present time, and await the 

 outcome. One who attended all of the sessions, states 

 concerning the Arizona matter which was given a 

 hearing, that he can not truthfully say that the secre- 

 tary was not at all times fair in his attitude; that he 

 seemed quick in catching the drift of affairs, and was 

 fair in his statement and discussion of other matters 

 brought up. It occurs to us that the proceedings of 

 this hearing are of sufficient importance to warrant the 

 authorization of the publication of a full report by 

 Congress. 



We are presenting in this issue. 

 A Settler's article Xo. 2, by Mr. Thomas Bun- 

 Experience, bury, Ballendella, Victoria, Austra- 

 Victoria, lia, on "A Settlers Experience In 



Australia. The Irrigation Area of the State of 



Victoria, Australia." Mr. Bunbury 

 very kindly consented to prepare a series of three 

 articles on this subject, the first article having ap- 

 peared in our issue of April 1913. In a recent com- 

 munication from Mr. Bunbury, he informs us that 

 he will send in a short time article No. 3 in which 

 he will be able to clearly state how he started on 

 small capital, and is now fairly well on the road to 

 success. LTnlike the majority of correspondents 

 who relate their experiences as beginners on irriga- 

 tion tracts, Mr. Bunbury gives us all the details, 

 holding back nothing that would prove of value to 

 those similarly situated. These articles will give 

 our readers a more clear idea of actual conditions 

 in Australia than it would be possible to obtain 

 from ordinary sources. 



The German Evangelical church is 

 Protection developing a plan for the protection 

 Against of its members against land frauds, 



Land and one of its pastors states that they 



Frauds. have special need of help, because they 



are people of simple honesty, depend- 

 ent in a large way on advice of their spiritual guides 

 for the conduct of business matters. There is no 

 doubt that combined action should be taken by the 

 various churches to secure information concerning 

 various sections of the country where unusual offers 

 are made to intending settlers. During the top wave 

 of irrigation enthusiasm, a few years ago, various un- 

 scrupulous agents succeeded in unloading a large 

 quantity of unproductive land on people who could 

 not afford to be misled, and many of these purchasers 

 suffered hardships in consequence. The various church 

 organizations should instruct their members to beware 

 of land sharks and land deals offered in the west as 

 they would of a land shark in their own territory. 



During the irrigation excitement, a number of 

 mail clerks called at the office of THE IRRIGATION 

 AGE, and asked for information as to where they could 

 locate advantageously. At that time, one particular 

 section of a northwestern state was being boomed, and 

 the writer had definite knowledge as to its possibili- 

 ties. It happened that on inquiries by the group of 

 mail clerks, shortly after the writer's return from that 

 section of the country, he advised them to send some 

 of their members to investigate with a view to pur- 

 chase. The writer was not personally acquainted with 

 the men interested in this project and had no interest 

 at all other than to benefit those making the inquiry. 

 As matters turned out the company which was boom- 

 ing this particular section got into trouble, and the 

 development of the project was delayed for a year or 

 more. Meanwhile, the men who were sent out to in- 



