THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



83 



Reclamation Notes 



CALIFORNIA. 



The sale of approximately 47,000 acres of land in 

 the Imperial Valley by the Southern Pacific Land Com- 

 pany to the California Land and Water Company at a 

 price stated to be close to $2,000,000 was announced 

 recently. Irrigation canals from the main Imperial Val- 

 ley system have been nearly completed, and it is expected 

 that the deal will open up some 90,000 acres for reclama- 

 tion, as the railroad held only alternate sections, govern- 

 ment entrymen owning the rest. 



The formation, of an irrigation district near Oroville 

 to comprise 60,000 acres is being pushed rapidly forward. 

 It is planned to take water from the middle fork of 

 Feather River and distribute it over the land by means 

 of pipe lines and ditches. The acreage included in the 

 district is all valuable orange and olive land. 



Articles of incorporation have been filed by the 

 Cudahy Mutual Water Company, with the principal office 

 located at Los Angeles. The company is capitalized for 

 $75,000. The incorporators of the company are L. W. 

 Sale, L. M. Cole, Marco H. Hellman, V. C. Kleinberger 

 and F. H. Edwards. 



The first steps looking to the organization of an 

 irrigation district embracing 18,000 acres of land on the 

 west side of the river between Redding and Cottonwood 

 were taken at a meeting held recently in Anderson, j. C. 

 Brown, of Cottonwood, presided, and W. C. Barkloo 

 acted as secretary. 



A company of Los Angeles capitalists, headed by 

 Mrs. E. A. Wantworth, has purchased 400 acres of land 

 in Santa Ana, Wash., on Church street, and will start 

 an ostrich farm. There is a well 149 feet deep on the 

 property and it is thought that 500 inches of water can 

 be developed. A pump will soon be installed. 



United States Collector of Internal Revenue Joseph 

 J. Scott of San Francisco directed to the Secretary of the 

 Treasury a request for an opinion as to whether or not 

 the irrigation and reclamation sections of his district are 

 liable to taxation. There is a clause in the tariff law that 

 exempts the bonds of a state, or a political subdivision 

 of a state, from taxation, and the question is if the irri- 

 gation and reclamation districts fall under this clause. As 

 there are millions of acres of reclamation and irrigation 

 lands in Collector Scott's district, the question is an im- 

 portant one. 



A. D. Lewis, a mem'ber of the engineering corps of 

 the English government engaged in irrigation work in 

 South Africa, is investigating the system of management, 

 the plan of water distribution and other matters con- 

 nected with the operation of the Modesto irrigation dis- 

 trict. He has made a study already of a number of other 

 irrigation districts and will continue his study in the 

 United States for some time before reporting to his gov- 

 ernment. Mr. Lewis has been in the United States since 

 last July. 



Plans for the creation of an American Holland, with 

 an area 2,000 square miles greater than the Netherlands, 

 by means of a system of irrigation canals, have been 

 formed by A. L. Shinn, of San Francisco. He submitted 

 them recently to the State Realty Federation at its meet- 

 ing at Del Monte, telling in detail how the State and 

 National Governments could combine to create a region 

 of almost illimitable fertility in the Sacramento and San 

 Joaquin Valleys, where 8,000,000 acres net might support 

 a population greater than the 5,000,000 owing allegiance 

 to Queen Wilhelmina. In the valley of the Sacramento 

 alone the land could be increased in value to $500,000,000 

 by canals along its sides, and these might be made to 

 furnish immense electric power as well. 



In describing his plans Mr. Shinn pointed out that more 



water than would be required to irrigate all of northern 

 California goes to waste through the floods of the Sacra- 

 mento River. There are storage facilities in the moun- 

 tains sufficient to meet the requirements, which can be 

 economically employed. The principal and most eco- 

 nomical reservoir sites lie at the comparatively high ele- 

 vation, probably above 3,000 feet. By utilizing 2,000 feet 

 of the drop for power purposes the water could be de- 

 livered at the head of the Sacramento Valley, near Red- 

 ding, at an elevation of 1,000 feet, to be thence distributed 

 for irrigation. 



COLORADO. 



The Reclamation Service is asking for proposals for 

 furnishing 250,000 barrels of Portland cement, f. o. b. cars 

 at the works of the bidder, for use in connection with 

 government irrigation projects. The bids will be opened 

 on January 15, at the office of the Reclamation Service, 

 408 Commonwealth building, Denver, Colo. 



Almost 16,000 acres of land will be placed under 

 irrigation next spring, twenty-four miles from Fort Mor- 

 gan, by the San Arroya Irrigation District, which has 

 recently completed its reservoir. The inauguration of the 

 district's system will mean the active utilization of one 

 of the largest irrigation projects in the eastern part of 

 the state of Colorado. The reservoir covers 373 acres 

 and will contain 22,000 acre feet of water. 



Control of the Orchard Mesa Irrigation Ditsrict was 

 taken from the Magenheimer interests in the ditch elec- 

 tion held early in December, 1913, and the largest land 

 owners and heaviest tax payers on the Mesa are now cut 

 off from all representation on the board. The election 

 was of the highest importance because of the fight which 

 was started some time ago against the Magenheimers 

 over alleged extravagances in the construction of the 

 million dollar ditch. 



The Grand Valley Irrigation Company of Grand Junc- 

 tion went through the past year with smaller expenses 

 than for five years previous, according to the recent 

 report of its secretary, A. O. Peery. The expenditures 

 for the year were $29,382.59; resources reported as $18,- 

 429.22, and liabilities $5,352.42. In the twenty years that 

 the company has been in 'existence the ditch has practi- 

 cally been rebuilt, and the total average expense has been 

 a little less than 90 cents per acre. The company's 

 original charter was for twenty years and it will be 

 necessary to obtain a new one this year. It is expected 

 that the organization will be the same as heretofore. 



A number of enterprising farmers of the May Valley 

 region are organizing a reclamation district. It will be 

 one of the big projects of the near future for Lamar and 

 vicinity. This district will reclaim twenty sections of 

 land. As this land has already been developed under 

 irrigation and its value established, the bonds of the 

 district will find a ready sale, and it is expected that the 

 preliminary work of organization will soon be completed, 

 and the district ready for work. 



The bondholders' committee of the North Sterling 

 Irrigation District has cancelled the interest and taxes 

 on the district bonds for a period of five years, i. e., they 

 have eliminated the payment of a half million dollars 

 interest. This action was taken recently at a meeting 

 held in Chicago after a committee representing land 

 owners under the district had informed them that the 

 farmers were experiencing much difficulty in developing 

 their land because of the lack of capital, inasmuch as 

 they had no opportunity to mature crops, the water from 

 the reservoir having only been placed on portions of the 

 land last July. 



The Secretary of the Interior has authorized the 

 Reclamation Service to execute contract with the Orman 

 Construction Company of Pueblo for excavating a por- 

 tion of the Selig Extension Canal, a part of the Uncom- 

 pahgre project. The work involves the excavation of 

 26,200 cubic yards of material and 4,000 cubic yards of 

 overhaul. The contract price is $7,199. 



