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THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



Effective agitation for extension of time of payment 

 from 10 to 20 years resulted in the passage of the 

 reclamation extension act on August 13, 1914. 



"The reclamation act required originally that 

 an irrigation project be built in each of the States 

 named in the law; but in putting this requirement 

 into effect two or more large works have been 

 initiated in some of the States. The general plan 

 pursued has been to lay out each project in a broad, 

 comprehensive manner so as ultimately to utilize 

 the available water and land to its full capabilities. 



"But while this policy of carrying on simulta- 

 neously the construction of a large number of irri- 

 gation works and of inaugurating new ones without 

 awaiting the completion of the old may thus be 

 defended, there comes a point where such policy 

 must of necessity cease. The resources of the 

 reclamation fund are now overburdened and the 

 projects under way cannot be completed within a 

 reasonable length of time unless there shall be large 

 accessions to the fund. The date of completion 

 must be further delayed by the reduction of annual 

 collections of construction charges by reason of the 

 20-year extension act unless there shall be found 

 some other means for the replenishment of the 

 fund. 



"The initiation of new projects can now only 

 be undertaken at the cost of certain delay in the 

 completion of those under way. 



"While interest is not chargeable to the users 

 of Government irrigation works, nevertheless ac- 

 count should be taken of the loss of interest on this 

 investment in determining the future construction 

 policy. Every year of delay in completing and 

 opening these works to the use for which they are 

 intended causes a heavy loss, not only of interest 

 on the sum invested but in the annual depreciation 

 of such portions as have been completed or par- 

 tially completed. The annual maintenance of par- 

 tially completed works is a heavy charge. A net 

 investment of $84,000,000 with interest computed 

 at only 2 per cent involves an annual charge of 

 $1,680,000. The. total accruals of construction 

 charges for the fiscal year 1914 amounted to only 

 $1,340,435.66. The amount collected was only 

 $251,679.64. Every consideration urges the wis- 

 dom of early completion of works now under way 

 and the most speedy possible realization of that 

 moment when all the reclamation land under such 

 works shall be made productive and contributory 

 to the reclamation fund." 



COST FAR ABOVE ESTIMATE 



The Land Owners' Association of the Lower 

 Yellowstone Federal irrigation project in Montana 

 and North Dakota has taxed its members to pay 

 the expenses of a representative to be sent to 

 Washington. He will be authorized to demand a 

 full explanation from government officials as to 

 why the cost of the irrigation work has, up to the 

 present time, exceeded by nearly $2,000,000 the 

 original estimates of the government. 



The original estimate of the cost of the irriga- 

 tion project was $1,800,000. Bids on the work were 

 even lower than that estimate, but at the present 

 time the accounts covering the project show about 



$2,000,000 above the original estimate having been 

 expended, according to the annual statement of the- 

 Land Owners' Association. 



Another striking feature of the statement is 

 shown in the fact that operating expenses for the 

 past year have been reduced to approximately $25,- 

 000, in addition to an annual overhead expense sus- 

 tained in connection with the work at Washington 

 of $12,500. 



Only a few years ago the maintenance cost was 

 $90,000, the reduction having been effected through 

 economic methods suggested by the land owners 

 themselves. 



At the present time there is a total of $400,000 

 accumulated operating expenses against the project. 

 The question of what to do to retire that charge 

 will be considered by the association during the 

 coming year. 



IRRIGATES VERMONT ORCHARD 



C. T. Holmes, who owns a noted apple orchard 

 in Charlotte, Vt, has just purchased of Fairbanks, 

 Morse & Co., of New York, a 40-horsepower en- 

 gine, with duplex pump with pumping capacity of 

 900 gallons a minute to be used in furnishing water 

 to irrigate his orchard. 



The orchard lies on the shore of Lake Cham- 

 plain, and the water will be pumped from the lake. 

 Mr. Holmes will lay about 4,000 feet of pipe with 

 an eight-inch main and laterals running from six 

 to two and one-half inches. The outfit is to be 

 installed and ready for use June 1, 1915, and will be 

 used to irrigate 90 acres of the orchard next year. 



Mr. Holmes was the first orchardist in Ver- 

 mont to advocate and successfully put into effect 

 the spraying and cultivation of an orchard, and is 

 now the pioneer of New England in installing an 

 irrigation plant on such a large scale. 



The enterprise will be watched with a great 

 deal of interest by all the Eastern orchardists. 



CANADA MENACES PROJECT 



Again international complications threaten the 

 Milk river project in Montana. The question of 

 the division of the waters of St. Mary's and Milk 

 Rivers is now before the International Waterway 

 Commission and new demands are being made by 

 the Canadians. The treaty provided for the division 

 of the waters of the two rivers in certain propor- 

 tions. It was the understanding of the parties to 

 the treaty on the American side that the division 

 should be made at the boundary line where the 

 two rivers cross. Now the Canadians want the 

 water measured at the mouths of the two rivers and 

 divided according to those measurements. The 

 treaty between the United States and Canada re- 

 specting these waters was approved in 1909. 



IMPERILS APPROPRIATIONS 



Speaker Clark has ruled that the bill carrying 

 appropriations from the reclamation fund aggre- 

 gating $13,000,000 should be referred to the com- 

 mittee on appropriations and not to the committee 

 on irrigation. The western congressmen fought 

 to have the irrigation committee consider it, as they 

 believe the appropriations committee less friendly. 



