324 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



organizations. No doubt Congress intended that the 

 law should be obeyed and enforced. Are the interior 

 department and the Reclamation Service mightier 

 than Congress? 



The Federal project farmer's check 

 And Now is no good at least, not to the gov- 



the Settlers ernment. This is the latest edict of 

 Must Buy the Reclamation Service, and to us 

 Drafts it seems about the most foolish. 



There are fiscal agents, paid by the 

 settlers in each project, who must, as a matter of 

 business, bank their funds before turning them over 

 to the proper authorities, but still, to add to the 

 farmer's troubles, this order has been issued on the 

 various projects: 



"Effective August 1, 1915, all payments in set- 

 tlement of charges due the United States Reclama- 

 tion Service should be paid in currency, post office 

 money order or by draft on New York or Denver." 



"From above it will be seen that the project 

 office will not be permitted to accept personal checks 

 or drafts payable at points other than New York 

 or Denver." 



It certainly takes an expert bureaucrat to figure 

 out all the various forms of torture for the unfor- 

 tunate, struggling Federal Water User. 



Eighty millions of dollars are de- 

 Use the posited in the banks of Denver. 

 Money of All tlie banks of the West are 

 the West glutted with money. 

 in the West Instead of sending these funds 

 to New York for Wall Street to play 

 with or for Mr. Morgan to loan to the allies, why 

 not spend this money in the West? 



Let's have more initiative and confidence at 

 home. The West is filled with opportunities for 

 investment that will bring legitimate returns and 

 help develop the resources of the nation. There are 

 still millions of acres of arid lands that should be 

 reclaimed. 



Put the money of the West to work in the West. 

 Never mind the war. 



One good irrigation project means more to the 

 nation than the "thank yous" of a dozen warring 

 nations. 



The star chamber methods injected by Secretary 

 Lane into the so-called revaluation proceedings are 

 un-American. Is the secretary trying to drive the 

 settlers to repudiation? 



According to government figures, $4,- 

 $4,750,000 750,000 will be spent during the fiscal 

 Worth of year 1915-1916 in bringing practical and 

 Education helpful instruction to the farmer and 

 for the his family. 



Farmer The Smith-Lever agricultural ex- 



tension act of May 8, 1914, provides for 

 a permanent national system of agricultural exten- 

 sion work to be carried on with Federal and State 

 funds through the State agricultural colleges in co- 

 operation with the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, by means of instruction and practical 

 demonstrations in agriculture and home economics 

 to persons not attending the colleges. 



The Smith-Lever Act appropriates money as 

 follows : 



(1) $10,000 of Federal funds annually to each 

 of the 48 States. 



(2) In addition to the $480,000 the act appro- 

 priates for 1915-16 $600,000 of Federal Smith-Lever 

 funds. This sum will be increased annually by 

 $500,000 of Federal Smith-Lever funds until 1923, 

 when the annual Government appropriation will be 

 set at $4,580,000. The additional appropriation is 

 divided among the States in the proportion that the 

 rural population of each State bears to the total 

 rural population of the States. Any State, however, 

 to share in this extra Federal Smith-Lever fund must 

 appropriate and spend in extension work at least 

 an equal amount of money from sources within the 

 State. The money from the States will bring the 

 joint demonstration fund to $1,680,000 in 1915-16. 



In addition to the Smith-Lever funds, however, 

 the Department of Agriculture during 1916 will ex- 

 pend from its own appropriations for farmers' co- 

 operative demonstration work and for other direct 

 field instruction in special subjects over $1,025,000. 

 The States will raise from sources within the State 

 and spend for demonstration work a total of $2,650,- 

 000. This will make a grand total of $4,750,000. 



There isn't any of us who cannot learn some- 

 thing every day. The farmer is no exception. Every 

 farmer should take advantage of the opportunities 

 offered by this immense expenditure. The knowl- 

 edge he can thus gain will net many dollars if put 

 into practical use. 



The Federal Water Users have or can control 

 a million votes in a national election. A mighty 

 club. Swing it. 



The only way to be certain of peace is to be 

 prepared to fight. 



Somebody in the Reclamation Service is still 

 bunking Secretary Lane. 



