194 THE FUTURE OF ARID LANDS 
values of crops, livestock, and power, far exceed the portion of 
construction that is reimbursable under law. 
There are those who advocate reduction of irrigation’s share of 
limited water resources because the United States as a nation 
produces a surplus of some crops. To these, I say that crop sur- 
pluses should not be considered to be a serious liability so long as 
there are human beings on the edge of starvation anywhere in the 
world. 
The crop surpluses of recent years in this country are transient. 
Without unceasing efforts in the direction of expansion, by 1975 
our surpluses as we know them today will disappear simply under 
the impact of increasing population in the United States itself. 
Per capita consumption of food also is rising. The quality of our 
diet has steadily improved for decades and will continue to im- 
prove under the impetus of our rising level of living. 
The limitation on tillable acres is real and recognizable. We 
know that through simple multiplication of cultivated acreage we 
cannot meet the requirements of the future, even under the con- 
cept of 100% utilization of the water that is available for irriga- 
tion. We must count, however, on continued scientific improve- 
ment in agricultural methods, which have yielded such spectacular 
successes especially during the last decade. 
Irrigation is in the west where the population is growing at the 
fastest rate, and efficient distribution methods demand maximum 
production close to points of consumption. A final point is that 
irrigated land in the west is the source of many specialty off- 
season crops which are not competitive with production elsewhere. 
Irrigation, then, must have equal consideration in any alloca- 
tion of our limited water supplies. Although my references have 
sometimes applied specifically to the western part of the United 
States, the principles apply equally to any part of the world’s arid 
realm. 
Increasing Production from Existing Supplies 
Many of the world’s rivers, including major ones flowing to the 
sea through dry and underdeveloped areas, are not yet put fully 
to beneficial use. Such use must be the legacy of science and 
