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About The Bend bulletin. (Bend, Or.) 1903-1931 | View Entire Issue (March 15, 1916)
.jsse&sb .T IT c fc'l 1 1 F ' ! ' , i TAOK 4. the nnxn Hi'M.irn.v, iikni), oun., vni)Xi:si)AY, march in, mm. ROBERT E. STRAHORN DISCUSSES IRRIGATION NEEDS OF CENTRAL OREGON AT SALEM CONFERENCE SALEM, March lO.-Tho big speech delivered nt tlio Stale aid conference liero at least the paper which fairly may bo said to have received the most respectful attention was delivered by Robert E. Strahorn. Certainly Mr. Strahorn more nearly represented the ofut'of-tlie-niountalii country than nnyono else. Ho fought Its battlo to the best of his nullity, and because of what ho said Is of fiiieclal Interest to everyone In till country, The Ilulletln prints below Mr. Strahorn's complete speerh, ex coptliiB that portion dovoted exclus ively to drnlnuKo: "I have no thought or authority to Bpcak for nny railway Interest esccpt the ono so near my heart In Central Oregon. However, bearing In mind that thousands of miles of rallunys nro largely dependent for revenue upon privately Irrigated lands, that tho cropB grown In 1911 on do-, em inent reclamation projects nlo ip. to talled iao.000 carloads, and that tho prosperity, Improvement and exten sion of our trnnsporiiiilnn osteins aro so dopondont upon th" working out or thorfo dovelopnirnt pr'.hlems, I will nocoHonrlly Indulgi- l 'iirvn tlonH Involving them generalh "With tho Southern 1'ncilli t loss of over $1,000,000 from operation of Its Oregon linos last year, with stnnl lor though more Inipor'nnt losses Iv tho Hill systems In Oregon, and largely diminished earnings on tho Oregon linos of other roads, In splto of tholr Important outliivs for better ments of a class from which no addi tional camions can bo expected, and In view or their now almost unbear able load of taxation they are no doubt all casting mound auuously for sonio means of relief. Mav thoy not dud an Important measure of this In the matter we aro hero to serious ly consider, and I trust, to wisely promote? "I cannot Imagine tho creation from any single source or such a tide of prosperity ub would sprint? from tho doubling of the productivity of Western Oregon's .'1,000,000 acros of wot lands. The accruing boneflts would seem to be cut of all propor tion to cost. (Mr. Strahorn here went into tho drainage problem nnd Us possibilities In detail.) Irilgatlon Needs Similar. "What Is said of dralnago In Wes tern Oregon npplles with consldorablo force to Irrigation. As Is well known such areas iih those along the east nldo of tho YVillumetto valley as rar no th ns Eiigeiio, nn Important part of tho Mi'Koiulo valley and much of tho Koguo river and Unipqna valleya h ffer from dollclency In moisture anil could bo mado vastly nioro productive by a moderate! amount of Irrigation which in these cases can bo applied at h minimum of expense. Mlto tho dralnago rreas the lands aro all set tled, many well Improved, and now IjoIiib worth from $30 to ?30 or more per aero, would bo Ideal securltv for tho capital necessary to reclaim them. Tho reclanintlon problem In Cen tral Oregon and most of eastern Ore gon Is relatively nnro Important Hint vat or tho Caseation. Over tlmre wo aio nit bloMHcd with th" largo ureas of laud which nro naturally productive. Wo must sink or swim by reclamation of houio sort nlniost everywhere. Dry laud fnrmlng nlono nnd tho measure of reclamation by Irrigation ami dralnago now existing will not warrant any considerable ad- I i& JSB I m VfBMljfttr''lMMil"i I Ml .main I -ASfiWffiSpSKEpL j&Gh. MSmlKfflSmQU the Important factor In our State , cnuec sonio projects which have been building which they are. And wo mentioned are unsafe ami untiescrv u),rnM ilnvlan anlun li'nc In tint lllntll Ing. Al30 beCaUSe WO " - -v . i on their foot with aB many nioro iiko I1UY YOUR Grocerie AT I llli NIJW MUAT MAWKI I. FKKK DELIVERY Gilbert & Son Viirney Gates Dray "Co. DRY JUNIPER AND IMNK IJOUY WOOD FOR SALE. oniCE IN McCANN'S SIGN SI IOP l'liono Red ltlll dltlonal settlement, becauso It will not warrant tho additional transpor tation facilities uccossary to mako tho country economically or comfortably hnhltablo. "Whrt this nonns to tho Stnto of Oregon and to our country may bo appreciated fromi the fact that In live counties of Central Oregon nlono, with which I am now chlolly concern ed, thoro aro roughly 10,000,000 acres of tillable land, an area ns largo as Massachusetts and Now .ler soy combined, of which only a llttlo over 10 per cent is cultivated. At least half of the land returned ns cul tivated Is natural hay land, leaving only about live por cent of tho tlllnhlo land actually cultivated, A largo proportion of these hay lauds pro duced less than n ton per ncro nnd most of them need drainage, with which, and cultivation to proper crops they would yield from thrco to ton times tholr present rood product, ac cording to tho crop used. "Including existing irrigated lands there are in thoso live counties about 1.000,000 ncres or nrld or irrlgnblo land for which an ndonuato water supply can bo ohtnlnod, and about 400,000 acros of iiinish lands which can bo drained and afterwards ir llgated, of ton at rensnnahlo cost. "Thoro aro some nrean whoso cost or reclamation would under proaont conditions bo excessive. Hut easily ono-rourth or tho 1,000,000 ncros are Included In projects Irrlgnblo at $-'' to Ififf por aero wheio sulllclont 'set tlement and' development tins taken placo to mako reclamation very de sirable and nnnucially snfo under present conditions. Means (uei'al Acthlty, "Such u comparatively sumll de veloped area would give us Increased production, population and gonoral activity (Miiul to Yaklnin Valloy with its 100,000 people, Its numerous iiilIronilH and many towns of from 1,000 to 20,000 highly prosperous Inhabitants each. .Moat of tho marsh lands could ho reclaimed on an equal ly conservative basis. Thoy ore among tho richest lands In tho world. Thoy nro also particularly Inviting becauso of tho undor surface mois ture which In bucIi situations Is us ually presont. The eight or nlno millions of acres or dry farming lands separating theso nrld nnd marsh lands might ns well be In the, midst of Sahara so far as their further development is concern ed. Until tho nrld and marsh lands with their largo possibilities or In tensive cultivation, heavy yield nnd much larger proportionate popula tion aro put In tho way or reclama tion there can bo llttlo hopo or rail way extension. "Tho dry farming lands, although a vast potential assot on account of tho millions of bushels of grain they will ultlmatoly produce will not with their much lighter yield nlono coax capital during theso trying times Into such an uniittnictlvo investment aB railway building. , "No man, no mnttor how deserving or what his possessions or product may be, can borrow any nionov nt any rato of Interest ovon In tho best communities of that dry belt. I re call ono vnlloy In a favored part of which thpre aro 27 schools nnd whore somo farms produced ns high ns 12, 000 bushels or wheat last ear. Moro or them want to do the snmo nnd thoy need a modest amount or financing to do It I have spoilt days in Port land and Spoknne earnestly ondenv orlng to get monoy for some of tho best of thoso peoplo on what I call the best security In tho world, a roal working family, good fnrm and ovory thlng they have with It, but could not even at lO'ft. I appeal to you men from the wet holts or the Irrigated belts who nro moro' comfortably situ ated, that there Is something wrong about this. "Those ntcnoora over thoro hovo a right to llvo and onjoy tho fruits of their work and to bo considered as them as wo can coax over thcro and keep them there, wncthcr It by a lit tle moro JudlcIoiiB railway building, rural credits or State guarantee or reclamation bonds or all together. California ami Idaho I'rollt. "Hut two or tho five railroads which havo painfully worked their way up through tho canyons to tne outer edGos or the Ccntinl Oregon plateau, pay operating expenses, to hay nothing or Interest on cost of construction. It is a fact, ominous Tor Portland nnd our Oregon rnil roads, that tho two exceptions aro thriving on trade abstracted from Southern and Central Oregon by Snn Francisco. "A third road approaching from tho east Is unintentionally perform ing the snmo good olllces on Harney and Malheur valloy buslncssor Iloiso nnd Salt Lake. Not only is grent loss already being suffered hut trade movements nnd flnnnclal alliances aro thus being created which will not be easy to reverse. "With this rapid alienation of n largo proportion tf our own State, our own business und our own people, should wo leave any Ple'ne unturned to insure tho prompt building of railroads from the direction of Port- ' land rather than from these foreign trndo centers? "Our Portland roads hnvo balked and cannot reasonably bo expected to connect up theso rich but distant i Melds, partly becauso of some unfnv- rahlo competitive conditions but mnlnly bccniiBo or tho broad zones of I loan territory intorvonlng. The pres ent Oases nro few, Tar between and limited In nron. Oregon has no larger question bororo her today than tho recovery by adequate railway construction or what Is being lost In her eastern hnir, and tho greatest step, tho ono vitally necessary step In rrct, Is tho furthor development of trntllc producing resources nlong lines wo nro horo considering. Objections Answeieil, "It Is suggested thnt we should not embark on this undertaking becauso lands under existing reclamation pro jects aro not fully settled. Also be- ?sj Thl9 time of the week is candy time. The folks at home look for a box. Just say "Vognn's Moire" MODERN CONFECTIONERY CO. I'ortlanti, urefion hae thous ands ot acres or logged off lands and other InndB unoccupied. "Tho 100 per cent margin neces sarily loaded upon Carey Act pro jects, tho excessive costs per ncro, terms or payment and other condi tions affecting (Jovernment projects nnd tho Impossible terma of vnrlous kinds affecting privato or corporation projects, ought to bo n Biilllclent nn- swer to the first proposition. If we cannot discriminate, prollt by past experience and discard the manifest ly unsound project and administer such a trust honestly, wisely and dis creetly, ns thousando or other trusts nro administered, thon I am unable to answer the second objection. Tho impractical nnd unworthy enterprises wo have with us always, "but this does not deter uso from proceeding with those which appeal to sound reason nnd ripe experience. "As to the present abundance of other lands for settlement. Can wo really offer themi of a nature and on terms within the reach of tho man nnd family who must stnrt In with their haro hands? I think not. "Wo no longer have thnt type of pioneer who without a dollnr of cap ital can bo expected to acqulro and make productive tho cheapest Wll lnmniotto valley logged off lands any where. Without decrying tho settle ment of logged off lands we all know that It costs vastly moro money and effort to make a start on them than on even tho most expensively Irrigat ed or drained lands, in my opinion tho State would nuike n frightful mls tnko In undertaking the gront ox ponse of clearing them. There are many deserving families who would mako n succoss, with modest asslst nnco by rural credit, on lands re claimed and sold on propor terms which tho district's credit hacked by tho State's credit could Bafoly offer, Canada gets from ono to two liuni died thousand of our best bono and sinew nnnunlly hy giving every man who Is a worker such a start whether lio has n dollnr or not, Ciircy Act itencllts. "Whatever mny bo said about Car ey Act projecta It iniiBt not bo for gotten that they hnvo been chiefly lopouslblo for tho Incrcaso of luoo people nnd n valuation of over $3, 000,000 of faniiB In Crook county alone. Also, thnt 'n splto of the un towurd conditions recontly prevailing ot tho 70,000 ncres reclaimed 50,000 acres have heon actually sold, "If this could he accomplished dur ing tho hardest period for such pro jects within our memory and under (Continued on pago 9.) J MONEY III to loan in sums from $250 to $25,000 on farm l luuds, J) to 10 years 1 time. Reasonable rates, prompt ser- : I J. RYAN (8, CO. I ead-SiIver Lake and way points MAIL, FREIGHT, and PASSENGER. SERVICE Walter Coombs, L. D. Fox, Pioneer Auto Stage and Truck Co. SUCCESSORS TO WENANDY LIVERY CO. Village School Shoes Heat for Hoys nnd Cllrls Foot-Shulto Dress Shoes Heat Kor Mou All kinds ot Shoo HonalrluB Tiixedo9s Grip by Walt Mason Tuxedo is the gripping smoke, n boon to every buyer; you tnke your pipe of English oak, of meerschaum, clay or brinr, and fill it with the fragrant weed, the choicest man can gather; and then you have a smoke, indeed; and are you glad? Well, ro'.her. Tuxedo lias no kick or bite, suggests no "an-' ning after;" its mission is Jo bring delight, nnd fill your ineart with laughter. It caught the sunshine of the south, "A'hen it was green and growing, and brings that sun shin J to your moulh, when v out the smoke you're blowing. "Taxcdo's in a class alone," its smokers are declaring; "it has a fragrance all its own, that baffles all comparing." And thus it grips the men who smoke, and holds their true affec tion; their trusty briar pipes they stoke, and never know dejection. CDojUkW ,siVi MORE Light for LESS Money Something Entirely New in Lamps The Mazda B Coil Lamp 40 -WATT SIZE, 35c 60 -WATT SIZE, 50c .'V will give you better light. It is CLEANER. It is MORE EFFICIENT. V BEND WATER LIGHT & POWER CO. Phone 551 R. H. Loven I J ! I' 1 ""xhJRWMBW - vi -JR jHK!il - --L.rr-'f Sggjg'ttaiMWMq: , . - U