The National Government is committed to a policy of reclamation and
irrigation which it desires to establish on a sound basis and continue in
the interest of the localities concerned. Exhaustive studies have recently
been made of Federal reclamation, which have resulted in improving the
projects and adjusting many difficulties. About one third of the projects
is in good financial condition, another third can probably be made
profitable, while the other third is under unfavorable conditions. The
Congress has already provided for a survey which will soon be embodied in a
report. That ought to suggest a method of relief which will make
unnecessary further appeals to the Congress. Unless this can be done,
Federal reclamation will be considerably retarded. With the greatly
increased cost of construction and operation, it has become necessary to
plan in advance, by community organization and selective agriculture,
methods sufficient to repay these increasing outlays.
The human and economic interests of the farmer citizens suggest that the
States should be required to exert some effort and assume some
responsibility, especially in the intimate, detailed, and difficult work of
securing settlers and developing farms which directly profit them, but only
indirectly and remotely can reimburse the Nation. It is believed that the
Federal Government should continue to be the agency for planning and
constructing the great undertakings needed to regulate and bring into use
the rivers the West, many of which are interstate in character, but the
detailed work of creating agricultural communities and a rural civilization
on the land made ready for reclamation ought to be either transferred to
the State in its entirety or made a cooperative effort of the State and
Federal Government.