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Imperial Ifrreee AND FARMER. VOL. 11. "2! DESERT T J GARDEN f M WORTHLESSNESS 12 WEATH AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE IMPERIAL SETTLEMENTS Do You Want a Good Cheap and Prof itable Home ? Last week we commenced the publication of an article under the above heading from advance proof sheets of a pamphlet being issued by the Imperial Land Company. As material additions were made to that article after the paper went to press, we reproduce the first portion of it this week as follows: There are thousands — yes, hundreds of thou sands—of people In the United States— many of them on the Pacific Coast— yes, in Southern Cali fornia—men of limited means, who would be very glad to secure a tract of good, fertile land with a good water right, on which they could build a home and at the same time accumulate a property that would make them independent, so far as this world's goods is concerned, in a few years' time. Reader, if this statement fits your case. It will pay you to read carefully this little pamphlet, and" then give the subject herein considered a good, careful, personal investigation. Government Land. Fifty years ago the Great West was open to settlement, and cheap land could be had, almost for the asking, in the "Western States. People flocked westward and took up those lands, maue good homes, accumulated property, and built up States. Those lands are all gone now. Public lands that are worth having are very scarce. As a rule, if found at all, they will be found under irrigation systems; and irrigated lands as a rule are high priced, because of the cost of the irrigation sys tems; but they produce better crops than lands that depend on the rainfall. Irrigation is cheaper than rain. Why? Because, under a reliable irrigation system a rancher need never lose a crop from want of moisture. Under other conditions — where the clouds must be de pended upon for moisture, a partial failure of crops is the rule. Imperial Settlements. The only place in the United States of any importance where the searcher for a home can get good Government land under a reliable irrigation system is in the eastern end of San Diego County, Southern California, in what is known as the Imperial Settlements. These Settlements will eventually cover about 500,000 acres in California, and about half as much more in Lower California. Nearly one-third of that portion of the Irrigable tract in California has already been taken, and water rights secured for the same. Several thousand acres are now being put under cultivation, and before the close of 1902 it is believed that fully 150,000 acres will be supplied with water. The Irrigation System. Water for irrigating this large tract of land la being taken from the Colorado River, through what is known as the Imperial Canal. This canal heads in California, then passes over the Inter national Boundary line into Lower California, and "Water is King—here is its Kingdom." IMPLRIU, C4L. SATIRDM. APRIL 26, 1902. then back across the line into California, and is about sixty miles in length. This (anal is the property Of The California Development company. That portion of the canal in Lower California is the property of a Mexican corporation- La Bodedad de Trrlgacion y Terrenoa de la Baja California (Sodedad Anonima) — the stock of which Mexican corporation is owned by The California Development Company, and this Mexican corporation also owns 1 00.000 acres of land in Lower California through which the Im perial Canal passes. The California Development Company was in corporated under the laws of the State of Now Jersey for the purpose of constructing the canal system to irrigate the lands of the Colorado Delta, both in California and in Lower California. In order to place this extensive system on a mutual basis, in conformity to the laws of the State Of California, this Company indorsed the plan of furnishing water only to mutual water companies incorporated to furnish water to their stockholder! only at cost. No water is furnished by this Company for use in the United States except that supplied to Imperial Water Companies for the uniform price of fifty cents per acre foot, which is equal to two cents per inch un«7er a four inch pressure for a twenty-four hours flow, under contract for perpetual delivery at that price. The officers of tne California Development Com pany are: President and General Manager A. H. Heber First Vice-President C. R. Rockwood Second Vice-President F. C. Paulin Becretary R. T. Perry Treasurer W. T. Heffernan Supt. and Chief Engineer C. R. Rockwood Directors: a. h. Heber, .r. W. Swanwick, F. c. Panlin, E. A. Meserve. W. T. Heffer nan, C. R. Rockwood and Wm. L. Macalister. La Sodedad de Yrrigacion y Terrenos de la Baja California (Sociedad Anonima) was incor porated under the laws of the Republic of Mex ico for the purpose of owning the extensive tract of land (100,000 acres) in Lower California, and also that portion of the canal system running through that tract of land. This Company con tracts with mutual water companies, incorporated under the laws of the State of California, to supply them with water perpetually at a uniform price of fifty cents per acre foot, to be delivered at the International Boundary Line, as it owns no prop erty whatever outside of the territorial limits of the Republic of Mexico. The stock of this Com pany is owned by The California Development Company. The officers of this corporation are: President H. W. Blaisdell Vice-President G. Andrade Secretary and Treasurer... W. T. Eieffernan. Directors: H. W. Blaisdell, W. T. Heffernan. G. Andrade. The Imperial Land Company was incorporated to act as the financial agent of the California Development Company and the Mexican corpor ation in the sale of lands and water rights. It Is a colonizing company formed to relieve the canal companies of all work In that line, so that the entire energies of those companies could be de voted to constructing the irrigation system and maintaining the same. Th»> offlcera <>t' the Imperial Land Company are: Presldeni a. H. Heber Vice-president ami Oen'l Manager.. F. c. Panlin Secretary R. T. Perry Treasurer J. W. Oakley hire* tors: A. H. Heber, F. C. Paulin, J. \V. Oakley, v. C, Oakley and \v. T. Heffernan. Mutual Water Companies. It was desirable that the owners of tho '.and to Im> Irrigated Should own and control the Irri gation system and water rights, so far as practi cable, but it was a legal impossibility for them to own (he main Imperial Canal extending for sixty miles through Lower California, and it was a physical and financial impossibility to construct that canal from the Colorado River to the Im perial Settlements through IJnited States terri tory. However, a system of Mutual Water Com panies was incorporated in California, the stock of Which companies should be owned by tho owners of the land to be Irrigated on a basis of one Share tO each acre of land, and these com panies were to obtain their supply of water from the Imperial Canal under a contract providing for a perpetual delivery of water at a tlxed price, which price enabled the hrigators to get tho cheapest water in Arid America, considering tho fact that an abundance of water could be had any day in the year. These Mutual Water Com panies were incorporated to furnish water to their stockholders only so that a land owner who owned no stock could not get any water at any price. Those Mutual Water Companies wore also put ou an equal footing as regards cost of stock and cost of water, and there could be no prior right to the same, as there was more than enough waiter for all. F. C. V; Imperial Water Company No. 1 was incor porated with 100,000 shares of stock to irrigate 100.000 acres of land. The land to be irrigated by tliis Company is located between New River on the west and Carter River on the east, and ex tends from the International Boundary Line to a point a few miles north of the town of Im perial. Imperial Water Company No. 2 was incor porated to irrigate 100,000 acres of land on the west side of New River to the northwest of Im perial. Imperial Water Company No. 4 was Incor porated to irrigate 12,500 acres of land between the two rivers north of No. 1. Imperial Water Company No. 5 was incorporated to irrigate 100,000 acres of land known as Bast side, located east of Carter River. Imperial Water Company No. fi was incorpo rated to irrigate 25,000 acres of land on the west side of New River next to the Boundary Line. Each of these companies has a contract with the companies owning the Imperial Canal whereby it is to receive perpetually from such main Impe rial Canal water for as many acres of land each season as it has outstanding shares of stock at the uniform price of fifty cents per acre foot, which Is equal to about two cents per inch for twenty-fours' flow. The owner of the land is entitled to receive four acre feet for each acre of land for which he owns water stock, if he needs that much water, but is required to take one acre foot of water for each acre each year. Each mutual water company owns its own dis tributing system of canals and manages that sys tem and distributes the water under its control among its stockholders. (Continued next wet k ) No. 2