IRRIGATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14981, 29 April 1909, Page 11

IRRIGATION.

■ The land in Mexico,- for the most /art. rises from the coast to an altitude >f ©ver 3000 metres, thus creating a lories of insurmountable obstacles both jo the retention and the gradual absorption of the' rain waters which are precipitated oyer the rough surface of the land.. This water passes over the fields and riverbeds in its course to the sea, leaving behind a deplorable and ruinous drought, and, in some oases, almost perpetual aridity. Nevertheless, it. may be said that of the many countries of the world provided with natural water powers there is probably not one which is more fortunately'placed in this respect than Mexico. The possession of such a natural advantage, however, is .inf.;little value if it be not availed of, or if there be no market for its productiveness when scientifically utilised. The Mexican Government had not very far to go, in fact merely across its borders, to perceive what enormous advann tages a judicious system of irrigation brings in its train. In California, whioh up to 1848 was Mexican territory,' irrigation ..upon a sound scale has long been in force, and throughout the territories of Texas, New Mexico and some parts of Arizona, all of -which States also at one time belonged to Mexico, irrigation canals are met with and artificial watering almost entirely takes the plaoe of a natural rainfall As yet Mexico has not been able vigorously to follow up the lead of its great Bister republic, owing, however,; rattier, to lack of funds than of enterprise; but at the present time there are several very important projects under consideration by the Mexican Government. and some of these at least are destined to fructify, with the assistance and cooperation emanating either from, the United States Government or private native enterprise. . ■ In December, 1906, the Mexican Senate entered into an agreement with the United States relating to the distribution of the waters of the Rio Grande, by reason of which some great works are now being undertaken, jvhich, when completed, will increase the agricultural product of the Rio Grande Velley— m whioh both the United States and Mexico are interested—from £30,000 to . £5,000,000 annually. It is, however, in connection with what is known as the San Bonita Canal project for further utilising the waters of the Rio Grande River that great advantage is expected, greater, perhaps, in comparison with the amount of capital outlay necessary than that of any similar scheme now under contemplation. This project embraces in its system some 28 miles of main canal and many miles of laterals. The Government ie doing a splendid work in the promotion of irrigation projects, •hut to grant direct franchise, such as a temporary or permanent exemption from taxation on the land or on the capital invested, or to offer a Government guarantee of a fixed return on- such capital, would be inapplicable and ill-adapted to Mexico as a whole. It is true that,this policy has been adopted by other nations,.such as France and Spain; but even in these countries such systems of Government assistance have been discarded as inefficacious, and they could hardly be expected to succeed in *a country such as Mexico, where men of enterprise are few and borrowed . money commands almost usurious rates of interest. The- only tangible assistance which the Mexican Government feels disposed to give takes the form of exemption to those who are prepared'to construct irrigation works which are deemed necessary, and where they are likely to prove reproductive. That private and independent enterprise, however, is not by any means absent is abundantly clear to those who have visited siich States as Guanajuntb, Coahuila and Vera Cruz. In the first-named there exists, upon the hacienda of Mr Osoar J. Bramff, a wealthy and patriotic Mexican of American descent, very keenly interested m irrigation projects, a gigantic irrigation system, which ranks as the largest undertaking of its kind in the Republic. This enterprise has involved an expenditure of £IOO,OOO, the uninterrupted labour of six years, and, when completed, will' irrigate over five hundred square kilometres of territory. In the State of Coahuila, upon the wide ranges of territory belonging to Mr "William Purcel, an English resident in the city of Saltillo, are to be found several important agricultural improvements, in addition to railways and mills: while in the States of Vera Cruz and Oaxaca are the great industrial enterprises of -the firm of S. Pearson and Son, Limited, the constructors of the national Tehuantepec Railway. Besides the undertakings of the Mexican Irrigation Company, there are also a number. of enterprises at present being either started or completed, and these are distributed over a large num-ber-of different States, including Nuevo Leon, Vera Cruz, Durango, liicnoacan, I San Luis, / Potosi, Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, Sonora and Lower California.