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Show ments has forced general prices up to the point at which it would pay in the ordinary commercial sense to bring these expensive lands into produc- tion. But such an answer would be unthinkable in the public interest. The share of the cost of such projects undertaken by the Nation as a whole in order to render the farming of such lands profit- able at existing price levels would be but a frac- tion of the cost to the Nation of the general price increase required to cover the full cost of their reclamation. There is precedent for this approach in the Government's handling of copper production and prices during both World Wars. To bring in marginal production would have required either a large increase in prices with resulting excessive profits for companies producing for peacetime requirements and tremendous costs to the Gov- ernment, or subsidies to high-cost producers. The Government wisely chose the latter alternative. RECOMMENDATIONS On the basis of the preceding analysis, the Commission offers the following recommenda- tions : 1. An over-all program should be prepared for the employment of all methods for orderly ex- pansion of agricultural production to meet the Nation's expanding needs. This program should coordinate irrigation, drainage, flood control, clearing, and improved farming practices to achieve the objectives. Decisions between alter- native programs and projects should be based on economic efficiency and social desirability con- sidering such factors as (a) maintaining a bal- ance between all phases of water resources de- velopment, (b) timing of undertakings to meet emerging needs, and (c) maintaining a balance between regional and national needs. In gen- eral, decisions to authorize undertakings should be based on considerations of need for more agri- cultural production fully set forth in the body of this chapter and in the chapter on evaluation. 2. The national and regional programs, inso- far as they involve additional agricultural lands, should be integrated into the Nation's total agri- cultural program. This program should assure adequate provision of farm products from soil so managed that the productivity of the land is en- hanced. Arresting deterioration of soil, soil fer- tility, and soil nutrients and the correlative man- agement of watersheds should be the first objec- tive of this program. Irrigation and drainage projects should be authorized only after review by the Department of Agriculture indicating that they are in harmony with sound use of the land. 3. All proposed projects involving additional agricultural land should be considered as constit- uent parts of multiple-purpose basin programs, with the agricultural objectives given weight as one among other important considerations. Where drainage projects are involved, considera- tion should be given to the question of whether the swamplands are better suited to fish and wildlife. 4. The Federal Government should expand its assistance to drainage developments. This should include provision for expanding the tech- nical assistance and advice of agencies of the De- partment of Agriculture as a complement to the work of the Army Engineers under the Flood Con- trol Act of 1944. A program of investigations, technical guidance, and credit, directed specifi- cally at assisting in the solution of problems of farmers in drainage enterprises should be authorized. 5. Special consideration should be given to the rehabilitation of existing Federal and private irri- gation projects, especially to those whose exist- ence is threatened by erosion, lack of adequate drainage, siltation of reservoirs, and other re- sources deterioration causes. This special consid- eration should also be given to small potential irrigation projects offering the possibility of stabi- lizing the agriculture of an area or providing a basis for relieving the ranges and upland pastures of overgrazing. 6. The same conditions as to authorization, re- payment, technical and financial assistance, and acreage limitation should apply to all projects or project beneficiaries where Federal investment in. reclamation of land is concerned, whether such. 173 |
