WESTERN HEMISPHERE IMMIGRATION

19

Mr. Box. The whole. project is, Mr. Chairman.
The Crarrman. And your capacitv is manager?
Mr. FLeming. Yes, sir.
Mr. Box. Your district stops with the southern district of New
Mexico? :
Mr. FLeming. The Elephant-Butte irrigation district extends from
the Mexican boundary, some 100 miles northward along the Rio
Grande and comprises about 88,000 acres of land, all of that irrigated
from the Elephant-Butte Dam.
The Cuairman. And you are the manager?
Mr. FLEMING. Yes, sir.
The Cuarman. How are you employed?
Mr. Freming. Who?
The CratrRMAN. Who makes the engagement with you?
Mr. Freming. The board of directors of the Elephant-Butte irrigation
 district.
The Crairman. And the board is made up of——
Mr. FreminGg. Nine farmers elected from the different divisions of
the district.
The CuairmaN. They have used, and gotten under way, reclamaion
 funds from the Federal Government which are repavahle?
Mr. Fueming. Yes, sir.
The CrAIRMAN. Are they pretty hard pressed to repay?
Mr. Fueming. This year the conditions are not very favorable.
As I expect to explain, our principal crop is cotton. We have had a
short crop as you probably know, and the price is quite low.
The CHAIRMAN. Are these payments collected through taxes orhow?
Mr. Freming, They are collected, sir, through a tax roll, prepared
by the district, in its function as a quasi-public-corporation.
The Crairman. Does the Federal Government have a hand in it?
Mr. Freming. No, sir.
The CraRMAN. If a man fails to pay taxes what happens?
Mr. Fueming. The taxes become delinquent and the usual recourse
1s open to the district to sell the land, if necessary.
The CratrMaN. And another man buys itin?
Mr. Freming, It is sold and bought in.
The Crairman. When did this proiect get under way as a ‘going
roncern, growing crops? i
Mr. Freming. I will have to give a little history. sir.
The Crairman. Very well.
Mr. Freming. The Rio Grande Valley has been farmed for probably
 200 years, and this portion of the valley was under cultivation
Bt the time the Government constructed the project. The irrigation
works were of a rather temporary character. Their dams were
swept away by the annual floods, but since the Government has
constructed the project, you may say it has come on to a fairly permanent
 basis. That covers the history of the last 15 years.
~ The Crairman. That is what I wanted to know. How many
10lders of the land are in your district?
Mr. Fueming. Approximately 2,500 contractors taking water.
The Cuarman. And they hold the lands?
Mr. FLeming. Those consist of the owners of two acres or more of
agricultural land.
The CuairMAN. Is there any effort to obtain large tracts?