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H. G. BERTHELSON place. We have a one world philosophy which dictates that a portion of our markets will be allocated to our so-called friends abroad - imports that is, then they say, eat hamburger when steak is too high. Some of you, I am sure, are wondering how come this should even be discussed at a water us- ers meeting. Just this: we will have to start hiring magicians to write the feasibility reports for pro- posed reclamation projects instead of economists. You cannot, I repeat cannot, capitalize a net loss from producing agricultural products, into a set of figures that will give birth to decent benefit cost ratio. You all know what a benefit cost ratio is. Its what the recreationists say we lie about to make a project feasible and the Congressman sponsoring the project says you better recheck your figures. The benefit cost ratio looks a little low. I mentioned economists and some of us think they have too much to say in many areas of our government. There are the political economists. They just use figures. The old fashioned economists uses facts. There is another thing that makes me gag a little when I read about it in the paper and that is this jazz about maintaining the old family farm. Assuming they mean the pre-machine age family farm, I have this to say. There is only one way to maintain it and that is to make it bigger. How much bigger? Well, big enough to make the payments on at least $25,000 of modern machinery plus a car and a TV set. Sure the family farm as we think of it of old can be maintained if we apply the proper economics. Give him a team, a one bottom plow and a section harrow. Take away the TV set so he won't get too many new fangled ideas. He better shoot rabbits for his dog because he can't afford that newall-meat dog food and he better smoke bull durham, those king size charcoal filter 101 centimeter cigarettes will cost him 40 cents or more. He won't need that highpowered car because he won't get hold of enough of our $.35 dollars to justify over two trips to town a year. Yes, if you want to keep the 80 or 160 acre family farm, this will do it. Now, really, we still have family farms and lots of them. They farm 3-4 or 500 acres, or they run 3 or 400 head of cattle or a full band of sheep. The family farm has not disappeared. It has just got bigger as dictated by the economics of the machine age. The quicker the politicians recognize this, the sooner we can get on to more important things, like taking a look at the 160 acre limitation in the reclamation law. I am sure I would be remiss if not downright irresponsible, if, as a water expert from Colorado, I did not mention the Central Arizona Project. First, let me say I am sympathetic with your needs. Any fool driving through or flying over Arizona can see that you need water. Here again, 1 must re- mind you that economics are important and must be considered. 1 am pretty much in agreement with the two eminent economists down at the University of Arizona. At times my memory fails me but I do recall this much, after a great deal of study they concluded the water now being used in agricul- ture in Central Arizona would furnish a lot of drinking water for a lot of people and, therefore, water really wasn't too short in Arizona, it was just a matter of applying a little good judgment in its use. I have looked forward with great interest to their progress reports but to my knowledge none have been released. I am caused to wonder if academic freedom is being abridged at the University of Arizona. I have a real and a personal concern in this matter since my oldest son, Greg, is attending the University of Arizona as a senior in the Agriculture Economics Department. While 1 wouldn't want him to participate in the 5th Column activities, 1 am going to suggest that if he elects to do graduate work, he write his thesis on Arizona water and if the economists mentioned are still there, I think he should council with them a good bit. My other boy, Wiley, is attending Colorado State University as a soph- omore. He doesn't take his work too seriously but anyway there is some consolation in all things. His expenses are lower .this year than they were last year. Lfind he is using the same books he did last year. We will think he is doing all right though. He cuts his hair, takes a bath every Saturday night, whether he needs it or not, doesn't smoke anything, not even marijuana and likes to get back home on vacations. We think he is an above average college student. -19-