Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-06-09
PUBLIC SURVEYS IN ARIZONA

Certain enactments of the Forty Seventh Congress affecting certificates of deposit, combined with the heavy cut ting of rates to bring surveying in this Territory under the deposit system to almost a standstill, and since the advent of the present Surveyor-General very little of this class of surveying has been done. As to how the necessary surveys, required to satisfy the rapid settlement of Arizona, were to be obtained, was question Of much moment to the people
 of this Territory. Had the rates been
 restored, as looked probable during the last session of the 47th Congress, or had the certificates been made receivable for public lands in any of the western States or Territories, the difficulty could have been surmounted, and the vast tracts of unsurveyed lands in Arizona could have been surveyed in a systematic manner. The base line, from which all surveys Tn this Territory take their initiative had only been surveyed and established distance of forty-two miles up to 1883, and the principal (Gila and Salt river) meridian, had been established up to the same date a distance of but twenty four miles. A haphazard system of sur veying consequently prevailed as a ma
 ter of necessity. The annual apportion- ment to Arizona from the general ap- propriation was but Sl0,OO0, which WAS merely drop in the bucket, in the light of remedying the existing faults, and no apparent help was at hand to right these evils and enable settlers to locate intelhgently, unless a more liberal ap- portionment was made for the coming year. The surveyor general, in the light Of ever increasing and accumulative CT TOTS in the surveys, strongly represented to the general land office the necessity of extending the principal lines of sur- vey in order that existing errors might be corrected or confined within limits, and future surveys be correct. The re- suit of the facts brought to the attention Of the commissioner of the general land office, was sn immediate Gp- portionment of S100OO for the exten- sion of these important lines, and con tracts have already been let, and survey ing parties have for some time been in the field engaged in this important work. But important as these lines are in connection with future surveys, the apportionment confined to these hnes would not extend the relief to settlers desired, and It would be at least another year before the money could be secured to help the worthy pioneer settler to a title. Consequently the surveyor gen. eral has exerted his best efforts to secnre a liberal apportionment for the slrveys of this territory, and further sam of S20,OOO has been allowed for surveys durug the fiscal year commencing July l, 1883, making total allowance Gnclu- sive of the amount to pay for the San Carlos boundary, tO-wit: g.. .5O0) for next year of S32,500, as compared with Sl0,- 900 apportioned orprevious years. This liberal treatment at the hands of the in- terior department looks as If the wants of our people were regarded and the important interests of this territory were becoming known outside of our territorial boundarles. A little more of this fair treatment from other sources, such as p1blic buildings, etc, night do much towards creating feeling among the people of this territory that equitable dealing was intended by the present ad- ministrstion, as between the western states and territories henceiorth, and that Dakota and Montana were not to be allowed to absorb all the sap of human kindness hereafter.