Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-04-19
NEED OF THE NORTHERN ROAD.
Increase in Alfalfa alone will moro Than Fay the Subsidy the First year. Mines will be Opened---Lumber
 Drop to SI6--W. J. Murphy's
 -Argument to Congress.

Recently Mir. w. J. Murphy, while in Washington, presented q strong statement to the House Committee on Territories in support of House Bill No. 3934, being the one authorizing Maricopa county to take stock i'll the north and south k. k. and issue bonds therefor 10 the amount of $4, ,OOO per mile of road built in this county. We make the following extracts:
 "The unbuilt portion from Prescott to Phenix will cover approximately l25 miles, from 40 to 50 miles of which will be in Maricopa county. This road when completed will give Prescott and Phenix and intermediate points two great East and West trunk line connections, namely, the Santa Fe system and the Southern Pacific The country which would be tributary to this proposed extension from Pres colt to Phenix is without any railroad facilities whatever. The distance be- tween these two east and west lines is about two hundred miles, and without any railroad facilities whatever. The proposed line will be the only north and south line in the Territory. Re member that the county of Maricopa, that makes this appeal, is larger than the State of Connecticut, and much richer in natural resources which will largely remain undeyeloped without this load.
 The bonded debt of Arizona Terri tory is $63l 000; floating debt So4, ,OOO. Bonded debt of Maricopa county IS $272 ,000; floating debt provided for by taxes due in q sufficient amount to pay is $2O,O00; actual value of prop erty in Maricopa county, $15,OOO,OOO.
 Agricultural and horticultural lands tapped by this proposed line amount to 100000 acres, of which irrigation IS already provided for 100000 acres by ten canals, ,kbuilt at a cost of Sl 200 900. All these lands will be directly served, greatly benefited, and increas- ed in value by this road, and they never will become profitable even ap- 10 their full capacity without theroad because most of them lying between Phenix and Prescott are too far removed from the Phenix terminal of the Maricopa railroad to permit of wagon-haul to the Phenix depot at profit. Of the 200 900 acres which the canals can irrigate only 10000 acres are cultivated. The building of this road will immediately bring into cultivation this entire 2O0,- 900 acres.
 Assuming the line in Maricopa county to be fifty miles, at $4,OOO per mile, the entire subsidy would be S20O,O00. Ii the road caused an ln- crease in the annual net profit pro duced on the 100000 acres even in the small sum of S1 per acre, this amount for one year would equal this entire subsidy. To illustrate; about 10000 acres of this 10000 acres under culti- vation is in alfalfa. The annual yield is about eight tons per acre; present home price per ton, $3.5O; present price at markets this road would open per ton, $20. For most conserva- tive statement we assume that when these markets are opened by this road to this new field of supply the price per ton might soon fall as low as SIP per ton. Allowing $7 for baling and freight leaves $5 to the producer, which gives him $l.50 per ton in- creased net profit over present home price, which, with the use of the road, gives to each acre producing eight tons $l2 increased profit over present price, making the increased annual net profit on the 10000 acres equal to $240,O00, or $40,OO0 in excess of the entire subsidy. This increase in the profit annually derived from these lands will naturally and conclusively add to the value of the lands to an amount which, at 10 per cent. inter- est, would produce this increased profit. The net increase of profit be- ing SIP per acre would add to the lands l20 per acre.
 We have used the 10000 acres of alfalfa as a fair illustration of all these lands if used for growing grain or for agricultural products. The annual net increase of the crop and value of lands used for growing fruit will be larger than of those used for agricul- tural purposes.
 The mining districts in Maricopa county remain substantially unde-
 veloped for want of railroad facilities. The mineral belt in this county lies between the northern boundary line and the termination of these rich lands. The extension of the line will extend largely mining developments in that country, and every mining camp is a market for the products of our valley. These mineral resour-
 ces constitute a great portion of the
 wealth of Arizona.
 The consumers of lumber in Mari copa county pay $35 per thousand feet
 for common lumber, which is brought
 from Oregon 1000 miles by water and
 800 miles by rail. Arizona has 20,- 000,0 900 acres of fine pine timber, which can be reached by this road at dis
 tance of 100 miles, and thus frst-class
 Arizona lumber can be furnished the
 consumer in Maricopa county at $16
 per thousand feet at profit. Without
 this road this lumber wealth is almost
 valueless to the greater portion of Ari-
 zona, especially Marieopa county,
 which is as large as the State of Con-
 necticut."
 It is only April and the early part
 -r Al " IT