Arizona republican., 1897-11-19
AFFECTING ARIZONA
 Continued From First Page.)

messenger ndQ to lDe 6IupIOytU, duu even then he often failed to find the party at home Now, with a daily delivery at specified hour, we can rely on our messages being delivered without fail. Then, again, during un- seasonable weather, when roads are impossible and shopping impossible many a want becomes filled through the rural mail carrier which other wise would have remained unsupplied to fhe annoyance of the intending purchaser and Hhe loss of the store keeper. In fact, so indispensable have the farmers already found the inno- Vation to be that any number Ofbthem have volunteered to rthe mail carrier a certain monthly sum to continue the rural delivery in case the government should see fit to suspend it, which all sincerely hope will never occur"
 John F. Wilson of Phoenix has been admitted to practice before the inter ior department
 The report of the commissioner of Indian affairs contained the following of interest ito Arizonans: An old wool factory at Williams ranch, Moencopi, Wash, has been purchased and will be remodelled for Indian school purposes"
 A report on the progress of irIiga- ton work on the Navajo re ervation since July 1, 1896, has been rendered by George Butler, superintendent of irrigation on that reservation. It may be summarized as follows:
 1.-The Carriso creek ditch, named for the creek from which it diverts water, is situated about seventy miles to tha north of the Navajo agency; total cost, $1,13373 The amount of arabic land reclaimed by it is about 300 acres.
 ''The Wheaffeld ditch is about forty .Ua1S aon.hward from the agency It draws its supply of water from WIheatfeld creek, is three miles long, and covers about 800 acres of fine fa.- ming land lying on the north side of this creek. It cost about $2,5c0.
 1.-The agency ditch, diverting w-ter from Bonito creek, a5 a point about a quarter of a mile above the Navajo agency, was begun last spring and completed in August last, at an ex- pense of about $3,500. It will irriga e at least 150 acres of land, and with judicious management the acreage can probably be materially increas- ed It's construction prese nted great CT difficulties than that of the other ditches, but the disproportionate eX- pense may be considered fully war ranted by the protection afforded the agency in case of fire, and by the pro- vision thus made for irrigating agency and school gardens as we'll as adjacent Indian lands. Water was turned into the ditch at the earliest possible moment, and was used on this years crop while the work was still in progress.
 August IT last work was begun on Cottonwood creek. and the ditch is ready for delivery to the agent. The next work is to be the repairing and completing of work begun by the pre- ceding superintendent of irrigation in s&e Red Lake country diversion of the water from Black creek mo Ihe Red Lake reservoir for storage and it's application Ito the land lying under the reservoir site.
 Superintendent Butler has ben engaged thus far in repair ing modi flying, and improving, as far as prac- ticable, ditches previously construct ed, some of which seem to have been unskillfully constructed, and others to have fallen into disrepair. He has employed Navajo Indiacs, who fave proved apt and interested pupils. learning rapidly and showing no small degree of intelligence and skill in the performance of such labor Understanding that rlhe appropr1a tion for irrigation ol Indian reserva- tions is to give the Indians manual training as well as employment, and to furnish them with improvement s which will form a great factor in their ultimate support and self main tenance he has employed Indians in every position possible, reducing white labor to the minimum.
 That the Navajos realize the importance of this work on their res- ervation is fully evidenced by the fact of their using advantageously the ditches already constructed for them, as we'll as by their own efforts often unsuccessful-to divert water to a1- jacent lands from many of the streams of the reservation. An h. dian from he Lower San Juan, nsma d Sandival, came 100 miles last vim CT to ask Superintendent Butler if he would not reconstruct a ditch in that country. Fine tracts of land the { could be cheaply reclaimed, and tn: Indians living there have attempted it but failed The same is true of { tract lying in the norteast corner O. the reservation, where two or three small dFtches from the same stream are kept in operation by the excessive and untiring labor of the few Indians benefited. A cursory inspection in dicates it to be most favorable sit presenting no great difficulties, ant one which would fully warrant th' construction of reservoir for or age purposes.
 Superintendent Butler recon mends that a sum be appropriate; sufficient for a reconnaissance surve! of the more feasible and advantage u irrigation projects on the Navajo res ervation; also for the continuance o the work already commenced. Sep 1907 thic 0hioa tai