Mesa free press., 1897-09-17
W. D. MORTON. A, .sHEwMAN.
i MORTON & SHEWAIAN
Publishers.
Advertising rates made known on ap-
plication. oo
WATER FOR IRRIGATION
AND MINING,
Publishers.

laily divides itself into FIVE classes o1
operations, due to the magnitude o1
the enterprise or work required, and
/ the extent to which such water is to
be Of benefit to the people. a2z@.s
| lst. This class may include stor-
lage reservoirs and long canals of the
largest kind, and ought to be under
taken by the Federal Government, as
| the enterprise is of such extent that
/ it will benefit more than one state or
county, and make Indian Reserves,
or the Indians on the Reserves, who
are a public charge at present, self
supporting people; aI ~
| End. Works of benefit to one stave
only, and Of less Importance than the
first class, and may include smaller
reservoirs, canals and artesian we'll
systems.
3rd. County improvements, which
benefit and are located in more than
one township, and supply several dis
tricts or mining camps.
4th. Township or district opera
tions for small sections or one mining
camp. ra aaq
9th. Works Of private enterprise
or ownership, on freehold property,
for the heneft of one corporation or
party, and the Improvement of pri-
vate property or mines.
The necessity for change in our
laws to regulate water development,
supply and use, under these five diff
ferent classes of enterprise or systems
is only too apparent from the numer-
GUS failures under the Wright Act.
and to take the water systems of the
several states, counties or townships
or districts Of the southwest out of
the ownership of corporations, and
make them all government or munic-
ipal works, operated for the benefit
of the people. The numerous instan-
ces where the water has been cut of,
or the price of it made excessive ia
those using it, under the operation OF
the Wright Act system, makes q
fchange in our laws regarding the sup
ply and control of water matter
which cannot be neglected, if settle
ment and mining are to be encouraged
in new sections.
The Federal Government has made
, certain timber reserves, for the pur-
pose of stopping the flow of the rain
fall and evaporation of the moisture
in the mountain districts, and there
by aiding in making the annual flow
of mountain streams more uniform a
all seasons, This is a wise provision
as far as it goes, but it is very poo
half measure of protection to secure I
continuous water supply.
Without an organized system o
reforesting these reserves, such do.
nothing policy is not consistent witt
the intelligence of the inhabitants, o
capable of effecting the purpose TO
which they are intended.
The mining interests of our noun
tain sections and the ranching inter
ests of the valleys demand that tn
annual rainfall be stored in reservoir
/. for future use. History tells us tina
the custom Of the Anglo-Saxon rae
has been, when not satisfied with tn
country they were in, to damn it; an
that is the policy of reserve of th
fluid surplus which our mountain an
desert sections of the southwest re
quire, but in the form of larger o
smaller dams and reservoirs, to t
built as government, state, count
or municipal undertaking, accordin
to the extent or Importance of tn
work required.
The pre- historic inhabitants of TT
r southwest have left us traces an
monuments of their gigantic storas
and canal systems, on the Gila an
Salt rivers, in Arizona, which mus
have been conducted as communal