Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-01-29
A GIGANTIC n~NraaeAtsn.
Our Irrigation Possibilities TO Rei
coivo the Attention OF the
Legislators.

SANTA FE, N. M, January 27th, '97,
Under the head Of "Hoped for relieI
at the hands OF our present legislature
may be mentioned the fact that at q
recent board OF trade meeting, a COM
mittee was appointed IN legislation,
and under this head, said committee
have under consideration an extensive
irrigation project in the interest OF the
entire Territory, which may be briefly
summarized, with the different pur-
poses to be subserved.
1t is generally admitted by all that
our people are in distress and that the
causes that have led up to this dis
trsss, are being daily more intensified,
rather than allsviated.
1t Is admitted, on all hands, that we
have from $4,000 to 10000 laboring
boys and men, between the ages of
sixteen and sixty, in the Territory, who
are out Of work, and would work II
they only had the opportunity but
that owing to the utter absence Of
money to pay for their services, no
employment can he given.
II II also admitted that, as a Terri
tory, the balance of trade Is against US,
which has the same effect, as far as Its
deleterious effects are concerned, ~ 1t
has in the case Of a nation.
To illustrate: Under our present
conditions, what little money we are
able to get hold of, We are compelled
to ship out of our Territory into Kan
sas, Colorado and Missouri, 10 exchange
tor the products of those states, for our
sustenance, piz: From Kansas and
Missouri, come, largely, our butter,
eggs, chickens, flour, hay, beef, pork
and our mutton; while. instead, it
should be produced at home; but,
under our present conditions, owing to
our poorly. developed water system,
this Is impossible.
The suggestion about to be made
to the legislature by the above
committee, composed as it is Of
our ablest business men and f%nanciers,
together with one member of said COM
mittee already interested IN irrigation
developments, to the extent of millions
Of dollars and consequently having a
scientific and practical knowledge of
the beneficial effects Of said legisla-
ton, is as follows: To bond the Ter
ritory in the sum of $40, 000, 900 for the
purpose of developing our irrigation
possibilities, in the way Of building
reservoirs, canals, etc. 1t is proposed
to issue thirty -year.4 percent. bonds
in denominations of So and upwards,
80 that they car be utilized as a cir
culating medium, in the absence of an
immediate market for the bonds, owing
to the stringsncy in the monetary
centers. This proposition is believed
to be entirely practical and it is
further believed that congress would
ratify said issue, as it would be called
upon 10 do, owing to the fact that we
have already exceeded u 4 per cent.
limit, as provided by the national gov
eminent. We are stimulated In this
belief by the fact that the national gov
erument Is already considering the ad-
visibility of spending the national funds
in the building Of &c international dam
at Ell Paso, in conjunction with Mexico;
surveys being well underway, in con
nection with actual operation Of con-
struction to be undertaken ut an early
day.
1t il further believed that the under
taking can, and will, be made self
sustaining within twelve months from
and after the commencement of mon
etary expenditures, IN this, that within
twelve months the work will have so far
progressed as to admit Of taking care of
the interest or the bonds from the sale
Of water, and by maturity a sinking
fund provided to cancel the entire in
dsbtedness.
II this project should prevail, it
would place New Mexico in the front
ranks, to take advantage of the beet
sugar industry, so snergically advocat-
ed by our citizens, and which bids fair
to yield such bountiful returns, it
having been thoroughly demonstrated
that our soil and climate are OF such a
character as to produce q beet contain
ing q larger percentage of %saccharine
matter than any state or Territory in
the union.
This would furnish a large and con-
tinusd era OF prosperity for the sugar
producer, as it would be mbny years
before we could produce enough for
home consumption, and before actual
competition could become strong
enough to seriously affect prices. Our
from foreign countries
now aggregate 1000. 900 tons per year,
the source of our supplies, at present,
being the Sandwic Islands, Germany
and Cuba; the supply from the latter
been reduced, as a result of the
war the past year, to 300, 900 tons.
where formerly we secured nine-tenths
Of our importations.
Our committees already have the as
OF our delegate.elect to con-
gress that if the bill is passed by the
he will do his utmost to
Decure its ratification. E. T. WEBER.
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