Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1901-04-03
MR. HANCE DISSENTS
From the Opinions Recently Published it the Journal Miner About the
 Ivy Irrigation Bill.

Camp Verde, Arizona, March 3D.
 Editor Journal-Miner.-I received a a letter from A. J. McClatchie, dated at Phenix, March 8, in which he says
 "I have read with interest and sur prise your communication in the Journal-Miner concerning the Ivy Irrigation bill. Let me assure you that those who framed that bill did SC with the best motives and that there was no thought of injuring the Verde or any other valley" etc, etc, in which statement I wish to differ for the very clear reason: In the first place, section 3 provides that land shall have precedence according to length of time it has been irrigated, regardless of whose money or labor appropriated the water or built the canals or ditches. By such law a man could rot take water for new land until all old land was irrigated, thus preventing further improve ments. Section 6 provides that all the country on the north side of Salt and Gila rivers, from and above the junction of the Hassayampa to and including the Verde valley valley and Verde river and all tributary streams shall be in cluded in one district known as dis trict No. 1, section of country over 200 miles long by ordinary travelled roads and at least three hundred miles by river measurement. Sec. ' provides that district No. 2 shall take in the country on the south side of Salt river, exactly opposite Phenix, ih- stead of including it in district No. 1, and make one district of Salt river valley, and another of Verde val ley, with its 56 irrigating canals and ditches. Now if no unfairness was intended, why should the water districts be so formed7 No other valley in the territory has as many canals and ditches as there are in the Verde valley and tributary streams. The Ivy bill provides that there shall be a superintendent of water district No. l, who shall reside in the district, and who shall be authorized and em- powered to lock any or all head gates. MT. McClatchie says we will not have to pay superintendent if we do not need one. Of course not, if we sim ply give up our rights, it would not make any differerts who carried the keys. Section 30, lines 12 and Is, provides that no allotment shall ex- ceed one cubic foot per second for 160 acres of land. I have carefully tested that new tangled system of measure ment. Two men can stand in a favor able position and dip out of ditch or vessel 50 cubic feet of water in one or 30 buckets. each bucket holding a quantity of water that will fill a box one foot square. The legis- lature has adjourned and the Ivy water bill failed to pass but as Mir. McClatchie hopes future legislatures may pass the bill, and wrote to keep it before the people for that purpose, 1 will say l have carefully studied the matter over and know if it had passed it would have prevented further de- velopment of the water power and enterprises in this valley, and I hope Arizona may never be cursed with legislature that will en- lct such an unfair scheme-viz: law or an executive who will sign tiff it should ever pass the legislative I have done my best to prevent the formation of the new county and the water steals, and in so doing I have confined myself to the truth and what considered right. I shall write you next week on sort of question of privilege.
 Geo. w. Hance.