Bisbee daily review., 1902-06-18
NATIONAL IRRIGATION.


 The passage by the House of the national irrigation bill last week is cause for rejoicing throughout the vest and especially in Arizona The bill provides that all money collectel for the sale of lands in the arid states shall be expended under the direction of the secretary of the interior in the building of storage reseroirs for the reclamation of desert land. One of the provisions of the act is as follows:
 Sec. s. That it is hereby de clared to be the duty of the secretary of the interior in carrying out the pro visions of this act, so far as the same existence of feasible irrigation projects to extend the major portion of the funds arising from the sale of public lands within each state and territory aereinbefore named for the benefit of arid and semi-arid lands within the limits of such state or territory. Pro- yided, That the secretary may temper arily use such portion of said funds for the benefit of ard or semiarid lands Ill any particular state or terri tory herinbefore named as he may deem advisable, but when so used the excess shall be restored to the fund as soon as practicable, to the end that ul- dmately, and in arr event, within each ten-year period after the passage 0f this act, the expenditures for the benefit of said states or territories shall be equalized according to the proportions and subject to the condi- tUns as to the praticability and feas- ibility aforesaid"
 k is believed tha the building of the San Carlos dam, on the Gila river, will be one of the first irrigation en- tBrprises undertaken by the secretary Of the interior. It is known that both the president and the secretary gre very much in favor of the early construction of the San Carlos dam, because of the relief it would afford the Indians on the Maricopa reservation in supplying them with water for irri- gation and placing them in a condition 10 again become stuff supporting, which was diverted to the white mans land above them. While the law contem- plates that eventually each state shall receive tis full share of money to De applied for the reclamation of it's arid lands, the act very properly allows the secretary to concentrate to the funds from time to time where it can 5e used to the best advantages.
 The secretary will, no doubt, begin where he can find the most desirable place to demonstrate the feasibility of national irrigation and at the same time give relief to those most in need of it. Government engineers have en- iorsed the San Carlos dam site as an ideal location for the storage of water As soon as water is stored there the government will be relieved of the burden of caring for the Sacaton h. jians, which amounts now to more than fifty thousand dollars annually. Besides this it will supply water for the reclamation of very large body of desert lands, which will be eagerly taken and converted into prosperous homes.
 While the sale of public land in Ari- Eona now only amounts to s30,000 an auaIIy, the amount would probably be doubled as soon as it was announced that the San Carlos dam was to be built.
 All Arizona should lend a helping hand to induce the secretary of the interior to begin the experiment of na- tional irrigation at point where its success will be at once made plain. and we have heard of no place so fay- srarble as the an Carlos dam