Arizona republican., 1903-03-27
The Cost of Delay.

The geological survey having Sub- nlitted its estimate of the cost of the five reservoirs recently designated by the secretary of the interior for con struction by the governn1ent-among which the Tonto Basin project is in cluded-the secretary has ascertained that the works will cost an average of s11.66 an acre for the lands to be served by the stored water. This is exclusive of the s1.25 an acre which settlers must pay for government land. A special dispatch from Washington intimates that considerable surprise has been oc- casioned by these estimates, it having been figured in congress that the aver age cost of reservoirs would not exceed s an acre of the lands irrigated.
 It is we'll understood that congress was led against it's will to embark upon the policy of national irrigation. If President Roosevelt had not stood so firmly for the experiment, the bill could not have passed. It is not at all i'm proba ble that within very few years
 
 strong effort in congress to repeal the law, on the .preteXt that the cost Of carrying out it's provisions is out of proportion Ito the number of people benefited. At least, it is reasonable to expect that not only congress, but the department of the interior as well, will be disposed to be careful of further ex- penditure until the results of the first investments are ascertained. It is very likely that the strong appeals or be- half of the Pima Indians will lead the government to take up the San Carlos storage project in addition to the five now selected, but it will doubtless be several years before any other reser- voirs are undertaken even should the law remain in force. Besides, the enter prises named will absorb most of the funds available, and thereafter there will be a score of applicants every time the department is ready to consider a new proposition.
 As time passes, the reasons multiply for haste in presenting to Secretary Hitchcock an acceptable plan for se- curing the benefits of the reservoir on the Salt river First, is the danger that, growing impatient at the delay of the landowners of the valley in sub- scribing to the plan already worked out tion for the benefit of public lands fin the valley lying outside the existing canal lines. That course would strike the death blow to all hopes of a great future for the Salt River valley, but what is to restrain the secretary, eX- cept purely sentimental considerations: He might we'll say that an opportunity had been held out to the people here and they had refused it.
 Fully as detrimental to local inter. ests, and altogether possible, are the other contingencies to which we hav, alluded. Grant that the secretary may under great pressure. refrain iron carrying the flood waters of the Sal river to the public lands; the valley cai not expect another opportunity fo years to come. under the best condi tions The Tonto Basin project one abandoned it cannot regain favor un til the clamorous wants of other sec tions have been attended to. The aler advocates of dozens of other reservoir will insist upon recognition, and tn department, when prepared for furthe construction, cannot properly den them It will be pointed out that afte years of discussion and effcrt, the peo pie of the Salt River valley were unIbl to agree upon petty details when tn government stood ready, with none in hand, to come to their rescue; an it will be insisted that the departmen would be acting unfairly toward othe sections in the arid west should it with hold indefinitely it's aid from thes other districts while waiting for wranG ling and sel6shness in this valley [ subside. And, as already suggested there is danger that in the course of few years at most another congres and another administration may repei the federal reclamation act.
 Meanwhile, every year without stol age is costing the valley at least tw million dollars.
 The few men who more or less openl are doing what they can to defeat an bring to nothing all the work of the pa. two years, are assuming a respons biIty for which they will be held strict account, should their policy obstruction prevail,