Arizona republican., 1906-01-14
GOVERNMENT WILLINGNESS
To Buy the North Side
 Canals
It is Now For the Arizona Water Company to Make the Next Hove.

As had been hoped and confidently expected, the secretary CT the interior has, after careful consideration, made an offer to tie Arizona Water Go. to purchase it's canal holdings in this val ley at the price placed upon the prop erty by the appraising commission of engineers appointed for t:le purpose of fixing d just valuation on the prop erty. That the wateE company will accept the price named no one can certainly predict, but there is almost unanimity Of expectation that it will.
 The news came yesterday in tele- gram as fellows:
 Washington, D. C., Jan 13, 1905. Water Users Association. F. H. Par
 ker. Secretary. Phoenix Ariz.:
 Secretary has formally offered to purchase. Now waiting: Water com- pany's answer.
 B. A. FOWLER.
 A letter was also received yesterday by MT Parker for the board of gov ernors from Mr. Fowler. It bore the date of MT Fowler's last telegram. wlich was printed announcing that the question was before the secretary. The letter announces the return of the secretary to his offices after an ill., ness Of ten days. He found an accu- mutation of urgent business demand ing his attention, but took up the matter that concerns this valley at the earliest opportunity and began confer ring with the men representing the va rious interests.
 Mr. Fowler writes that the purchase of the canals and the construction of a new diversion dam, together with nee essary auxiliary expenses. will involve an expenditure approximating sT0O. 0oe. This fact has called out the strongest kind of opposition from various quar- ters on the ground that Arizona was getting too large a slice of the fund al the disposal of the reclamation ser vice. On the other hand, of course, it may reasonably be contended that the government, having undertaken this project. could not afford to allow a few dollars ,o stand in the way of sue cess. It seems to be MT. Fowlers opin ion that if the governm ent undertakes this latest feature of the project as the telegram of yesterday indicates it proposes to do, the buying of the ca naIs and the building of the new di- version dam will be about the last all letment of funds that the Roosevelt project can hope to secure. But per
 
 the way of large expenditures, as there seems to be no other stumbling block in the way of success. The total allot- ment to this project including the above, .is approximately s4,50o,00o.
 So far as the acceptance of the of fer of the government by the Water company is concerned. it is believed in the first place that the water com pany will never have it better oppor- tunity to sell out. and in the second place that unless there was some in- timation that the offer would be favor ably received it is hardly likely that t..e secretary would have made it.. Though the telegram yesterday did not mention any figures, the intima- ton is clear that the offer was the appraisal figures arrived at by the en- gineeFS' commission, which was $304,- I61. 4 repCrt was, circulated yesterday afternoon that there would be deduct ed from the purchase price the valu- ation of the minority interest, state ment for which there is no ground. The government, if it buys, will buy the entire holdings, and the minority or majority interests of the Water company. as such are of no concern to it. They will settle that among themselves.