Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-05-17
GOVERNMENT MAKES
CEMENT PLANT
A WINNER
Much Interest in the Govern
ment Ownership Experiment
in Connection With RooSe-
Welt Dam,

No single feature IF the |nationa
work of retaining the desert ha.
attracted more general public inter
est than the governments experiment
in Arizona i'm manufacturing cemen
for the big Roosevelt dam, says tn,
Mining Reporter.
Such a broad departure from wha
has long been held as properly the
function and duty of the government
Of the United States, very naturally
excited comment, particularly on the
part of the manufacturers, who con
tended that ii vas not the province OF
the government to engage in business
in competition with private and cor
pOTate enterprise.
The works involve the construction
of the Roosevelt dam. a ponderous
structure of masonry and concrete 1874
feet high and 500 feet long on top
locking a narrow gorge in Salt river
and creating the largest artificial lake
in the world. This massive masonry
arch will require 100000 barrels of
cement. 1t is located siXty-two miles
from a railroad M is reached only
by wagon road, forty miles of which
are through rough. mountain country.
Informal bids We're solicited from sew
eral cement manufacturers and the
lowest was 50 per barrel delivered at
lIli tdNli Nlltr VI q ANAht VI RA=rI uNsVNNH
Just about this time the geological
sharp in the reclamation service dis
an excellent ledge of lime
stone, which o-utCrOpped just above
the dam site, and further inVestiga-
revealed excellent clay within
easy distance. When these facts be
came known and it seemed probable
that Uncle Sam would decide to make
his own cement. the manufacturers,
90 A-. asa,rAaua1 raAfLgfaa ~ On uTRf HHf Tho
entrance of the government into the
field. demanded an opportunity to pre-
sent formal bids. This was granted.
because. as q matter of fact, the re-
clamation service was not at all anX-
to assume the responsibility Of
erecting a cement plant.
The new bids were opened and the
lowest was found to be S4.S9 per bar
rel. a considerable reduction from
warrant acceptance. Figuring the low
est rates for raj ana wagon haul. the
price Of cement az the mill under this
bid could not be regarded as eXOrbi-
tant in view Of the fact hat western
mills are now getting nearly 81 per
barrel from the government for ce-
ment for other projects more advant-
ageously located It was evident,
therefore that the cement m%anufaC-
NNL|AE WIZ NLAHHH
ing the situation fairly and 10 was due
solely to circumstances beyond their
that they did not ecure the
contract. LOW as their bid was. it
meant an outlay by the government
S1.l7360O for cement alone. Or
more than 81 per acre for every acre
Of land i'm the valley included i'm the
project. A pretty heavy burden you
win agree to put upon the farmers
Of salt River valley. who had mort
their lands for the government
as security for the repayment Of the
entire cost of the work. estimated at
the enormous sum of S6.5O0.000.
As every dollar saved by the gov
eminent was a dollar saved To the
the secretary could hardly do
otherwise than 10 proceed 10 manufac-
cement when it was easily dem
onstrable that by SO doing he could
half a million dollars. Finally.
the advice Of the engineers. the
secretary of the interior authorized
the purchase Of n mill having "a "a
uacifV OF $50 barrels q day.
From tho day BOO which tho first
was made to the present time
There has been no reason To- question
wisdom Of the secretary's decision