Arizona republican., 1907-09-21

1t may be inquired why the Roose-
welt reservoir is needed If such success
has been achieved. The answer is
that the foregoing examples are the
results of good" years. when there
was ample irrigation water. There
have been lean" years in the past
many of them, some OF them disas-
trous ones, but due entirely to drouth.
That there is an abundance of water
for storage has been demonstrated by
government records covering a long
term of years. That il will be stored
| is a certainty, for the storage project
has reached a point of construction
that assures ample water after the fall
OF 1908 and a fairly good supply If not
an abundance during the summer of
1908. The summer of 1907 has been
a good" year. Farmers have had an
ample supply of water without stor-
age. thanks to the government supervi-
sion of the old bitches and some i'm
provements made for temporary SER
vice, and the farmers of the Salt River
Valley are now revelling in prosperity.
The storage project will merely make
that prosperity continuous and GER
tain.
No doubt the reader is already Won
dering if the government is keeping an
account with each farmer who is to
profit by its benefactions and will
therefore be interested in knowing how
the business between Uncle Sam and
the farmer is conducted. The answer
is, organization and cooperation. The
government does not officially know
the individual. When the building of
the reservoir was determined upon
the people We're told to organize and
present an official front with which
the government could do business, all
things to be approved by the reclama-
ton service and finally by the secre-
tary of the interior. The Salt River
Valley Water Users association was
organized. patterned after a state gov
eminent, with executive officer. secre-
tary and treasurer. a board of govern
Ors (senate) and council (house). The
reservoir district, or region to be wat
cred. was defined and every land own
er within il who desired stored water.
practically alb signed his acreage to
membership in the association. each
acre being represented by one share of
than 100 acres. after the delivery OF
water begins. The water is married to
and inseparable from the land. The
articles of association and bylaws
We're made by the people. but approved
by the government and may be
changed only with the approval of the
secretary of the interior. All lands in
the association are pledged to the gov
eminent to pay for the reservoir and
all auxiliary constructions. The effect
is that of a mortgage until the reser-
voir is paid for. When that time ar
rives the government will get it's
money back and the people will own
the reservoir-which will long have
passed any experimental stage. The
lands are pledged TO pay for the reser-
voir in ten annual payments. after the
of the delivery of stored
water. and such slight incidental taxes
as are necessary for the expenses OF
the association. The association col
lects from the people. keeps books
with the individual. and pays to the
government. The association books
are public records. Lands delinquent
to the association. should there be any.
and a land title is not clear if the
property is signed to the association
and any obligation remains undis- |
charged. 1t is virtually a county |
record.
The government then wiped the |
slate by purchase of the old canals at
an appraised value. and is now admin
istering them. When water is ready |
for delivery it will be handled by the |
government and the expense of admin |
istration will be charged to the asso- |
citation as a whole. as we'll as the ini- |
tial cost of the entire project. a matter |
II between 81 1000. 900 and $4,000 600 |
That is in round numbers. a million |
dollars more than was originally esti- |
mated but the plans of the dam were |
and other features developed |
which will return a revenue. For one
thing 10000 horse power will be de- |
veloped at the dams. transformed into |
electricity and transmitted by wire to |
the valley below. A portion of it will |
be used to reclaim more land by |
water from the well known |
supply. The rest will be |
sold to a waiting market at fine
estimated that the reservoir would |
cost the reclaimed lands between fiji |
teen and twenty dollars an acre. to be J
paid for out of the product of the soil. |
in ten annual payments. With the de-
velopment Of the horse power plans
the reservoir cost will be more nearly
thirty dollars an acre. but there will
be a never ending revenue that will
pay for the reservoir construction in
part. and perhaps entirely. or failing
to do so within the ten years. it will
later return. dividend. so that in a
quarter of a century from now the
Salt River Valley will have a reservoir
worth millions that did not cost it a
cent. and cost Uncle Sam nothing but
the interest on his money while it was
loaned to the people.
-O-