Arizona republican., 1908-10-04
AMERICAN ENERGY
 WANTtD IN MEXICO
Transformation Of Guadalajara. The Work of the Mexican Reclamation Service.

Gates NJ. Fowler. who for the pres
 ent at least has east his lot in Guada-
 lajara, Mexico, and who is her to buy cattle for a dairy he proposes to start there, is quite enthusiastic over the future of that city and the surrounding country. Mention has been made of its fine climate and the city has been for a hundred years perhaps, very like the average Mexican city in most re- spects, but better than some of them in that the streets, though narrow are not as narrow as many suppose and are quite straight, the blocks for the most part being rectangular.
 The old construction was mainly of adobe, but in recent years stone and steel are supplanting mud for building purposes and American methods are fast being adopted. There are four five story buildings constructed of steel ani stone, five stories being the limit of height allowed by the law.
 There are about twenty miles of electric railroad in the city and up to date American city lighting electric plant. There is talk of extending the street car system to Lake Chapalla notable resort about twenty miles away The fire department is a poor excuse. hardly worth consideration. but there has been little need of such an institution. The houses are few of them inflammable and there is little to burn except the contents of the building where a fire might start nothing as it were to encourage con flagration.
 The sanitary conditions of the city are not perfect, but they are very good, and, thanks to Governor Ahumada, who has the reputation of being one Of the lest governors in the republic, they are ncw being greatly improved. The topography of the city is somewhat ir- regular and an old river bed or ravine, or arroya. runs through it which has served heretofore as the main sewer of the town, which drains into it natural ly. It is now proposed to make it sewer in truth by cementing and cOv- ering the channel and constructing fine driveway above it, and improving the pr sent sewers into a modern sys- tenn. About ten miles of street in the center of the city has been paved with asphalt, also through the influence of Govern AhumaGa who has been working marvellous changes for the better.
 It will be news to many to know that Mexico also has what might well be called reclamation service, model cd somewhat after the reclamation ser vice of this country. It is not quite so large an organization and differs in many material points, one being that its revenues are by direct appropria- ton, but it is similar in that it is a loan of government credit for the benefit of sections where it operates and Guadalajara is one of the greatest beneficiaries. as is the Salt river val ley a favored spot in this country. An of S25000,000 was made for ths bureau of the government, of which s7,500 900 was set apart for con structing a pumping system for irri- gating the lands around Guadalajara with the water in Lake Chapalla, and 1 for developing hydro electric power in l the Santiago river five miles from the city. This latter work is going ahead 1 now and 75.O0O horse power is to be | developed to be applied to commercial 1 uses. The machinery is being installed | by a German syndicate and the plan . Is for the government to guarantee the | cost of installation until the syndicate | gets it's money back by the sale of power.
 The agricultural lands are of wide ,xtent and very productive. There are soils but the best soil is black lcam of great fertility. Though