Arizona republican., 1908-09-17
HIGHLAND LAND OWNERS
 TALK OF CONSTRUCTION
Prominent Officials Speak and Set Forth Feasible Plans for the Con struction of New Hichland.

| According to a call which had been
 issued by the land owners having
 property which will come under the
 new Highland canal, an enthusiastic meeting was held in the Mesa opera thouse yesterday afternoon beginning at
 I:30 o'clock. Besides the property
 owners who were present, Governor
 Kibbey, Hon. B. A. Fowler. president of the Salt River Valley Water Users association and Supervising Engineer Louis C. Hill were in attendance.
 Mir Robinson was chosen as chair man of the meeting. after which MT. Fowler addressed the audience, and stated that the purpose for which the owners were called together. and fol- lowing this introduction and gave his views in a comprehensive manner con- corning the object of the meeting, which was for the purpose of consider ing the details and cost of the canal which Is to be constructed by the wa ter users.
 Governor Kibbey then took the floor. and delivered his ideas in a plain and business like way, characteristic of the executive. and said that the projects under way by the reclamation service at this time, had assumed a much larger scope than had al first been contemplated, as the construction of the large dam at Roosevelt for the fmpOunding of the waters of this sec tion Of Arizona, was .he Onl" work that was considered at the beginning. After the diversion dam, which was built to divert the waters into the canal was destroyed by floods. it was found that the building of a second di- version dam on the same principal. would be imnracticable. as it would not be a guarantee against the heavy pressure Of floods, so the reclamation branch of the United States govern ment undertook the construction of the immense concrete dam, which incurred several hundreds of thousands of dal- lars of expense in addition to the es- timated cost in the beginning. Sirce this time the reclamation service has remndeled the Arizona canal. as well as laterals. and considerable other work has been accomplished which was not at first figured on. Already an expenditure of s6.0OO,0 ,0OO has been made, where a cost of $3,0OO, 900 was contemplated. This has all come about in the natural evolution and growth If the immense irrigation systems. Gov ernor Kibbey further stated that there were no funds at the command of the reclamation servl lee for the building of new waterways. and probably would not be for some two or three years to come; and that the purpose of the ses- sion was to obtain a consensus of opinion of the land owners as to whether they desired to undertake the construction of the new canal them selves, for which work, if the project is taken in hand, they are to be re- imbursed by the government with script, which is to be made payable at it's fact value, and that the contracts could be let either to individuals in small allotments. or could be given out tO large contractors as a whole, pro- viding the work was done in a manner acceptable to the government engi- neers and he further stated that the scrip could be utilized as collateral, and used in payment for the use of the water after the canal shall have been finished.
 Engineer Hill stated in answer to ] the question as to how much material would have to be removed. about 1OO,- I 900 yards would have to be taken off {. the desert on the mesa, and about !