Arizona republican., 1908-04-01

three years and the governor for one.
 Once in two years, the general officers,
 president and vice-president are elect ed Such a general election is to be
 held this year.
 Since its organization five years ago.
 the executive force of the Water Users
 Association has been headed by Mir.
 B. A. Fowler, who, as president of the
 association has given the greater part
 of his time to this work. Starting
 with the idea of securing water stor-
 age of some kind for the valley, he has
 seen that idea enlarged upon until it
 now includes the comprehensive sys-
 tenn being worked out by the Reclama-
 tion Service in close cooperation with
 the Water Users Association.
 Since it's organization. the asso-
 citation has secured the pledging of a
 sufficient acreage to repay the cost of
 the project. the members putting up
 their land as security that they will
 meet the payments to the government as they become due. The association
 has been officially recognized by the
 government as the mouthpiece of the
 water users to receive the benefits of
 the work now being done on the pro- ject, and its form of organization ap- proved. The second part of the work of the association, the adjustment of water rights is now under way. The next great division of the work, the collection of payments for the reser- voir. will likely begin within the next two years Meantime the relations between the government as represent ed by the reclamation officials and the people of the valley who are to re- ceive the benefits of water storage. are being made more and more har- monious by thea Water Users Asso- citation. With offices adjoining in the same building. and with practically daily conferences between the officers of the service and those of the asso- citation, 1t is rather difficult to draw hard and fast line between the organizations. It is little wonder thar strangers fail to see where the work of one organization ends and that of the other begins-the work of both being so closely related and interdependent-
 One point should be given emphasis and that is that the Salt River Valley
 W dlCA 1oclS aSSOCAdlAOn LOl ing in lands and has no land at its either in public or private ownership. Some of it's members may be. and no doubt are, willing to sell when the proper offer is made, but this dealing is through the regular channels and not through the associa- ton.
 Since the Water Users Association was organized five years ago, there has been a decided change in condi- tions in the valley-and that for the better. Under the old conditions there was discord where now is harmony; where is now agreement and satisfaction. If no more had been accomplished by the association of water users than the bringing about of better feeling and the inducing of all to pull together. the organization would be well worth while. But there have been Improvements in other ways and in none more noticeable than in he material advance in land values.
 Five years ago desert" or unim- proved land in the valley was a drug on the market at s15 or $20 an acre. while the owner of alfalfa land was pretty apt to jump at the chance to sell his holdings for $50 or S60 an lcre. At the present time. and most of he increase has come within the past two years-in fact the larger part within six m0nths-improved ranches are selling at from s125 to $500 an icre. Unimproved land brings $50 to s75 an acre where it is so situated as a be practically assured of the bene- its of the reservoir. While these prices are not high when compared with land in other irrigated sections wen less favorably situated, as for instance in California, to the man &C., ,ustomed to prices and conditions in a section deepnding upon rain alone for ts crop growing water supply. little ,xplanation may be necessary. This ,asterner should remember that one lcre in an irrigated section is the equivalent of four in a rain country inder ordinary climatic conditions. With the exceptionally fine climate of he Salt River valley this more than lolds good. for some special crops which may be raised and marketed so much earlier than elsewhere as to give unusually good returns to the armer. Then. again. taking the basis ,f the United States Agricultural De- ,artment that gross crop returns rep 'esent the value of the lands, sec what is the result. Thus a crop pro- iucing ten dollars an acre would make the value of the land s100 an Icre. Twenty dollars an acre in crops would mean $200 an acre land and so m. Then six tons of alfalfa to yhe Icre- per year, with a marketable value n the stack of s per ton, would make BOO land. When it comes to special .rops like oranges or cantloupes. where the returns run into the hum lreds of dollars per acre. the cores bonding values go into the thousands or these acres.
 The prospective crop value of Salt River valley land is assured by the building of the reservoir. It is esti-
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