Arizona republican., 1908-07-22


 will not designate the particular lands to be watered until the dam is built and it is ready to supply the water. The secretary of the interior will then specify the lands that are to receive water. The delay in this is because | the government does not propose to guarantee anything it cannot make good. The engineers have estimated that the reservoir will guarantee wat CT for approximately 1S0,000 acres of ! land. The reservoir will not be com pleted for nearly two years yet, and it | is not expected the secretary of the interior will designate the lands to be watered before that time. A person filing on a homestead now must have | half his land under cultivation within two and a half years after fil- | ing and it will be risky business to undertake this, depending upon res ervoir water, no matter how well To- cated the entryman might be.
 The Water Users Association was | organized that the lands within it might be mortgaged to the government
 each acre to pay it's proportionate share of the cost of the reservoir, in
 the event water is furnished to it Approximately s21O,0OO acres are now signed to the association. It is evident
 on the face of things that there will
 be a considerable acreage of the land
 now signed that will not get water
 But owners of such land are all aware of the facts and are paying assess
 ments to the Water Users Association
 in the hope that they may squeeze in among the elect. Such lands are most ! ly situated somewhere on the edge of
 the reservoir district and are lands that could seldom or never get water out of the old canals. Some of them may squeeze in if located so it is cas-
 fer to supply them than it is to go around them and Carry the water ten miles further to some other section but a trifle better located and it is this hope that many are risking their assessments on, realizing how valuable their lands will befif they are fortun- nate.
 As between the old lands and the new lands it is not understood that the government is making q distinction except in this way: The old lands were nearly all signed to the associa ton first and the priority of contract with the government should possess some value in the designating of lands | by the secretary of the interior That is to say, of two sections similarly sit uated, the one first signed would doubtless be given the preference. and nearly all the old lands except under the Tempe canal, were signed up long ago. Secondly, the old lands are situ- q, economy with which they may be ir- rigated is demonstrated fact, while a homestead section on the edge of the reservoir district might be harder to get to. Again there might be no water for it after the lands more cas- l fly served had been supplied. The Hands under the old canals which were sold to the government should have | the first consideration, though their reservoir rights will be no better than any new section which may be fortu-
 nate enough to be designated. They are assured of water by their location. The governmental idea is to secure | the greatest beneficial use of water, which fact may qualify the action of the secretary somewhat. To illustrate, some man who has a small holding in the heart of a large tract of old land. which he failed to sign as soon as he Ishould, may be given water in prefer ence to a similar acreage signed pre- lviously but located on the margin of Ithe district There were few close to the city of Phoenix who could not for long time be persuaded to sign, while many owning lands on the out skirts of the district were among the first. Doubtless it will be the purpose of the government to have the irri- gated lands in as compact a body as possible and MT. Doubter who still has ten acres close to Phoenix eff there be such a easel could probably sign now and get water, while some of the first signers located on the Agua Fria or down at KFrene or some oth- CT distant point, Jnay eventually be excluded. It is to the advantage of the government to water that ten acres If subscriber has found al homestead to file upon with in the reservoir district which can be more easily watered than some of the tardy old lands on the outskirts, he may get in but The Republican knows of no such location. The government will pick its lands in the most compact and most easily irrigated body to be found out of the 21O,OOO acres and discard the rest for the time being As more water or more pumping power is de- veloped, these outlying lands will doubtless be taken in and perhaps an additional acreage on the reservoir margin in some direction, but that Is all speculative and too far In the fu- ture, to ever make good any present homestead entries.
 Subscriber refers to the five cent Assessment of the association. For his benefit, or the benefit of any others who may not know, it Is explained that the assessment is five cents this year las it was last year. There have been preceding assessments of varying amounts, so that the total paid, includ-