The copper era. (Clifton, Graham County, Ariz.) 1899-1911, 1908-01-16
GOVERNOR KIBBEY'S REPORT.
The Governors Annual Report Contains
Valuable Information About Ari-
zOna's Prosperity.

JOoA 10 a hClJ OOO0hShb
dealing with every phase of terri
torial government. The main points
are as follows:
The last year was, undoubtedly, the
most prosperous the territory has
ever known. The leading industries
are mining and farming Tor, as it is
termed in the west, ranching) and
stock raising, and good fortune at
tended each. The production of cop
per is the leading feature of the
mining industry, and the extraordi-
nary high price of this metal
throughout the year had its good in
fiuence in every locality. The sup
ply of water for irrigation was good,
and most crops yielded an attractive
profit. High prices for cattle, sheep,
horses, hogs, and wool made all
branches of the live stock industry
exceptionally profitable. Many of
the towns exhibited a remarkable
growth. The value of farm lands
advanced everywhere and many
ranches were sold in the Salt river
valley at advances of more than 100
per cent. over the figures at which
they were held year previously.
1t has been my privilege each year
to report the financial condition of
the territory as better than ever be-
fore, and have again to repeat this
statement. On June 80, 1907, the
cash in the treasury amounted to
1865, OI5.65, against s279, 1877 so on June
30, 1906. The latter sum was the
high water mark at that time.
The large amount of cash on hand
does not indicate that money from
taxes accumulates in the treasury in
great excess of the public needs.
Were that true, a very large cash
balance would, of course, be hurtful
to the public interests. Fixed ex-
penditures and special appropriations
made by the last legislature will,
during the year, absorb to large ex-
tent the funds on hand and the funds
to come into, but it is true; ueyerthe-
less, that a considerable surplus will
undoubtedly be carried by the treas
urcr into the next fiscal year. The
money in the treasury is not actually
withdrawn from circulation, because
so far as practicable the public money
is deposited in banks in the commun-
tiles from which the funds were origi-
nally withdrawn by taxation.
The territorial tax rate remains
the same as last year, Is cents on
each 800 of assessed valuation, not
outstanding the fact that the late
legislature made extraordinary ap-
preparations, amounting to more than
1920, 200, all of which are to be ex-
pended during the present and the
following fiscal year, and most of
which must be raised by special tax
levies. These extra appropriations
were for improvements at territorial
Institutes, including 100000 for the
new penitentiary.
The various mine operators, in
their statements of productions made
to their county assessors and to the
territorial auditor in April, acknowl-
edged an output of the calendar year
1906 of the value of S53, 89l, 7S1.27.
These statements were made for the
purpose of fixing the valuation of
the mines for taxation, one-fourth of
the value of the product of last year
being taken as the value of the pro-
ducing mines for this year.
Arizona contains one of the largest
pine forests in single body in the
world 5000 square miles, and there
are numerous forests of magnitude.
Possibly in no other section of the
United States is there so keen an ap-
probation of the value of forests as
in Arizona. Our people have learned
through years of observation what it
means to have natural growth re-
moved from the soil. They have
seen overstocking of the ranges and
forests followed by denudation, the
disappearance of shrubbery and
grass and the loss of natures system
for holding water in theVsoil. They
have seen cattle trails become water
COURSE lot The Iuu-OH Oh HOOOS, the
gashes thus made in the hill becom-
ing deep ravines or barrancas that
quickly drain districts of rainfall.
Such developments are of moment in
country in which water is of
precious value for irrigation and for
stock on the ranges and very natur-
ally the people of Arizona have been
led to study with care the question of
conserving the waters and saving the
forests.
The legislature achieved especial
distinction for legislation in promo
ton of public morals. The first act,
and perhaps the most notable, of the
session was that of repeating the law
which licensed public gambling. The
act went into effect on the LIST of
April, and that day became historic
date in the history of the territory.
The abolition of gambling was in re-
Spouse to pronounced public senti-
ment, and L regard it as fact most
creditable to our people that not