Arizona republican., 1911-06-25

A demonstration of the error Of
 that oft-repeated statement that gov
 ernment work is always more expen-
 sive than work done under private
 contract, can be seen by any person
 who win take the pains to visit the
 scene of operations in the consuuc-
 tion of the Western canal by the
 reclamation service, on the south side
 of Salt riveI. The common labor
 employed by the service, eight hours
 per day. removed ll,S0S cubic yards
 nf dirt last week. at cost Of g cents
 Der yard. said to be the least eNpen-
 siye work of the sort ever done Tn
 this valley, and the work is as well
 dop- as any piece of canal construc-
 lion under the project. IL is under
 the direction of Engineer Howard
 Reed. who has charge of water ais
 tribution and the remodeling Of the
 entire south side system.
 Through the courtesy of MT Reed
 and in the pleasing compamonshlp
 of Attorney c S Witbeck of the
 service and C. A Van der Feer, sec
 rrtarv of the Water Users associa-
 tion a representative of The Re
 publican was given a fifty mile dash
 in an automobile Friday afternoon
 through the region watered by the
 south side system. On'N part or II
 could be seen oE so short a tour. but the points visited inclu ed nearly all the canals at one place or another So a general idea was secured or the character of the work the government is doing. The north side canals and their recent improvement have been the subject of much complimentary observation. both published and spo- ken The work on the north side has been going on much longer and also with more perpleXing delays, so
 il is no detraction Of the north side work to say hat the south side development is equally as marked equally as perfect in detail and more rarid. due to a wider latitude given in operations and the urgent nsces- sity Of pushing some things through to carly completion.
 In a general way it is the inten- ton of the service, when its plans are worked out, to have all the canal [ diversions of concrete. the ditches' all clean and -shapely and with good roa4is along the banks Of all the big canais and th,. main feeders and lat erals. 1t is, gratifying to note how rapidly such conditions are replacing tho old order of things. and only those who travel all over the valley ! ;t freauent intervals can keen pace ! with what is going on. , II is the purpose of this article |" | make particular mention of the West 1 ern canal as illustrative Of the whole | south side system. because at this ! time. il is the point of greatest ac- ! tivity. It is also, pertinent 10 call attention to the mutuality of inter .st throughout the reservoir district. ! as this work nicely shows. Though | the whole project IS one cooperative enterprise, human jealousy still prevails to some degree | in this valley. and the east enders and west enders" or north siders and south siders" cannot help but fear now and then that the other | fellows" are getting a little more at tenti0n than they deserve to the det- rinent of themselves. The north side secured the first benefits Of the pro- ject and works begun for it are stil in progress The south side is now up very fast and is entitled to.
 In the logic of events the cooper ation of all sections of the valley is becoming constantly closer. As will be shown. the work that is now going 1n south and west of Mesa city, be- beside it's general effect for the well fare of the entire reservoir district | Is in it's ultimate design for the spe- eial benefit Of the hopesteaders and others across the river from. and di- rectly tributary to. Phoenix.
 The lands across the river from Phoenix, nearest the river, are yatered by the San Francisco sys- -em~of canals, which was lately pur .hased by the government al the ime the Bartlett Heafd ranch came rtn the reservoir district. This canal s fed in part by the Tempe ditch hat runs through the town of Tempe md it's supply is augmented by pumped water But beyond the lands mentioned is a large area nearer to he salt River mountains. now all lnder fitting by hOmesteaders. who are ocated too high to be served by the san Francisco system. The Mesa in the main is served through he Consolidated canal. At a point north Of Mesa the water is divided into three streams, one running east and then south circling Mesa and running many miles to the south and asst This is known as the Consoli dated East Branch and is the big eanal in that section. Running due south is the Mesa canal and running due west from the same point is the