El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-01-27
ELEP HART BUTTE
POWER To BE
UTILIZED
Company Planned to Oper-
ate Electric Line in VAL
ley and Supply Man
ufactories.

Washington. ID. C., Jan. Z.-BafIey IN
the SENATE, and Cole, Of Ohio, I'm the
house, today introduced bills aufhorfz-
| Ing the secretary OF the interior TO
lease water power under reclamation
dams for longer than ten-year uersod..
sitiOns could not be financed IL the
lease OnIy ran ten years.
| The Elephant Butte dam viii do
more than simply furnish irrigation
waters for the MesilIa and Ell Paso VAL
leys. It will furnish power for operas-
ing an electric line 20 extend from
Fabens. Tex, on the south. to the Ela-
plant Butte dsmisite on the north. 10
connect Fl Paso with both OF the big
valleys, and with the smaller chain OF
valleys above Dona Ana county.
| Legislation is now pending In Wash
lngton which, when passed. win per-
nit the Water Users associations to
oegln active work IN organizing the
subsidiary power company which will
l conIrol the power system This COM
pany will be capitalized at from 81
100000 70 $4,000, 000 Richard Burgess.
attorney for the Water Users ascot
alton, Is in Washington 70 see that the
present laws are amended to allow the
leasing OF the power sites for a longer
! term than 10 years As soon as this fs
done ". II. Burgess VIII be appointed
/ as trustee OF the power plant Dart OF
the Water Users association by con-
sent Of the two boards and he wiz
nave legal charge of the work OF or
ganizing the power company until the
titles 10 all OF the lands in the two
Valleys are definitely settled, when the
water Users associations will take
charge and operate the power plants
as a twin project with the Elephant
Butte dam
h.
pany viii be done for the purpose OF
raising money other than from the
government sources but the plants ike
the irrigation system, viii be owned BY
the members OF the Water eser -
cIation IN proportion to tie acreage.
everything the trustee does viii be
passed upon By the Water Users board.
The entire project viii be submitted
10 the members OF the association as
soon as II is in shape and before any
effort IS made TO raise money.
VIII Pay for Itself.
The proposed power system viii cost
between 81, 0O0, 900 and $4,000. 900 and the
money will be procured By the sale
Of bonds An enormous income is ex-
pected TO be derived from the sale OF
the power for commercial and munich
pal uses and the plant viii be paid for
out or the income from it, the same as
the big dam viii be. The Salt River
valley power project paid 800, 900 a
year in profits and is expected 20 in
crease this amount TO $500, 900. A COM
pany OF hydraulic engineers came TO
FL Paso six months ago and made a
study OF the entire project as pro-
posed by Felix Martinez. Richard T.
Burgess and other members OF the Wa
ter Users association and OF the Ele-
plant Butte association at Las Cruces.
The report was favorable and the work
viii begin as soon as the necessary leg
islation is secured at Washington 70
allow the leasing of the power sites for
a longer term than 10 years. The pres
ident, secretary Of the interior and a
large number OF leading men are IN IA
vor Of the amendment Of the law to
allow the plant to be built and no trou-
Die IS anticipated In securing the pas
sage OF the necessary legislation.
Martinez Speaks of Project.
The power plant system win remain
in possession OF the water users who
are signed up under the DAM" Felix
Martinez said Friday. This IS positive
and the government would not consent
10 any other arrangement The govern
ment recognizes the immense resources
TO be developed by the power from the
Elephant Butte dam and there will be
no trouble in getting everything neces-
sary 10 make the project possible"
A dispatch from Washington to the
Dallas News OF Wednesday, January
25. reads:
Richard Burgess. OF FL Paso, is in
Washington endeavoring TO procure
the passage OF a law empowering the
secretary of the interior to lease pow
er sites on reclamation dams for a
greater period than 10 years 1t devel-
ops from Mr.. Burgess mission here
that there is in process OF formation a
company which purposes to construct
more than loo miles of electric rail-
way in the valley to be irrigated from
the Engle dam in New Mexico and from
the greater Texas Rio Grande reclama-
ton project, the power for the line to
be derived from the waterfall at the
Engle dam This line is to extend from
Engle. n. NJ, to Fabens. Tex, point
below Ell PasO, and IS intended to form
the connecting link between the irrt-
gated farms Of the section and the
at FL Paso.
The reason given for the desire to
have a longer leasing period than 10
years is that a longer period is neces-
sary IN order to finance the project.
The interior department. regards the
idea favorably and is preparing a bill
on the subject.