Arizona republican., 1912-05-02
Supervising Engineer Tells of Dam Construction and Extension of
 Service
MISSIONARY IS
 ALSO ON STAND
Rev. MT. Crouch Tells a Horrible tory of Cruelty to a Yuma Indian
 Youth

Much important information as well as some expert opinion of a highly interesting nature formed a large part of the testimony of Supervising En- gineer l.. C. Hill while on the stand at the congressional hearing yester- day. For one thing, in discussing the matter of opening of the Roosevelt project MT. Hill said he believed there should be no haste in taking that action For one thing, he called attention to the fact that the reser- voir is not yet filled with water; and furthermore there is much utility work now in progress. The project. he said, should not be opened until this work shall have been done.
 The question of cost was also gone into extensively by MT. Hill in re- sponse to questions by Attorney Car penter. representing the land owners association. NIr. Hill said the first estimates were based on the cost of the dam and a limited canal area but that the vast extensions made to the system as a matter of course had raised the actual amount far above the first estimates. With regard to this matter his statements were the SdIile dS lilDSc gwen DN iD A r ON Itl several days ago. MT Hill said that under the regulation service he was not required to give out financial information. As a matter of fact, however, the witness said he had ire quently consulted with the officers of the Water Users association on this question.
 In discussing the incidents that oc- cured prior to the extension of the project bv the taking over of the property of the Arizona Canal com pany MT. Hill said that he was ap
 preached in New York by Hiram Steele who was connected with the company and who asked him, MT
 Hill said. to place as high a valu
 aton on the property of the company as possible Nothing ever came of this interview.
 This testimony recalls the good work done by Mir. Fowler and Judge Kibbey at the time of the taking over of the Arizona Canal company's property Messrs Fowler and Kib- bey went to Washington to conduct the negotiations on behalf of the wa ter users and did. in fact. succeed in rutting a contract through. After some delay and long argument the representatives of the water users succeeded in getting a clause inserted in the contract to the effect that the purchase price to be paid for the property should be based on the re-
 port of a competent government en- gineer It is matter of simple jus tice to say that probably good many thousands of dollars were saved to the people of this valley through
 the insertion of this clause in the contract
 The only sensational story told on the stand yesterday was by the Rev MT. Crouch who told of the alleged abuse of a boy on the Yuma Indian reservation. Mir Crouch said the boy had been beaten by a matron and by an Indian policeman, who used knotted leather thong with which to administer punishment An eXamina- tiOn of the youth after the punish ment was administered showed that g wounds had been inflicted and that he was in a horrible condition. The committee manifested extreme indig- nation when told of this occurrence and declared a searching investiga- ton of the incident and of conditions on the reservation would be made.