Arizona republican., 1913-01-05
Circumstances Under Which the San Francisco Ditch Passed From Bartlett Heard Land and Cattle Co. to Government
NEVER SUCH THING
 AS 5-YEAR CONTRACT
Such Lands of Company as Not Sold at Opening of Project to Be Treated as All Lands ill Excess of l60 Acres

lOU AcIcS
 In reference to the recent sale to the United States government of the san Francisco canal and it's latcraIs and pumping plant site, Dwight F. Heard yesterday made the following statement regarding the transfer of this very old ditch:
 The san Francisco canal is one of
 lh" oldest canals in the Salt River
 Valley. il was originally constructed as cooperative canal by q number
 If Mexican settlers in 1871; in VI
 the control was obtained by Miguel
 WOrmser and the canal enlarged. and
 when the Bartlett Heard Land and
 Cattle company bought the Wormscr
 lands In 1900 they at the same time
 purchased the canal. since which they
 have cndeavored 10 make of il a mod
 ., distributing system, improving the
 grade taking out all curves and
 bringing it up to government spcci-
 fications
 There seems to be some misundcr- sanding as to the contract under which the san Francisco canal was sold and l am very glad to give all
 the facts in connection with this con- tract as it is of some public inter est
 The contract was recorded with the county recorder on March 16th 1911 and does not, as has been suggested contain any five year clause, and ! think no one will question, on q careful examination of the contract 1 that il was an exceedingly favorable one for the government and the Wa ter Users association while at the same time treating the Bartlett Heard Land X Cattle company with | justice
 Briefly. the main features -of the l contract are d. follows:
 The Bartlett-Hcard Land X Cattle l company agreed to turn over to the | government for the benefit of the l Water Users association. the pump ing site adjoining the San Francisco l canal. at which location the lift of ! the underground water is less than at any other pumping site in this valley 1 and on which the government has
 erected an exceptionally complete and model electrically operated pumping plant
 The Bartlett Heard company also
 turned over about sixteen miles of
 main canal and branches, it's pump | ing plant site being sold al the exact 1 cost of the investment in the pump 1 ing site and the canal and branches , being sold at the actual estimated 1 ti,n -qZ- made by the Reclamation service, the
 total cost of the pumping site and the 1 entire canal system being SIP $40. In addition the Bartlett Heard Land & Cattle company gave to the gov crnment, without compensation, over | twelve miles of distributing laterals including right of w9I. and in all places where the main canal and it's branches ran through the Bartlett l Heard land, the land, right of way l and provision for roadway was given to the government without charge
 The Bartlett Heard Land X Cattle
 company in the contract agreed tc
 use all reasonable diligence in dis
 posing of these lands under the Sar
 Francisco canal to those who possess
 the necessary qualifications to be
 come water right owners under the
 Salt river project. and further
 agreed. in the event that the com pany stiu owned land under the Sar Francisco canal, on such date as thu project may be officially opened, tha such surplus land. if any, should b' treated in all respects as other lanC owned by members of the Salt Rive Valley Water Users association il excess of 1G0 acres might be treated The government, on it's part, agreed to furnish the Bartlett Heard com pany. at the same prices that al . other water users are charged, tn natural flow of the river to whicl their unsold lands were entitled, un til the opening of the project. A these lands are all in cultivation to day and the majority have beer 5 1 since 1878. think no one coul' reasonably object to this provision. AS an indication of the good fait' with which the Bartlett-H Hear company have endcavOred to compl with the spirit of the contract, would call attention to the fact tha < out of the 4150 acres of irrigabI Il land. under the San Francisco cana \ we have already sold 23S3 acres an s still have for sale but 1747 acres of irri i gated land. which we are constantly sel 3 gable land. which we are constantly sel I ling at moderate figures to actual hom l makers, at the rate of about 26 S acres per month. An these lands ar T subscribed in the Water Users as sociation. our total payment to tn Water Users association at the tim the canal was turned over to tn government. being in excess of $13, ] O00
 T feel if there has ever been genuine home making movement go ing on in the Salt River valley |. has been the sub division of tn : lands of the Bartlett Heard Land {