The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-14
GOVERNMENT MAY TAKE
IRRIGATION CANALS
Plan That, 1t Is Said. Will Be
Of Great Benefit to Rio
Grande Valley.

Ii pAso, Ten, June IS.-Mith "a view
of better facilitating the irrigation OF tho
Rio Gran e Valley, the O v,rnment IL
now Ct nsldering the adv stability OF taxi
Ing over al. the community canals that
come under the Elephant Butte project.
Estimates OF the cost of these canals are
now b Ing secured by l.. NJ. Lawson o.
the reclamation service. who will forward
them TO the Gepdrtmt NJ at Washington.
Felix Martinez. one OF the fathers OF
tn. mode 1 gaaon projects In the Rio
Grandc Valley, said that the Water Users
Association, OF which he Is a member
Is now gathering data concerning the cost
of OPP ming these canals which they will
fur. ish to the clamation service. The e
ar. ,!g.t canals in the VI s LA valley
and mIny others above that co ne un Ter
the Eleph m. Butte, project. AL Of these
vii be taken over by the Government
beforC tn completion OF the en- ant
Butte dam, IN the opinion OF Mr. Mar
tinez an othe' members OF TN Water
us.rs Ass citation. II will rqIr. an
expenditure OF many hundred thousand
do las I, purchase and improve these
waterways, but II Is the g. eral BELIEF
that tie Government Is IN u better posi-
ton to mai Itain tn canals than the
water Us RS Association
Work In completing tn Franklin Canal
fro H rs Mill u Fabans will. all
canal has been II ishsd fIom Tn h,ac-
gate - Ysleta This furnishes water 10
thousands o. acres Of laud In TINT Sec
Il n The land owners Of the lower VAL
ley between lslsta and fHbrns are now
ma<'ng an effor TO have the Govern
M M complete this work before the spring
Of 1915. T.. NJ. Lawson has asked FOR
an appropriation from ia Government
for thi work and IL he obtains Z opera
tions will be resumed within Jew weeks
AMI the ca lal will be completed By the
fret o. the year. The canal covers q
stretch OF eighteen miles from Yseta e
! Fabens.
T g reclamation service, through Mr.
| Lawson announced that the Government
has awarded a contract to he SouthW~
crn p tland Cement Co rpany of this
citv C. fur ish 10000 barrels of cenen
To- b, used IN the convtructio" work al
III. Elephant But, dam. This cement
will % thoroughly tested IN this city he
forr any shipments are made TO the dam
Numerous letters are now being re-
4 ceived by local real estate men VINO hav,
valley holdings from Eastern farmers wnC
contemplate moving here. Letters from
a rumbcr OF colonization societies have
also been received, among them th'
/ Catholic Colonization Society, which an
nounces that II Will have colony
ready TO be sent here by the early sum-
mer OF 1915 10 take up tract Of upper
valley land. other societies have hecom'
( Interested In the valley and they are
writing to the land owners for data con
corning the valley lands and the Elephan
! Butte project.
| Valley farmers have had the most sue
cessful spring In their history and TIN
outlook for the summer and fall is more
/ than encourag ing. There has been plent!
OF water In the Rio Grande this sprint
| for all irrigatins purposes and aside from
this the rainfall has been unusually large
Alfalfa! wheat and other crops are dom,
fine and some big shipments have alrcad,
| been made. The improvements to tn
Franklin and other canals In the vale!
have proved potent factors in aiding tn
farmers and cattle raisers OF the valley.