Arizona sentinel., 1917-02-01

The Yuma Mesa Land Bill is the Flaw of the land t passed the house January 15 amended by the com mttee and subsequently, again amended slightly on the floor of the house. to the senate on January 10 ana on motion of Senator Mark Smith unanimously passed iii the exact form in which it left the house.
 And signed by the president January 25.
 The enactment of this bill shows what painstaking leg isators can do when they their heads to doing it. This introduced in both the senate and house last April nearly 5000 bills ahead of in the senate and nearly GOO ahead of it in the house. and yet in almost exactly eight months after it first introduced it was passed by both branches of congress and sent to Pres dent Wilson for his signature. It took almost superhu- ingenuity to push this bill to the front for 1t must De remembered that every member of the house and every senator had pet of their that they stv ing to have enacted into law This that three representatives in the halls of are away above the average else beloved Yuma Mesa Land Bill would be where the thousands of other bills sleeping the cold, cold sleep of death.
 The biI in nutshell provides means for placing 10000 acres of Mesa land embraced in Yuma Project un irrigation Unlike all other public lands these lands not subject to homestead entry but to have min mum price put their value and then sold at public auction the highest bidder in tracts of any that may be determined upon by the secretary of the interior but not than 160 to any person, firm corpora ton The money derived from this auction sale is to pay for the construction work necessary lift the from the sphon canal to the mesa and in addition each must pay its propoonate share of the original project system least that part of beginning Laguna dam and tending down to the point where the water lifted to the mesa.
 If sufficient money shall not have been raised within six months after the auction sale then and in that all moneys paid lands are to be returned the who paid it into the reclamation funds Privately owned lands will pay the proporonate share of costs of installing the works and their proporonate share of the costs of the original project exactly the that the public lands to pay, and less they will all be equality.
 When the lands put up for sale each bidder will be required to deposit 10 per of his bd and if within 60 days his bid shall have been accepted he must then pay additional Is per cent making 25 per cent the first payment 25 per the end of the first year. at the end of the second year and the final and last of 25 per cent at the end of the third year. with interest the rate o per cent per deferred payments. failure to make any payment will forfeiture of the amount previously paid.
 Those who have preferential homestead rights on the mesa under the amendments suggested by Judge Thos D. Mooy and made part of the law protected and given ample opportunity to prove their claim
 The bill in full together with the last amendment offered by Congressman Bourland of Missouri will be found else where in this issue It with great satisfaction that the A Zona Sentinel able to give space for is of vastly importance to Yuma than any other item of that has developed in Yuma since construction work actually begun on Yuma project. It means MILLIONS to this munity It will not only make Yuma city of no small mag nltude but will enhance the value of every of land Tn the valleys of the project The part that the editor of this paper took in originating the scheme is but of small moment compared the loyalty shown by the Conner ca Club City Council Board of Supervisors and the Water Users Association There glory enough in it for all o Us. Let us all rejoice.