Arizona sentinel., 1917-02-15
COSTS SOON TO BE FIXED
 -WHAT WILL THEY BE?

In we'll informed circles it to be the general census of opinion that Secretary of the Interior Lane will
 declare the Yuma Valley Unit of Yuma Project open and
 fix the costs per some time in the very near future probably by the first of April
 To do this will be in keeping with what has been done all the projects that investigated by boards of cost review something less than two years ago. Last month the fixed for the Fl Paso Project the month before
 that they fixed at Phoenix and prior to that they
 fixed Carlsbad and other projects where reviews had about the time that had hearing here in Yuma It can therefore be taken reasonably certain that Yuma Valleys costs will be fixed at an early date.
 What will these costs be That's the all-mportant question,
 If eervy dollar that has been spent by the Reclamation Service connection with Yuma Project as whole ncub ing the Indian Reservation Unit the North Gla Unit South Gla Unit and the Yuma Valley Unit taxed against the project will something $OO per hat ot course would include river front work the construction of Laguna dam and something like half million dollars in so-caed overhead charges That all of this vast will be taxed against the acreage embraced in the entire project is almost unthnkable. In the first place the overhead charges have already been stricken from the records far Yuma Project is concerned dismiss that item entirely In the second place the river front work should not be taxed against the project any than the millions upon millions spent the the Mississippi and other should be taxed against the farmers who land adjacent those So that dsposes of the river front charge which, in the aggregate about $5 per which taken from the total reduces the costs to something like $75 per acre.
 The Laguna dam remains be disposed off, Take that charge off and will leave about the charge per acre that has been fixed against the Salt River Project and the Fl Paso Project $60 per acre paid for in either ten twenty year payments the people may determine.
 In giving these figures have used my information obtained of the spent shown by the testimony adduced before the local board of cost review and backed up by the last fiscal report of the Reclamation Commission printed in its fifteenth annual report It will be readily recalled that have always contended that of the river front work should be charged against the project that the overhead charges would be wiped out and that if Yuma Project had pay for the great Laguna dam that some scheme would be devised whereby 1t could be paid for in small payments extending period of fifty hun dred years That somebody must pay for the dam tain for the United States supreme court has said that cry paid by the reclamation must be collected and paid back into the reclamation funds It would that the thing do for the keep the dam and charge much per year each for it's which exactly equivalent to paying for the dam If we pay for it, and turned what would do in the event anything happened the dam? Could cope with it Could get money enough rebuild the event ever breaks? That is question well worth serious thought.
 But back the question of costs Take off the over heads the river front work and the Laguna dam and where we? Something in the neghborhood of $50 $60 per acre. against the contention that the agreed to the project from $35 $40 per Not very great difference at that.