Arizona republican., 1919-09-17
A GroundIess AInfereneev

Groundless Inference"
 There appeared in The Republicans news col umns yesterday morning very remarkable state ment attributed to Secretary Van der veer of the Water Users association. in which he said that all the propaganda circulated by the County Highway commission for the purchase by the association of the cement plant of the Arizona-Portland Cement company intended only to frighten the cement trust into lowering it's prices. This according retary Van der veer, admitted by Chairman Hackett of the highway commission. If that were a fact would suppose that publicity would given to the story only by not unfriendly to the trust
 Let us look into the reasonableness of the story It is pretty generally admitted in this community that MT. Hackett has at least ordinary sense Most people go farther than that and regard him as especially astute business man. We will suppose then that the commission actually bluffing the trust. Is there anyone who knows MT. Hackett who could believe for instant that he would publicly admit that he bluffing? Especially that he would admit such thing to Secretary Van der Veer who from the beginning had shown his unfriend- lness to the project and had an inter- view before the matter presented to the association.
 Chairman Hackett called up Secretary Van der The latter said that he inferred it was bluff and that there desire that the association should take the plant
 The original proposition for the taking over of the plant called for the expenditure of $780, 0o0by the association for the purchase of the plant and its rehabilitation. Objection had been voiced in interview by Secretary Van der Veer that the association did want an old plant that if 1t went into the business it should a new plant The plant had been described by him as an andqrated one. though it has been since stated by MT. Cooper of the As- Chalmers company that most of the cement manufactured in the United States is made with machinery as ancient as that of this plant
 What Mir Hackett said in reply to this objection was this that if the association would engage in the manufacture of cement. either by taking over the Old plant or by installing one and would sub nit bid for cement lower than that of the trust something it could undoubtedly do the commission would advance the association s5oOOOO Under the law the commission could enter into a contract any other way.
 e This the basis of Secretary Van der yeer,s inference Nobody else present inferred" any such thing Three members of the highway commission all large landowners and members of the Water users association, who were present, in earnest and were in full accord with the proposition of Mr. Hackett Mr. Rudolph Kuchler member of the Water Users council, did not infer" that the com- mission bluffing but he regarded the statement as plain, reasonable and earnest business Proposition.
 Eighteen members of the Water Users council at an earlier meeting. regarded the commission hs sincere and unanimously recommended the sub-
 ssion of it's proposition to the vote of the members W the association, and twenty-one members at the late meeting regarded it one made in good faith
 The Republican which earnestly supported this proposition has had slightest doubt of the sincerity of the commission effort to secure the taking of the plant
 Another thing that should have estopped the wild inference" of Secretary der Veer that the com mission bluffing. should have been if he had thought of 1t, the impossbility bluffng away the s1.22 barrel freight charge cement. It must have seemed to him that if the cement trust could have been frightened into selling the commits sion cement at the of production there could not have been hope that it could have been frightened into paying the freight it. But for the purpose to save this freight the local manufacture of cement would not have been advocated
 Through what influence we do not know. submission of the proposition to purchase the plant, the data already carefully collected expert said to have given satisfaction a cement tester brought in in behalf of the board of governors to investigate the machinery Of plant In almost every detail his report was ad and in contradiction to the voumnous report : of Mir. Duryea, which to the state of the ma chinery and the cost of rehabilitation was supported by Mir Cooper, foremost expert.