The copper era and Morenci leader., 1920-07-30
STATE VALUATION s88O,00O,00o, WILL BE BILLION DOLLARS WITHIN TWO
 YEARS, DECLARES LANDER


 ton there.
 "That land today is assessed,
 presume, for five or six dol
 lars an acre; and when this de
 veIopment occurs it will go to
 from one hundred to five hundred
 dollars an acre.
 There has now been entered into between the Water Users association of the Salt River Valley and several other parties, contracts calling for | the expenditure of six hundred thou sand dollars to build a power plant at the Roosevelt dam to supply water power to pump for sixty thousand acres on the Indian reservation south Of Chandler; another contract calling for the expenditure of five hundred thousand dollars to erect an aux Hilary steam power plant for the pur- pose of draining lands west and south of Phoenix, the drainage water to be used on twenty thousand acres of land west of Agua Fria; another contract entered into between peo- pie holding thirty-five thousand acres of land east of the project and east Of the eastern canal, to pump water from the Granite Reef dam, flood waters of which are to be supple mentei by pumps on this land, which will then produce long staple cotton. This land is assessed this year I be- lieve at 25 dollars an acre, and with in two years ;t will rise to over one hundred dollars an acre, and ulti- mately reach at least five hundred dollars an acre. The secretary of the jrth rQoont1u annra.ye.J he rIanc and specifications and the appropria- tion of water for the people in the Paradise-Verde north of Phoenix, contemplating some ninety thousand acres.
 This may not occur within two years, but, however, it has made the possibilities so probable that the valua- ton of that district has risen two or three times since that order. These are things that are practical ly settled, showing out of the mist, { you might. say. And the, development ! in the upper Gila valley where they have organized the entire commun- :. ity into water users association, and when that is entirely accom- ! plished, to immediately proceed to the cohsumat;on of bringing in about | eighty thousand acres more of land ! in that county also above this val | ley in the neighborhood of Duncan. 1 some twenty-five thousand acres more | are beiny talked, investigation actual l ly being made by the federal govern i ment in the state of Arizona, and i water users associations being or ! gnized to make immediate use of it
 Perhaps another one that is in g district that most of we people think is foreign to the state, but very active i steps have been taken, and consid erable ground has been covered up tC the point of getting the federal gov i ernment to make surveys on the lanc so that the state can make selection is an irrigation project in the north ern end of Mohave county, at Little I fields; and when that is accom- i plished, probably we will have new county in the state.
 These things alone, think, vii bring a billion valuation in Arizona within two years because the 1ons l staple cotton has brought about { raise in valuation in Maricopa coun I ty this year of s34.O0O,000. If the price remains anywhere within the I present range for another two year: that county will show another raise | of $34,0OO, 100000
 The tax commission has started : move to get an assessment out of in :. terest that have heretofore not pait anything to the state of Arizona, bu ! who are. This class of property re presents business as large as i. within the state of Arizona, and a. say, never have paid any taxes.
 we started the move on the Stand !, ard Oil as the best subject upon whicl ,i to make this development. We were l. little unfortunate in making thu start as we got involved in question: that shouldn't have been tied to thu
 proposition, but as the question de
 velops the commission is more con
 fident than ever that we will get un
 tilmately a tax from every larg business concern in the United State that is doing business in this stat ,, and in competition with business il this state, and when that is done will mean material increase in tn revenues for the state.
 While our work seems to be rot , tine and mundane, if we will only re : member what real honest work, dil gent work has really accomplishe
 for this state, we will never gro0
 tired in the work, and Will have hol
 izon that will give us vision to g v ahead and bring to this state a thin f perhaps that no state enjoys in tn y United States, and that is very nearl a an absolutely equitable assessmer d and taxation upon all classes of pro- e erty in the state"