Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-05-31
Albuquerque, N. NJ, Ma

s. ~
| soCiaAion" and also the reply of M
l., Fox, manager Chamber of Com
! merCe, and the editorial in the
/ Sunday Journal and, inasmuch as
my name is freely used, am TAX
ing the liberty of writing you per-
I sonally on the subject and may re-
! ply also through the paper, al
! though | cannot see at this time
| that there would be much benefit
! to the cause to be derived there
! from,
The South Albuquerque Drainage
association was organized several
| years ago by the land owners of
some four thousand acres Of land
| located south OF this city, on the
east side Of the river from the
stockyards TO the north line of the
Isleta grant This district was Or
| ganized under the state law and ia
now a legal district, having had
/ two hearings in court. 1t is not
now being pushed TO the extent of
| completing the final hearing in
court, or the advertising for bids
on bonds or the voting of bonds. or
| letting of any contracts, because:
| there has been opposition on the
part OF some Of the land owners
who had previously signed up for
the district who believe that the
cost per acre will be too high and
also that it would be useless ana
! iuadvisable to proceed with drain
age until better and more effici-
ent and dependable water supply
for irrigation could be installed
and provided for. In their opinion
the lands now termed Vegas" and
the bosque lands, which really are
in great need of drainage, do at
present afford pasturage and hay
can be cut from them. whereas if
drained they would not afford this
return unless additional water for
irrigation could be made available.
Furthermore, it has not been posi-
BILE to sell drainage bonds at fair
price or rate of interest, or to let
the contract for construction at "A
reasonable figure until the present
time, and even now the market is
not ready for bonds at an attractive
figure TO the land owner, and he is
the man 10 have the final say-so
Therefore, this project is not be-
ing pushed and will not he. 1t is
also tho opinion of our engineers
that combination and cooperation
with district that should be
formed north Of this city would
greatly reduce the cost per acre
for both districts. So that the
commissioners have decided To
g.,t te ;,,t,
desire to force anyone and we are
all equally interested and actual
hand owners, although perhaps not
what you call dirt farmers" In
this connection ! will state that
although ] DO not live upon q
farm, ] have been actively engaged
in farming operations in the west
ern part Of the state, in Mckinley
county, for the past IS years,
where VIC are now farming some
four hundred acres. / own A0U
acres three miles south of town on
the lsleta road cast side of tho
river, which / am confident viii
be greatly benefited by drainage
and needs it badly, but at the same
time it must also have an adequate
and reliable water supply for irri-
cation which at present is not
available, and this is the only rea-
son that | am interested in de-
velopment Of the Rio Grande val
ley, although | am of course as a
citizen and a taxpayer in the state,
DESTROYS OF doing my part to i'm
prove and better conditions and
will be glad to do so in any way
possible.
Now as to the Rio Grande VAL
ley association: This was an idea
which we brought from California
after attending a meeting of the
League of the Southwest, held ut
Riverside, Cal, last December, and
which meeting few Of us from
New Mexico attended as delegates.
This league has done great work
in securing the attention of the
federal authorities, especially the
reclamation service, to the condi-
ton of the Colorado river and the
needs for storage, flood protection,
irrigation, etc, and the great benc-
fits and increased values and pro-
duction to be derived therefrom.
to say nothing of water power and
electric development, so that the
reclamation service has taken hold
of the entire Colorado river prof.
ect and, If money is available UNI
der the Smith-McNary bill, or any
other source, even special appro-
priation by congress, or by bonds
sold and the work carried on by
private capital under federal sup
ervision, the objects and aims Of
the league will be accomplished.
So that you will see that the oh
ject and aim of the Middle Rio
Grande Valley association, if the
plans and wishes of its projectors
and SUCCESSORS are followed, is to
work for the development and i'm
provement OF the whole middle
Rio Grande valley from White
Rock canyon to San Marcial. 1t
was not the intention to allow the
association to be used to further
the political ambitions of any man
or set of men, or TO furnish high
salaries to officials. clerks or Sec
retaries, but to make the organiza-
ton one to be composed OF bona
fide land owners and property
owners, both in town and country,
and for these same land owners
to have and keep control and man
age the association for their own
benefit and not for promoters,
schemers or office seekers.
IL the actual land owners and
property owners Of the valley will
get together and effect a perma-