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LATEST MARKET REPORT S FURNISHED BY X J. M. BALSZ 5 ARIZONA SENTINEL FEARLESS CHAMPION OF CITY OF YUMA, YUMA PROJECT AND YUMA COUNTY Cotton I0Y2C tMilo Maze, ton $40 c Feterefa, ton ?40 g Alfalfa hay ton ... . $19 to $20 S Barlej', ton $50 g Wheat, ton $5S Cattle 5y2c to 7c Hogs TY-tc to 8c Lambs 9c Turkeys 24c Chicks -14c Eggs 40c OHKHKHKHKHKHKHCHKHKHH0 VOLUME 47 YUMA, ARIZONA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1917. NUMBER 5. YUMA MESA LAND LAW NOW ABSORBING TOPIC Yuma Title, Abstract and Trust Company YUMA MESA LAND LA W ASSIGNED BY PRESIDENT LATEST MARKET REPORT 5 FURNISHED BY E. F. SANGUINETTI In last week's issue of the ARIZONA SENTINEL the Yuma Mesa Land Law was printed in the exact form in which it was passed by the Senate to show exactly what was stricken from the original bill. It is printed in this issue exactly as the LAW now reads. My advice to those who are personally interested in Yuma Mesa lands is to save this copy of the ARIZONA SENTINEL for future reference, this being the only paper, up to this date, that has had am bition enough to print the law in its entirity. My friends are importuning me from every side to know when work will actually begin on the mesa, and this, and that' &c, &c., to which I reply: When 1 was sent to Washington the first of last March my first act was to convince the Reclamation Commission that a physical survey of the "first unit" of the 40,000 acres of land embraced in the auxiliary project ought to be made at once. 1 his was ordered, and a photograph taken of the event when Director Davis handed me the signed document ordering the survey to be made, which was followed by tele graph instructions to the project manager to that effect. Then begun the long drawn-out fight for the proper wording of trie Yuma Mesa Land Bill. This was finally agreed to, and was introduced in the house, by Congressman Hayden about the middle of April and in the senate by Sen atorator Henry F. Ashurst the following day. It passed the cenate at the last session, and finally passed the house, with the amendments previously agreed upon, on January 15, and was signed by President Woodrow Wilson on January 25, and is now the "law of the land." In response to the telegraphic instructions given from Washington, Project Manager Lawson made a complete physical survay of the "first unit," from which official esti mates are now being made as to what it will cost to lift the water from the siphon canal to the canals and laterals nec essary to irrigate the "firt unit." Until these estimates shall have been made in detail NOTHING can be done, for that is a pre-requisite to the whole scheme. My information is that these estimates will be ready to send to Washing ton within the next 30 days, more or less. Upon inquiry at local Reclamation headquarters, I find that designs for the power house have been made at Denver and are now in the hands of the local project man ager, both as to power plant at the "ten mile drop," where the electric energy is to be developed, and the pumping plant at the "drop" on the main siphon canal a few miles below Yuma. If the order for all this machinery were plac ed today it would require the better part of a year to get it here and erect it. In the meantime, however, long before the arrival of the machinery an immense amount of concrete work will have to be done, both at the power station and at the pump ing plant. Canals and laterals can be constructed while the plants are being erected. It must be borne in mind, how ever that there will prabably be on OPEN canals or laterals on the mesa. All of them will be either concrete or iron pipes, so as to properly conserve every gallon of water that is pumped on the mesa. "When will work begin?" That is the all-important question. I apprehend that the very first step to be taken will be by the secretary of the interior, asking Judge Will R. King, chief counsel of the Reclamation Service, to "construe" the law, which means that Judge King will be called upon to say just exactly how far the Reclamation Service can go. towards hurrying the matter of beginning work, without coming in conflict with the law itself. And then set a date for the sale of lands in the' first unit, after Secretary Lane shall have fixed his minimum price on them. There is nothing in the law, however, to pre vent the secretary from offering ALL the 40,000 acres for sale at the same time. That will be a matter left wholly to his judgment. It will probably not take very long for this phase of the matter to be definitely disposed of, for in all human probability this has already been thoroughly worked out by Director Davis and Judge King, in whose sound judgement Secretary Lane has the most implicit confidence. The interesting question is: Can the Reclamation Commission get the necessary funds from the Reclamation treasury to proceed with the work before the money is ac tually collected from the sale of the lands? I am of the firm opinion that they can, for the deferred payments bearing interest at 6 per cent, will be ample se curity to reimburse the Reclamation funds for any moneys advanced to hurry the construction of the auxiliary pro ject. That, however, is also a matter of detail, and will work itself out in the proper way and in the proper time. It will not be necessary to enlarge the siphon canal, from the Laguna dam down to the power house, at the ten mile drop, in order to get horsepower, for the canal was designed originally with an eye to placing water on the 40, 000 acres of land on the mesa. So there will be no addition al expense in that direction. As a matter of fact all that is needed to begin actual work on irrigating the first unit of the mesa is to sell the lands in that unit, which will give ample funds to begin ac- iContinued on Pace Two) Mr. P. J. Miller, who, for four years was a member of the state tax com mission, and subsequently connected with the State Land Department, has become the active vice president of the Yuma Title, Abstract & Trust Company, assuming active charge ol all matters pertaining to insurance, surety bonds, real estate loans, and collections . Mr. John Doan will con tinue as secretary and will have charge of all abstract matters, he being recognized as probably the most expert man in Yuma county, if not in the entire state in abstracting ti tles. George Michelsen, mayor of Yu ma, and active vice president and general manager of the Yuma Nation al Bank, will remain as president of the Yuma Title, Abstract & Trust Company, though his entire energies will be devoted to banking matters, except when it comes to. giving ad vice in the matter of large and im portant loans negotiated by the Ab stract Company. All those directly in terested in the Title Abstract & Trust Company have the most implicit con fidence in Mr. Miller's capability, hon esty and integrity and are willing to give him a free hand in his new and important undertaking. That he will more than "make good" there isn't the least room for doubt. The Yuma Title, Abstract & Trust Company has had a phenominally prosperous existence for the past doz eng years or more. Its dealings with those who have borrowed money from that inistitujtion have always, been along liberal and strictly legitimate lines. During its entire existence it has never foreclosed a mortgage,, which fact alone speaks volumes in its praise. It has at all times been willing to accommodate its patrons with loans as cheaply as such loans could be obtained anywhere in the state, and that will be its ruling policy in the future cheap money and ample opportunity to repay the loan without resorting to the courts. Among the really solid insurance companies for which the Yuma Title, Abstrac' & Trust Company acts as agent may be mentioned the "Royal of Liverpool," "Hartford" and "Aetna" of Hartford, Conn., "Home" of New York, and the "Arizona Fire Insur ance Company," one of the strongest fire companies doing business in Ari zona. The American Surety Company, said to be the largest concern of its kind in the world, is also on the list, which is ever ready to furnish surety bonds in any amount -for any purpose, and accepted without question by the Uni ted States government, state, coun ty and city, obviating the embarrass ment of asking your friend to "please go on my bond." The Maryland Casualty Company is also on the list. This company fur nishes insurance on plate glass, boil, ers, accident and health, as well as employers' liability insurance, mak ing the entire combination complete in every respect. The Yuma Title, Abstract & Trust company has a paid up capital of $25, 000 and can get as much more as oc casion may demand. This important change in management indicates that those interested in its destinies real ize that the passage of the Yuma Mesa Land Law will put new life, new ener gy in all this section, and those in terested in its future progress are determined to be ready for all de mands that may be made upon its loaning ability. Thousands upon thou sands of dollars will be needed to improve lands on the Mesa and in the valley within a very short time. The Yuma Title, .Abstract & Trust Com pany will be ready to take care of this immense business promptly, and with as little cost to those who wish to bor row as is consistent with good busi ness sense. The ARIZONA SENTINEL takes this occasion to wish Mr. Miller a very prosperous management of this splendid institution, and predicts that success will be his reward. SOME HISTORICAL FACTS WORTH REMEMBERING In looking over the fifteenth annual report of the Re clamation Service sent me from Washington by Congress man Carl Hayden I could but read with great interest th? brief historical facts connected with the Yuma Project, as reported by the project Manager in his last report. The facts are so interesting, especially to those who were not here during the early stages of the work, that I reproduce them from the records: ARIZONA-CALIFORNIA YUMA PROJECT. LOCATION Counties: Yuma, Arizona; Imperial, California. Townships: 3 to 13., Rs. 21 to 24wM Gila and Salt River Meridian; 9 to 17 S., Rs. 16 to 23 S., San Bernardino Meri dian. Railroads: Southern Pacific; Yuma Valley Railroad. Railroad stations and estimated population January 1, 1916: Yuma, Arizona, 4500; Potholes, California, 25. WATER SUPPLY Source of water supply: Colorado river. Area of drainage basin: 229,000 square miles above Laguna Dam. Annual run-off in acre feet of Colorado river at Yuma (287,000 sqpare miles) 1902 to 1915: Maximum, 26,000,000; minimum, 7,960,189; mean, 16,498,000. AGRICULTURAL AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS Area for which the service is prepared to supply water, season of 1916 72,440 acres. Area under water right applications and rental con tracts, season of 1916: 72,440 acres. Length of irrigating season : 365 days. ' Elevation of irrigable area: 100 to 300 feet above sea level. Rainfall on irrigable area: five year average, 2.99 in ches; 1915, 4.33 inches. Character of soil of irrigable area: bottom lands, rich alluvium; mesa lands, fresno gravel sand. Principal products: Semi-tropic fruits, alfalfa, grain and cotton. Principal markets: Los Angeles and San Francisco, Cal.; Arizona towns; and eastern. markets for early pro duce. LANDS OPEN FOR IRRIGATION Dates of public notice: January 10, 1910; March 8, (Continued on Page Two) BE IT ENACTED, ETC., That the secretary of the in terior is hereby authorized to set apart any lands in the state of Arizona heretofore or hereafter withdrawn under the reclamation law, in connection with the Yuma reclama tion project, as an auxiliary reclamation project or unit, and sell, in tracts of such size as he may de termine of not more than 160 acres to any one purchaser, the lands so set apart and believed to be sus ceptible of irrigation, at public sale under suitable regula tions, for not less than the reasonable value per acre of the tend plus the estimated cost per acre of reclamation works to be constructed for the reclamation of said lands so set apart plus the proportionate cost per acre of the works pre viousyl constructed and available therefor. That appurte nant water rights for lands in private ownership may be sold for not to exceed 160 acres to any one person, at a price equal to the estimated cost per acre of the works to be constructed plus the proportionate cost per acre of the works previously constructed and available for the lands, if any there be, payment to be made under the same terms as for public land under the provisions of section 2." Final water right certificate shall not be issued to such private land until pay ment has been made in full. No works shall be construct ed nor water delivered through any of the works of the Yu ma project for the irrigation of any such private lands un less application has been made to purchase a water right for such land under the terms and provisions of this sec tion. The secretary of the interior, at or prior to the time of sale, shall fix and determine (a) the reasonable value of the land per acre; (b) the estimated cost per acre of the works to be constructed; and (c) the proportionate cost per acre of the works previously constructed and available for the lands offered for sale. Sec. 2. That all bidders at such public sale shall be requir ed to make a deposit of 10 per cent of the amount bid for the tract proposed to be purchased, and upon notice from the secretary of the interior that. such bid has been accepted shall be required to pay 15 per cent additional within 60 days after such notice. In case of failure to do so the de posit shall be forfeited and the corresponding lands shall be available 'for further sale. In case the bids for the lands shall not aggregate a sufficient amount within six months from the time fixed for the filing of bids to meet the prob able cost as announced, all deposits shall be returned. The remaining 75 per cent of the purchase price shall be paid in three annual installments, with interest at 6 per cent per an num on deferred payments until paid, running from the date of notice to pay the additional 15 per cent, but advanc ed payments may be received at any time. Upon full pay ment of the purchase price patent shall issue for the lands, and no qualification or limitation shall be required of any purchaser or patentee except that he be a citizen of trie Uni ted States. Such patent shall also contain a grant of a water right appurtenant to the land. "Provided, That any person who has made an entry which is now valid and subsisting, or who has a preference right to make entry, for any irrigable land embraced within the lim its of the auxiliary project, may purchase said land at the price of $2.50 per acre and shall be subject to the same pay ments for the irrigation' works as is repuired of persons holding private lands under the provisions of section 1 here of: Provided further, that the purchasers or owners of the land to be irrigated under said auxiliary reclamation project shall also agree to pay to the United States the total actual cost of the works of said auxiliary reclamation project in the event that the actual cost of said works shall exceed the estimated cost thereof." Sec. 3. That the money's received under the provisions of this act shall be paid into the treasury of the United States and be covered into a separate fund known as the (Continued on Page Two) YUMA VALLEY PROSPEROUS There isn't a more prosperous ag ricultural and stock-raising section in the entire United States than Yuma Valley right at this particular time. A trip to Somerton over the Warrenite good road, ahd thence from there to Gadsden will convince anyone of this fact. Lands that one year ago were covered with mesquite and arrow weeds are now in a high state of culti vation, much of it having been plant ed to alfalfa upon which are grazing as fine bred cattle and hogs as can be found anywhere in the west. Much of the valley land has been planted to cotton and it is well known that in many instances upwards of two bales to the acrehave been produced during the past year, which means that when properly cultivated Yuma Valley lands will pay for themselves in one year. No section of the southern states can make such a claim. Imperial Valley, California, con do almost as well, when it has an abundance of water, but well, Imperial Valley is always short on water at the critical growing sea son of the year, while Yuma Valley al ways has all the water it can use, which fact of itself makes lands in Yuma Valley far preferable For the year 1915 there were but a fraction over 700 acres in the Yu ma Valley planted to cotton a sort of experiment. This last year there were 4000 acres planted to the fleecy staple, and from all indications this acreage will be about doubled during the year 1917. It is predicted by those who have given the matter close study that practically every acre in the valley will be in high state of culti vation within the next two or three years, which means that Yuma Valley will very soon be producing crops valued not only by the hundreds of thousands but by the milions. And this will be entirely independent of the many millions that will eventually be produced on the mesa. Cotton and alfalfa in the valley, oranges and I grapefruit on the mesa.