Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1756-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more
Image provided by: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Phoenix, AZ
Newspaper Page Text
HKHKHUtHKHKHKH-CHKHKHKH8 g LATEST MARKET REPORT 0 LATEST MARKET REPORT FURNISHED BY J. M. BALSZ Cattle 6c to 10c Hogs 8c to 14 c Lambs 16c Turkeys 24c Chicks 20c Eggs 55c FUKNISHcU BY E. F. SANGUINETTI Cotton 28 c to 29c Mllo raze, ton $51.00 Fetereta, ton $51.00 Alfalfa hay, ton ?25.G0 Barley, ton $52.50 Wheat, ton $62.50 RIZONA FEARLESS CHAMPION OF CITY OF YUMA, YUMA PROJECT AND YUMA COUNTY CHKHKHKHKKKHO0HKHjiHKHKm VOLUME 47 YUMA, ARIZONA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1917. NUMBER 51. BIG THE L VALLEY BREWING IMPERIA SALT RIVER VALLEY PROJECT SPLIT UP THE BACK JUDGE KIBBY HAS RESIGNED AS ATTORNEY, AS HAVE OTHER OFFICIALS. In less than a month after the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association took charge of that great project, the government having surrendered its stewardship Novem ber 15, utter chaos has broken out in the management of the project and at the present time there seems no hope for an amicable adjustment of the differences that exist be tween the friends of Judge Kibby and the faction that is op posing his wishes. Judge Kibby has worked both in season and out of sea son for Salt River Valley Project. Time and time again he has made trips to Washington to so adjust the differences. with the government that the Water Users' Association could get absolute control of the project even before a sin gle payment was made on the construction charges. It was his unrelenting fight that won for the Salt River Valley farmers the contention that the electric power generated at Roosevelt Dam should be utilized in making the requisite payments for the construction charges. The many repre sentations he made at Washington, through which this final settlement was brought about, have now been scattered to the four winds of Heaven, for the very first act perform ed by the board of governors at its first regular meeting after the project was turned over to the association, was to practically repudiate everything Judge Kibby had agreed to. Instead of heeding the admonition of the government and refusing to elect a former reclamation attache as pro ject manager, the board of governors, over the vigorous protest of Judge Kibby elected that same man Engineer Elliott. Judge Kibby wanted former Consulting Engineei Hanna elected. This would have been entirely satisfactory to the government, for Judge Kibby produced a letter from Washington to that effect. But Mr. Hanna was defeated by a vote of 8 to 3, whereupon Judge Kibby grabbed his hat, tendered his resignation and abruptly left the meeting, fol lowed by one of the board of governors, who also tendered his resignation. The next day this was followed up by the resignation of the "irrigation manager," who declared he could not and would not work with the new project man ager. Just what the result will be no one in Phoenix seemed wise enough to predict, beyond the assertion that if the pro ject does not run smoothly it is more than probable that the government will step in and settle the unseemly row for its own protection, for up to date the U. S. R. S. is out of pocket something like $12,000,000, with no hopes of ever getting any of it back, if the Water Users' Association intends tc make the business affairs of the project a mere political shuttle-cock. Judge Kibby has all along been considered the "brains of the institution," and when the board of gov ernors deliberately slaps him in the face and defies the wishes of the government at the same time, it would appeal that there is "something rotten in Denmark." It is a great pity that an institution of that characetr cannot work in harmony with the government, and will not longer abide by the advice of the man who has won all its battles. It is well known that Mr. Elliott, the newly elected pro ject manager, was employed by the government as hydro grapher or some other like position at the time the "board o! cost review" was holding its sessions in Phoenix, but soon after that he left the government employ and has since been identified with the Water Users' Association. We may have our difficulties here on Yuma Project, but they are not of such a character that they are likely tc disrupt the entire project. CONSULTING ENGINEER ANDERSON HAS RE SIGNED HIS JOB, WHILE FORMER ENGINEER ROCKWOOD IS TRYING TO "COME BACK" INTO POWER, AIDED BY LEADERS OF "OLD GANG." Project Manager Schlecht has gone east for a well earnec rest. He will spend the holidays with his mother and fathei in New York City, immediately after which he will return tc Yuma Project. In his absence Ray Priest will be "actinfc project manager," a position he can fill most acceptably. Miles Archibald, the United States customs man for bi commnnitv. sod p.n old broken down horse and part of a saddic the other day at public auction for $17.50, whic' was pretty near the value placed on two horses owned by one of our city dads, the value of the latter being placed at ?25. With hay selling at $25 a ton, and corn at twice that much the alderman must find his two thoroughbreds rather expensive, even if they are only listed at $25 per head. But they are "some horses" just the same. They are making a sweet mess of it over in Imperial Valley at the very time when "team work" is needed worse than ever before. A big row is not only brewing but is ac tually in progress between the two factions that have been fighting each other for the past several years, the present irrigation officials heading one faction and Mr. Rockwood and the "big three" of the former board of directors form ing the other faction. So far as the Rockwood faction is concerned it seems simply to resolve itself into a question of an abnormal de sire to "suck the official teat," for it must be remembered that when that faction was in office there were more "good, fat jobs" in Imperial irrigation district than in almost any other organization in the United States. So far as the rec ords show, about all that faction did when it was in office was to draw big salaries, permit the canals to become con jested with silt and sand, and permit thousands upon thou sands of acres of fertile land to parch up for the want of water each succeeding year, until finally when they were ousted from office by an outraged people they left the irri gation project in such shape-that "a Philadelphia lawyer" could hardly find heads or tails of the problem left for the new board of directors to wrestle with. Almost a year ago Engineers Grunsky and Anderson were appointed as a "board of consulting engineers." In conjunction with Chief Engineer Clarke this board has worked all the year in an apparent effort to solve the "watei shortage problem," and for a while it looked like they would really do something worth while at least it looked good on paper. Under their supervision a new intake was started at Hanlon heading, while a vast amount of other important work was also begun. However, it was found early in the year that Imperial Valley would not be able to get a drop of water during the summer months without the aid of an other diversion dam at Hanlon heading. This was finally arranged, by the Imperial people giving Uncle Sam a bond of $25,000 and the Yuma Water Users' Association a bond of $100,000 for the removal of the diversion dam by the last day of this month. The dam has been partially demolished, that is, considerable of the rock forming the dam has beer, disloged from its original position and scattered broadcast over the bed of the river. Whether the entire obstruction will, or even can be removed by.the date designated in the bonds remains to be seen. In the meantime the row has kept growing in intensity in Imperial Valley until now it resembles a Kill-Kenny-Ka: fight. Consulting Engineer Anderson has tendered his res ignation, and at a recent meeting of the board of supervi sors of Imperial County an effort was made to get that body to indorse Mr. Rockwood for the vacancy, but the trick could not be turned at that time. Since then it is reliably reported that Mr. Brockman, one of the "big three" direc tors who were ousted from office, has circulated a petitior asking the present board of directors to appoint Mr. Rock wood as "consulting engineer" for the district. This petition is meeting with strenuous opposition on the part of those who fought the old board so successfully that they were forced to resign in a body. Back of the Anderson resignation lies a story to the effect that he quit his fat job because he could not agree with Chief Engineer Clarke's recommendation to turn the Colorado back into its old channel and connect Im perial district with Yuma project at Laguna dam. Mr. An derson was opposed to either scheme. So is Mr. Rockwood. However, Mr. Grunsky is now in Washington with a special committee conferring with Secretary Lane and the Recla mation Commission to ascertain upon what terms the con nection can be made. The first meeting was scheduled foi Tuesday of this week. It can be safely assumed that the Washington officials will not enter into any contract with the Imperial Valley people that can in the least jeopardize the best interests of Yuma Project. We can all rest assured of that fact, for the government has too many millions invested in Yuma Pro ject to throw any stones in the way of ever having that money refunded. REMARKABLE RECORD MADE ON 240 ACRES CLEARED AND PLANTED FOR FIRST TIME THIS YEAR, ILLUSTRATING WHAT CAN BE DONE ON YUMA PROJECT WHEN THE FARMING IS IN TELIGENTLY CONDUCTED. (Continued on Page Four.) jj&j. There is no better illustration of what can be done with Yuma Valley lands than is found on the 240 acre tract near the 17-mile post on the Reclamation Railroad owned by E. F. Sanguinetti, a tract of land that was a veritable forest less than a year ago, but which today is probably the most highly productive farm on Yuma Project. Mr. Sanguinetti began clearing this tract of land the early part of last March. I distinctly remember making a trip to this, property with Mr. Sanguinetti, Project Mana ger L. M. Lawson and Superintendent Campbell of the Southern Pacific Railway just afted work had started. Mr. Campbell could hardly be convinced that the veritable jun gle of trees and brush could be grubbed out and the land ieveled in time for a crop in 1917, but "the merchant prince" convinced him that a crop would be planted just the asme. The latter part of March Statistician C. J. Blanchard of the U. S. R. S., accompanied by Mr. Schofield, supervisor of the agricultural department, Mr. Cook, in charge of ac limation experiments and Mr. Jensen, in charge of the plant industry for the government, reached Yuma for the purpose of making a careful study of the Yuma Mesa, during which visit Mr. Schofield selected 160 acres on the mesa as a gov ernment experiment farm. Mr. Blanchard had become so enthused over the "Queen of Yuma Project" pictures' that he not only wanted a new set for exhibition purposes, but he also wanted a new reel of entirely new pictures. As usual on such occasions Mr. Sanguinetti threw his whole heart in the matter and placed everything he had at the dis posal of Mr. Blanchard. Among the many pictures taken was a moving picture of this 240 acre ranch above referred to. It was still in a state of utter chaos. Some of it was cleared, leveled and irrigated, whije the greater portion of the tract was still a wilderness. But we got several good pictures showing the property exactly as it was, with May or Michelsen, Mr. Sanguinetti, Mr. Blanchard, President Kerr of the Commercial Club, and myself shown in the pic tures. These pictures were subsequently exhibited at the Casino and Somerton Theatres and have since then been shown all over the east in connection with the "Queen of Yuma Project" films. I have never lost interest in watching this particular farm, because it seemed it would be utterly impossible to clear it and raise a crop of any consequence during the year 1917. I was down on this farm a week ago. I had seen it often during the "growing season," but could not be convinced that the entire tract was actually as good as the portions one sees of it in passing along the road. Last week, however, all doubts were removed in my mind. Ev ery acre of it is in a high state of cultivation, 80 acres being planted to short staple cotton and 160 acres planted to milo maize, this latter, or at least much of it having been planted late in July and early in August. The cotton is producing somewhat better than ONE A.ND ONE-HALF BALES per acre of short staple, while the maize is turning out better than TWO TONS per acre, or in cash, with cotton at 29c per pound, upwards of $200 per acre, and maise at $50 per ton, upwards of $100 per acre for that crop, to say nothing of the ten tons of forage left after the maize is gathered. That shows what grit and intelligent farming will do in Yuma Valley. It illustrates perfectly the contentions I have made all the time, and that is that Yuma Project is the richest land on the face of the earth. Lands that were go ing begging two years ago at $50 per acre cannot now be touched for- double that price, and two years hence lands that are now quoted at $200 per acre will be selling for $500. In fact any land that will yield $100 per acre annual ly in crops is worth $500 per acre. The honored supreme court judges will probably hand down their decision in the case of Hunt vs. Campbell in time for a Christmas present. No doubt it will be a most accept able gift to which ever gets it. However Governor Camp bell is beginning to think "it's 2l damned long time between drinks," for up to the present time he has not been per mitted to draw any salary.