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$ LATEST MARKET REPORT $ LATEST MARKET REPORT FURNISHED BY E. F. SANGUINETTI FURNISHED BY J. M. BALS2 ARIZONA SENTINEL 8 Cotton 18c Milo Maze, ton $55.00 Fetereta, ton $55.00 Cattle Tc to 11c Hogs ,9c to 14c Lambs 15c 5 Alfalfa hay, ton $16.00 Barley, ton $57.50 M Wheat, ton $65.00 Turkeys 24c 5 Chicks 17 c g FEARLESS CHAMPION OF CITY OF YUMA, YUMA PROJECT AND YUMA COUNTY g Eggs 30c g VOLUME 47 YUMA, ARIZONA, THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 1917. NUMBER 16. OFFICIAL DATA SHOWING COST OF THE VARIOUS FEATURES OF YUMA PROJECT In considering the total cost per acre for construction charges, Yuma Valley Unit, the various features which make up this charge are as follows : Diversion The cost to date of the Laguna Dam and headworks is $2,100,845. This cost prorated over the entire project of approximately 130,000 acres, results in a diversion cost per acre of $16. 16 Main Canal The main canal from Laguna dam to the Colorado river siphon has sufficient capacity for the area including the Indian Reservation, Yu ma Valley, and the Yuma Mesa, a total of 105,000 acres. The cost of this feature was $607,307, result ing in a cost per acre of 5.75 Conorado River Siphon This feature, which has a capacity for 50,000 acres in Yuma Valley and 40, 000 acres of the Yuma Mesa, a total of 90,000 acres, cost $695,000, or per acre 7.70 Laterals There has been expended for laterals and canal structures in the Yuma Valley $983,000. Us ing an area of 50,000 acres in the Yuma Valley, we have a cost per acre of $19.66 for laterals. At the present time there are yet to be completed some small laterals and structures which we estimate may cost $25,000, giving a per acre cost for the lat eral system not yet expended of 50c, or for the lat eral system a total cost of 20.16 Drainage The expenditures to January 1, 1917, for this feature cover only such preliminary work as is necessary to lay out the main drain in Yuma Val ley, and construction work has practically just be gun on this feature. The estimate per acre for the construction of the main drainage canals and main laterals is . .- 15.00 Examination and Surveys The total of this amount, which includes some miscellaneous construction, is $283,1 14 for the entire project. This divided by the project eraa of 130,000 acres is, per acre 2. 17 Farm-Unit Surveys There has been expended on farm unit surveys of the Indian Reservation and Yuma Valley $31,821.15. This prorated over the 65,000 acres gives a cost per acre of 49 Surveys and examination for upper river projects have been deducted and the amount stated is the result obtained by eliminating such surveys, ex amination, and inspection as were not properly" chargeable to the Yuma Project. Telephone Lines Lines built in the Gila and Yuma Valleys arid Indian Reservation cost $11,160. the area is 70,000 acres. Cost per acre 12 Deficit, Operation and Maintenance The operation and maintenance costs have been, since the com pletion of the siphon,' between 75 and 90c per acre. The water rental contracts in the Yuma Valley are in force at the rate of 50c per acre foot. Included in this deficit which has accumulated is the amount of the deficit accruing in the period between 1908 and 1912 in the operation of the pumping plants in Yuma Valley. The total deficit to January 1, 1917, was $295,299. We estimate that the continuance of the present water rental contracts at 50c an acre foot will create a deficit during the present year of $25,000, which gives a total of $320,299 to January 1, 1918. With an area of 50,000 acres, the cost per acre for this feature would be . . . 6.50 Miscellaneous preliminary investigations, 130,000 acres (total of project) divided into an expenditure of $119,528 92 Total $74.97 It will be noted that one of the principal construction features of the Yuma Project work, namely, that of the le vees and their rock protection, has not been included in this statement. To date $2,354,000, or over $18 per acre, has been expended on this feature and to properly revet the existing levees the total cost will be in the neighborhood of twice this amount. This protective feature is not completed and is not believed to be a proper charge against the project lands but rather one which should be repaid by federal ap propriation, especially on account of the precedent estab lished in work done for the protection of the Imperial Val ley. In arriving at the amount of "Examination and Sur- LIGHT, GAS AND WATER HIGHBINDERS CON TINUE TO ROB YUMAITES. - The Los Angeles highbinders who own the Yuma Light, Gas & Water Company continue to rob the citizens of Yu ma at pleasure, and yet the only move made by any of our constituted authorities is the granting of an additional fran chise to that concern by the board of supervisors to spread its octopus-like tenacles all over Yuma county, with not a word of protest against the present outrageous price charg ed for either light, gas or water. Ever since last February an "expert engineer" named Trask, who hails from the "snow-white city of Los Angeles, has been employed by the city council to give a physical val uation of the rotten old rat-trap known as the Yuma Light, Gas & Water Company. That he is being well paid for his work goes without saying, for it is a well known fact that Los Angeles people in general have never yet done anything for Yuma without being well compensated for it. Just what the City Council is paying for this "expert engineer" is merely a matter of guess work, but my information is that he will receive at least three4 thousand dollars for what? To tell us what he thinks the old junk-pile is worth. At last week's meeting of the city council Mr. Expert Engineer Trask was not quite ready with his written report, though he has been working on it since about the first of February when he wasn't working on some other jub. But he did make a verbal guess at the value of the local plant, and an other guess on what it would cost the city to put the old plant in a workable condition. Now hold your breath. Mr. Expert Engineer Trask guesses it is worth $181, 000, with and additional $125,000 to put the old rat-trap in working condition. Now wouldn't that pull vour cork under and keep it a bobbin'? Mr. Expert Engineer Trask may as well stop right where he is, for the tax-payers of Yuma will never submit to any such outrageous figures, not even on the recommen dation of every so-called "expert" in the City of Highbind ers. Just why it has taken the "expert engineer" all this time to furnish a written report is not known at this end of the line. If he is charging so much "per day" that may ac count for it for we all know that Los Angeles people hold on to a "good thing" very much like grim death holds on to a dead nigger. If, however, it is for the purpose of thorough ly exasperating the citizens of Yuma Mr. Expert Engineer Trask is succeeding remarkably well. That it is an outrage to hold this matter in such an uncertainty for such an in definite period is too plain to even talk about. The people are growing tired, even suspicious. Their patience is almost exhausted. A day of reckoning is rapidly approaching. Some thing must snap very soon. Summer time is coming. We need an abundance of water, and we need lots of elec tric power. Probably that explains the whole situation bet ter than anything else could. It will give the Yuma Light, Gas & Water Company another and better chance to "soak" us with its sixteen and eighteen cents per kilowatt for "juice," and make us pay any old price it pleases for water and gas. I am told that under our new city charter the aldermen have nothing to do with fixing the price of these utilities, all this being left to the corporation commission. If that is actually true, then it is high time the charter be amended so this power wi?l be vested in the city council, and when that is done if the council does not cut the rates at least half in two the people can go to the polls and do the cutting themselves. Good people of Yuma, you had better wake up. Simply because we may be in some danger of a raid from Mexico is no reason why you should permit a gang of Los Angeles highbinders to raid your pocketbooks every day in the year, and then work overtime at night when you are asleep. Wake up before it is too late. veys" the following items were entirely eliminated and no part of them is charged against the Yuma Valley: Needles Project surveys prior to June 1, 1904 . .$12,910.99 Parker Project surveys prior to June 1, 1904 .... 7,758.53 Blythe Project surveys prior to June 1, 1904 .... 7,628.93 Imperial Valley surveys prior to June 1, 1904 . . . 18,963,22 Reservoir surveys prior to June 1, 1904 31,622.27 Imperial Valley location 3,137.67 Imperial Valley topography 2,824.24 PHOENIX TO BE MECCA OF RACE HORSE MEN IF PLANS GO THROUGH. Phoenix is going to be put on the map as a racing cen ter. For the past three weeks a number of men prominently identified with the conduct of various tracks abount the country have been in the city discussing ways and means with local people and Secretary Shaughnessy of the State Fair. It has practically been settled that the fair grounds track will be leased to the association for a period of five years. The backers of the meet are confident that the Arizona laws to allow pari mutuel betting. Plans were made over a year ago for a bi meet here which would rival Tijuana and Juarez, but the arrest of Judge McCall for using a pari mutuel machine at the track halted those plans. Following the decision of the supreme court it is now thought that the use of the machines is lawful. Rumor of the contemplated meet has reached the coast and the San Diego Union carried the following article un der recent date : "Phoenix is preparing for a race meeting. C. D. Boyce, representing the interests backing the Phoenix meet, arriv ed here yesterday and conferred with President James Wood Coffroth of the Lower California Jockey Club. Boyce is a guest at the Oxford Hotel. The Phoenix meeting was proposed several weeks ago and the arrival of Boyce indicates that the plan to have rac ing in the Arizona city this spring will materialize. It is pro posed that the meeting be for 19 days with the opening on April 29. Six or more races will be given daily and the purses will be $300. It is planned to have larger purses in the feature events. The Arizona law permits pari mutuel betting. The races will be run on the State Fair grounds track. "Boyce announced yesterday that a fall meeting is also planned for Phoenix. It would not interfere with the date of the Tijuana meet. With Phoenix cutting in horsemen who have been racing their stables at Tijuana will have op portunity of filling in the time before the opening of the Reno meet, June 19. "Boyce will visit the Tijuana track today and confer with horsemen. In his efforts to induce horsemen to ship to Phoenix Boyce is being assisted by President Coffroth and it is believed that before he leaves he will line up a fine lot of thoroughbreds for the Phoenix meeting." Phoenix Republican. Ed Note My advice to the people of Phoenix is that they had better go a little slow before they attempt to re establish gambling in the state of Arizona. It will certainly be no honor to Phoenix, nor to the state to have that splen did city made a "mecca of race horse men," nor yet to even allow Phoenix to try to rival Tijuana. Phoenix is all right just as she is. Better let well enough alone. The last legis lature puts its stamp of disapproval on all species of gamb ling in this state. If any race track promoters of the "Jim my" Coffroth stripe, come here to break down our laws it will be up to the people of the state to drive him out, and I have no hesitation in saying that he and all of his kind should be driven outof the state the very moment he at tempts to violate our anti-gambling laws. Since the above was put in type it has come to light that two members of the State Fair commission, Homer R. Wood and C. M. Layton, have actually entered into contract to lease the State Fair grounds for five years to C. D. Boyce for the purpose of conducting "race meetings and other amusements." According to last Monday's Arizona Repub lican, Governor Campbell got wind of the proposed lease deal on April 4, whereupon he at once officially notified Secretary Shaughnessey of the State Fair, board that he wanted no contracts entered into by the board until he (Governor Campbell) was notified. In direct violation of this warning the outrageous gambling deal contract was eng tered into on April 7, but Governor Campbell was not ap prised of this fact until a few days ago. Whereupon he promptly revoked Commissioner Wood's commission and dismissed him from the board. Governor Campbell followed that up with a lengthy statement published in the Republican wherein he gives his reason for his action in removing Mr. Wood from office. The governor is exactly right. I applaud him for having done his duty so fearlessly. But he should not stop at the dismissal of one man from office who had anything to do with such a nasty piece of business. The people of Arizona are not going to permit their State Fair grounds to be con verted into a "gambling hell." The term "horse race meet ings and other amusements" is calculated to convert the State Fair grounds into a regular "gambler's dive" or "hell (Continued on Page Three)