The proposed extension of the Pecos Valley and Northeastern from Hagerman to El Paso would be about 180 miles. This would make the distances via the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, the Pecos Valley and Northeastern, and the proposed extension to El Paso as follows: Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, Chicago to Amarillo. Chicago to El Paso. Miles. 1.043 229 180 1,452 It will thus be seen that this would give the Santa Fe a route to Mexico of the same length as the Rock Island after the latter shall have completed its Liberal extension and a route of 175 miles shorter than its present route by way of the Raton tunnel. Should the Santa Fe complete the route from central New Mexico to a connection with the Pecos Valley and Northeastern at Roswell, it would have then another transcontinental connection with San Francisco. Cal., by way of its lines to Amarillo, Tex., the Pecos Valley and Northeastern to Roswell, its own line from Roswell to its main line through New Mexico (this new connection would be about 200 miles), via the Santa Fe and Pacific into California. It is but a question of a short time when this last extension across New Mexico will be a fact. With the lines already constructed or under construction every county of the 21 counties of the Territory now has railroad communication with the outside world excepting San Juan county, in the extreme northwestern part of the Territory, and this, too, it is confidently expected, will have a railroad line before another year has passed. REPORT OF COMMISSION ON IRRIGATION AND WATER RIGHTS. SANTA FE, N. MEX., August 5, 1901. SIR: In compliance with your request for a full and comprehensive report of the work of the commission of irrigation up to date, I have the honor to submit the following report: The law under which this commission was appointed is section 15 of chapter 69 of the laws of New Mexico of 1901, entitled "An act to amend an act entitled An act establishing a board of public lands assigning their duties, and for leasing and managing public lands and funds, approved March 16, 1899." Approved March 20, 1901, and such section 15 of said act is as follows: SEC. 15. That section thirty-four (34) of said act is amended to read as follows: "SEC. 34. There is hereby created a commission of irrigation, to consist of five members, to be appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the legislative council, to serve for two years and until their successors are appointed. Said commission shall elect from among their members a president and secretary. It shall be the duty of said commission to investigate and select the most suitable sites for permanent reservoirs for irrigation purposes, and for the improvement of the Rio Grande, and also to designate such tracts of public land capable of irrigation from such reservoirs, as it would, in their judgment, be advisable to locate and select for the Territory under said act of Congress, in order to secure the benefit of the enhanced value of the lands resulting from the establishment and construction of such reservoirs, for which purposes said commission may employ all necessary expert assistants; and such commission shall notify the commission authorized to select such lands of the location of such reservoir sites and public lands available for irrigation thereunder. And the funds derived from the sale or lease of any lands donated to the Territory under the act of Congress hereinbefore referred to, for the establishment of permanent reservoirs and the improvement of the Rio Grande, shall be expended or invested by the Territorial treasurer under the direction of the Commissioner of Public Lands, with the approval of said irrigation commission, for the purpose of aiding and securing the establishment of permanent water reservoirs, as herein or hereafter prescribed by law. Whenever any person, association, or corporation shall have obtained the right to appropriate and acquire the lawful use and ownership of water sufficient for the permanent cultivation and irrigation. by means of reservoirs, of lands belonging to this Territory which may have been selected for the establishment of permanent water reservoirs for irigating purposes under the act of Congress aforesaid, and shall satisfy the irrigation commission of their good faith and ability to so construct the same if aided and assisted by a contract for the sale of a portion of said lands so belonging to said Territory for said purpose, then it shall be lawful for the Commissioner of Public Lands, with the approval of said irrigation commission, to contract with such person, association, or corporation that in the event of the construction of such reservoir or reservoirs whereby sufficient water for the permanent irrigation and cultivation of said lands shall be secured, the Territory will pay to such person, association, or corporation so constructing such reservoir or reservoirs, in aid of such construction, and after the same shall have been constructed and completed to the satisfaction of said irrigation commission, such proportion, not exceeding seventy-five per cent, as said board may deem advisable, of the proceeds of leases and sales of such of said lands granted and located for reservoir purposes as may be rende.ed capable of permanent irrigation and cultivation by means of such construction, or which may be necessary for right of way or occupation for such reservoirs, and the structures appurtenant thereto, not exceeding fifty thousand acres in all for any one irrigation enterprise, and not exceeding in any case the amount of money actually expended for such construction. And upon the due completion of such construction, to be evidenced by a certificate to that effect by the irrigation commission, filed and recorded in the office of the Commissioner of Public Lands, in such form and manner and under such legulations as may be prescribed by said Commissioner of Public Lands, the person, association, or corporation so constructing such reservoir shall be entitled to receive from the Territorial treasurer out of the fund appertaining thereto upon the warrant of the auditor, such agreed proportion of the proceeds of lands as aforesaid, not exceeding fifty thousand acres for any one enterprise, as in such contract provided, as and when the said proceeds may be realized. Said irrigation commission shall, at least thirty days before the meeting of the legislature, make a report to the governor embracing all available information concerning the best method of improving the Rio Grande and increasing the surface flow of the water in the bed of the river: also concerning the subject of irrigation and water supply, the quantity of land in the Territory cultivated by means of irrigation, the extent of the present and proposed system of storage reservoirs, the conditions existing in different parts of the Territory with reference to irrigation and water rights, and such other facts as they may deem proper, together with recommendations as to needed legislation on any of such subjects. The members of said irrigation commission shall each be entitled to a compensation of five dollars per day for each day actually necessary to perform the duties herein required not exceeding twenty days in any one year, and their necessary expenses, as a compensation for the services herein required to be performed by them. All expenses incurred by the commission, to be certified by the secretary thereof and approved by the president, shall be paid out of the proceeds of the land leased and sold under this act which are credited to the fund for the establishment of permanent reservoirs for irrigating purposes and the improvement of the Rio Grande.' "SEC. 17. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage." The commission duly appointed under said section of the act referred to consists of Messrs. Frank Springer, of East Las Vegas: E. A. Miera, of Cuba (Bernalillo County, N. Mex.): W. A. Hawkins, of Alamogordo: G. A. Richardson, of Roswell, and George W. Knaebel, of Santa Fe, all of whom qualified by taking the statutory oath of office. The commission was duly organized by the election of Mr. G. A. Richardson as its president and Mr. George W. Knaebel as its secretary, and has held several meetings and performed its duties to the best of its ability. The meetings were held at the capitol, in the office of the commissioner of public lands, in the city of Santa Fe, and at its meeting held on June 6, 1901, prepared and unanimously adopted a statement to the public in regard to the establishment of reservoirs, etc., and of which statement the following is a copy: By the act of Congress of June 21, 1898, there was donated to the Territory of New Mexico, among other, lands as follows: 6.6 For the establishment of permanent reservoirs for irrigating purposes, 500,000 acres.' "By the act of the legislative assembly of the Territory of New Mexico, approved March 20, 1901, authority was vested in the commission of irrigation to select sites for permanent reservoirs, to advise the United States Commission for the selection of the donated lands. as to the location of tracts of said lands to be located which may be irrigated by means of such permanent reservoirs, and to approve contracts to be made by the Commissioner of Public Lands for the establishment of such irrigation enterprises. By the same act of the legislature it was provided that contracts may be made by the Commissioner of Public Lands, with the approval of the commission of irrigation, by which there shall be given to the person or corporation who shall construct a reservoir for permanent water supply, a portion of the proceeds of sale of the land so located, and which may be reclaimed to permanent irrigation by means of such construction, the quantity of land to be so selected not to exceed 50,000 acres for any one enterprise. "The commission is of the opinion that the purpose intended to be subserved by the act of Congress was to promote the reclamation of arid lands by irrigation where there is no sufficient regular flow of water, and that the enterprises to be encouraged thereby are not those which simply construct canals from flowing streams to distribute upon lands, but are those which have for their object the conservation and storage of water from flood waters or from streams whose regular flow is insufficient for irrigating any considerable quantity of lands. This commission will therefore only entertain propositions for the location of reservoir sites of the latter character. "It is the opinion of the commission that these enterprises should not be limited to those of a large and expensive character, but that the aid promised by the act of the legislature should also be extended to those embracing moderate areas of land, and it will be the purpose of the commission to consider, as soon as the means at its disposal will enable it to do so, reservoir enterprises of the latter kind from all parts of the Territory. 66 Persons desiring to avail themselves of the above laws should forward to the Commissioner of Public Lands, for the commission of irrigation, an application for the selection of a reservoir site and location of lands thereunder, such applicacation to be accompanied by a complete statement of the nature of the proposed enterprise, its approximate cost. the exact location of the reservoir, its size, the quantity of water it will store, the source of supply, the water rights that have or can be secured by the applicant. the character and extent of the works to be constructed in connection therewith, a map showing the location of the reservoir and lands which can be irrigated therefrom by Government subdivisions, and, where practicable, a report of a c vil engineer containing the above details." The above statement was published on June 8, 1901, in the Santa Fe Daily New Mexican, and one hundred copies of that newspaper of the date mentioned were procured by this commiss on and one copy sent to every publisher or editor of newspapers and periodicals (sixty in all) published in the Territory. To all requesting information a copy of such newspaper containing the statement was sent, and in this manner the general public has been fully informed in regard to 'the establishment of permanent water reservoirs for irrigating purposes" as contemplated in the act of Congress above mentioned. and which act also grants 100,000 acres of land for the "improvement of the Rio Grande in New Mexico and the increasing of the surface flow of the water in the bed of said river." One contract has already been entered into for the reclaiming of 50,000 acres of arid land, by bringing such land under irrigation, in the establishment of permanent reservoirs, and the contract has been duly approved by this commission. The contract mentioned was made with Mr. Arsemos R. Burkdoll, or his assigns, and under such contract the waters of the Rio Mimbres will be stored in permanent reservoirs, and sufficient, it is hoped, to irrigate 50.000 acres of land. Mr. Burkdoll and his associates have represented to this commission that they have acquired or will acquire all the necessary water rights, and have already expended large sums of money in and about the building of the reservoirs, canals, etc., comprehended under the contract and confidently believe they will be able to show to the entire satisfaction. of this commission, when they apply for 75 per cent of the proceeds of sale of the 50,000 acres of land, they have properly built and established permanent water reservoirs holding sufficient water to properly irrigate that quantity of land. The commission has appointed Mr. Philip E. Harroun, of Albuquerque, N. Mex., its civil engineer, and it is expected his duties will be of the highest importance. Mr. Harroun is well recommended for ability and integrity, and the commission feels it has been fortunate in securing his services. On application of Mr. Burkdoll, this commission has requested the United States. Land Commission, created by the act of Congress above cited, to locate for irrigation purposes such additional quantity of land on the Mimbres River, of from 4,000 to 6,000 acres, as may be required by Mr. A. R. Burkdoll or his assigns, for occupation as reservoir sites and right of way for canals. The time to complete the enterprise under the contract with Mr. Burkdoll referred to is two and onehalf years from January 1, 1902, but work must be commenced and prosecuted with reasonable diligence from the beginning of such period. It is represented to this commission that over $150,000 will be expended by Mr. Burkdoll and his associates in the enterprise embraced under his contract. Of the 500,000 acres of land provided for in the act of Congress, 55,000 acres have already been contracted for under the said agreement with Mr. Burkdoll: and there are pending before this commission applications for like purposes by the American Valley Water Storage Company for about 15.000 acres of land in western Socorro County, at the west terminus of what is known as the American Vailey: by Messrs. Bishop, Wilson & Co., of Chicago, for 30.000 acres of land in townships 29 and 30 north and ranges |