Arizona republican., 1903-05-03
LAND OWNERS
IN CONFERENCE
Water Users Under The Mari.
cOpa Canal
Take Long Step in the Right Dsrec-
iion-Paving the Way to a Harmon
izlng of Differences and a General
Signing of the Articles of the Water
Users Association.

Inc meeting oil the landowners under |
the Maricopa canal. held at the rooms
of the Water Users association yester- |
day, was in many ways one of the !
most pleasing and satisfactory confer |
enceS of water users that has been held |
since the campaign for water storage |
began. 1t was well attended and was !
composed largely of men who have thus |
far restrained themselves from signing !
their lands to the association articles. |
yet all was harmony and the discus /
sions We're with the best of feeling and
resulted in action that it is believed
will end in most of the north side land /
owners signing up" These men have
most of them held honest differences. /
ana it is believed they now see their
way out.
One of their contentious has been
that they could not sign till assured
that the association would eventually
own the canals through which they
| We're to receive water and with the
further stipulation that lands under
any specified canal should be taxed for
the acquiring of no canal except the
one through which they received their
water. This contention, it is believed,
is in a fair way of adjustment through
4 bylaw of the association which is TO
/ be considered by the council on Mon
day, and which will no doubt be adopt
ed. In furtherance of the same move
! a resolution has been drawn up which
will be presented to the board of gov
i ernors at their next meeting carrying
out the same idea 1t is maintained
that the articles respecting the powers
of the board of governors are already
all sufficient, but the resolution if
adopted will put the members Of the
/ board on record as to how they shall
use those powers, thus guaranteeing TO
! the landowners in question the things
they desire to be specifically assured of.
j. p. Orme, who presided at yester-
! days meeting and who is one of the
| large landowners who has thus far re-
! fused TO sign, stated to Il Republican
reporter last night that when these
things We're adjusted ne was ready and
willing to sign, and he believed those
who have thus far held out would be
ready also.
| The feeling of harmony and unity OF
! interest having been signified at yes
/ terday's meeting it was deemed wise
! to set in motion Il movement looking
! to the acquiring of the respective north
| side canals by the association. To ar
rive at this end it was deemed advisa-
bic for the meeting of landowners to
; open negotiations with the canal COM
pany for the purpose of ascertainirg
| the terms and conditions on which the
| Maricopa canal may be acquired by the
! landowners through the association. A
committee of five was therefore ap-
| pointed for this work. of which Mr..
! Orme was to be chairman and to which
| Mr.. Maxwell was added as adviser. the
| other five being John r. Norton, L. D.
Williams, Lincoln Fowler. George D.
ChriSty and Hosea GreenhaW.
This committee has a large and an
| important task to perform, and it is
| recognized in the beginning that it can
not treat with the Arizona Water COM
pany in respect of the Maricopa canal
alone. Its first work, therefore, will he
to secure the same action by the land
owners under each the Salt River
Valley. the Grand and the Arizona
canals and the joint committees to con-
suit and act with representatives of the
water company, the majority owner of
all these canals, in some manner yet
to be planned, for the untying of the
north side knot and the disentangle-
ment of the situation. Its work will
probably be somewhat on the order OF
the undertaking of the original water
storage committee which labored and
! brought forth the Water Users asso-
citation. While it is a big underta king
it is not appalling, and should not be
so hard a job as the first effort which
included every diversified interest in
the valley.
Meanwhile, however, the articles Of
incorporation will be signed up and the
government will go ahead with the
construction of the dam.
Mr.. Maxwell was present at yester-
days meeting and made clear several
points that previously clouded the
minds of some and one in particular
which it is believed will result in max
ing nearly every landowner see it 10
his interest to sign the articles.
The letter OF Mr.. Davis To Mr.. Fowler
vas read. stating that the only thing
that delayed the letting of contracts
for machinery for construction was the
need of sufficient signatures to the ar
ticles to guarantee to the government
the return of its money. 1t was brought
out by the remarks of some of the land
owners that they have been under the
impression to date that the moment
they signed the articles their lands
We're mortgaged tC. the association ire
deemably. One man asked how Il man
after signing could get out of the reser-
!, voir enterprise? Nj. Maxwell answered
BY having never gotten in" BE then
read from the articles and continued
to explain that signature TO the articles
and working in the association TO the
point of completion of the reservoir,
| merely gave him the right at that time
to demand of the government his pat
: ent emitting him to reservoir water
If at that time he is sick of his bargain
= and drops out he merely forfeits all
= . oil