Arizona republican., 1907-06-05
DELINQUENT LANDS
AND THOSE UNSIGNED
A New Presentation Of the Old Gospel
of Government irrigation Through
The Machinery Of The Water Users
Association.

Recently there has been in certain
quarters among the ranchers of the
valley. a revival of an old question
that was threshed out and presumably
settled as long ago as The early days OF
the Salt River Valley Water Users
association. New life was put into the
hiea b.. the change Of the administrd-
-tion Of the north side canals from a
private corporation TO the government.
Those farmers who have rights for
water service through the canals are
OF course. still getting their water and
this fact has given rise TO the old the
DRY mary advanced, that the man out
side the Salt River Valley Water
Users association was just as well off
as the man whose lands are signed up
10 the association. Nothing could be
farther from the truth and now is as
good a time as any to speak about the
matter.
Nobody can get water at all unless
he has a right to it by appropriation
from the river. That much is under
stood by all. But the man having APP
prOpriated water whose lands are also
within the association. will secure his
water through the government canals
at the exact pro rata of the cost Of
operating the canals. while the man
whose lands are not in the association
VIII have 10 pay for canal service
whatever the government administra-
zion chooses 10 charge him for il. What
that charge will be is not Yet made
known but it viii certainly be in eX-
cess Of the price charged TO the MEM
l..r Of 11.4 i1f he
ment will DO nothing To destroy the
rights Of the man outside the assOcia-
ton. but fair warning has been given
for the last five years Of its proposed
operations and all have been invited
and urged To sign their lands, aid the
work Of water storage and hasten the
day when all viii have the best re-
suits on the most economical and
equitable basis. II is plain that the
government therefore can have no es
pecial interest in the outsiders and
Will only carry their water for them
when convenient to do so, or rather
while still operating the canals in
which these outsiders had an interest.
but charging therefor a good fair price
for the service. These facts apply
with equal force TO the man who did
sign his lands to the association, but
defaulted in his payments and became
delinquent. Unless he pays up he is
in the same position as the man who
never signed.
This question may be pursued a lit
tie further. to point the government
has not reached Yet, but might reach
any time in the Immediate future. Tn
der the SlOsser decision. a man who
has once acquired a right TO run his
appropriated water through a certain
canal. by having utilized the canal for
that purpose year after year, has
something the government has
no idea of taking from him.
50 far as can now be predicted. But
suppose the government abandons that
canal. where is the aforesaid water
u.eT? To illustrate. it has been repeat
edly pointed out that when the gov
eminent gets its distributing system
whipped into shape there will be many
changes from the old Arizona system,
the purpose being to make just as few
canals as possible to properly water