Arizona republican., 1909-09-19
Work Need Not Stop on the
 Eastern Canal
TELEGRAM FROM MR. BEEN
Acting Director of Recla- nation Service in Answer to Inquiry of B. A. Fow- Ter, Brings Cheerful News to Salt River Valley

Two telegrams are herewith pre- sented that will be a source of grati- fication to many residents of this county, particularly the farmers own ing lands under the eastern canal. construction is being prosecuted by cooperative plan, devised by the re- clamation service under the admins tration of President Roosevelt. Sec retary Ballinger disapproved of the cooperative plan and President Taft has sustained him, the inference being der it. Naturally there was great fear that work would necessarily be shut down at once on the Eastern canal, which many are depending on for wa ter for their crops next season, to say nothing of the disaster such action would be to the contractors wh ostart- ed the work in good faith and to the farmers behind them who made it's were the inspiration of the following telegram:
 Phoenix. Ariz., Sept IT, 1909. Director Reclamation Service, Wash
 ington. D. C.:
 Recent department ruling directing cessation of cooperation plan of can al construction threatens to stop work on EasteErn canal and entail crop loss of more than $10O.0OO. Can you assure early adoption of plan to continue work? This is urgent and we respect fully request early consideration to avert serious injury to farmers un- der said canal.
 B. A FOWLER,
 President Water Users Association.
 The following answer was received last night from Morris Bien. who is at present the acting director of the re- clamation service:
 Washington. D. C.. Sept IS, 1909. B. A. Fowler. Phoenix. Ariz.:
 Attorney generals and secretary's rulings prevent new cooperation con tracts, also prevent issue of receipt of certificates on pending contracts so far as reclamation service is concern ed. Compensation will be made for work hereafter reported under pending contract. Outstanding certificates or claims for certificates not issued will be settled under plans now being con- sidered. BEEN.
 To those fully conversant with the facts the above is fully explanatory. but it may need some further elucida- ton for the general reader. The in- depreciation placed upon MT. Bien's message by Mir. Fowler and Judge Kibbey is, first. that imperatively no new work shall be undertaken under the cooperative system; secondly, that no more certificates shall be is sued under any circumstances. but plans are under way for a settlement in some satisfactory manner for all certificates now issued; thirdly. that while no more certificates can be un- dertaken, the work already contracted | for may proceed and will be compen- sated for as fast as reported under ex- | isting contracts. in some manner not | set forth in the telegram. and possibly | not yet fully worked out as to plan, ! though the inference is that the | "conipensation" will be payment in | cash.
 The plan was devised so farmers not | located under completed ditch sys- tems but desirous of early securing | the benefits of the distribution of | stored water, might temporarily carry | the burden under the credit of the | government until the latter should | have sufficient money in the project | fund to assume that expenditure it. self for the project as whole. 9th erwise in this instance the farmers un- der the aEstern canal would have had to wait a couple of years at least before their ditch would be dug in the course of events.
 By this plan they were told to dig the ditch themselves and the govern ment would pay them for it in certi- ficates that would be as good as cash, for one purpose only, that of making annual payments back to the govern ment for the cost per acre of reservoir In other words. a man owning an acre of ground will in a year or two have to begin paying stipulated amount annually for ten years for his reservoir interest. Any he advanced for cooperative would be echangxed for certificates in the same amount. such certificates to be worth their face in making the annual payments. and they were transferable to any other person to be used for that purpose only. being registered and accounted for b1, the Water ITsers' association.