Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1911-03-18
Roosevelt Oedioates II

Pho nix. ,AsU. March lS.-Whul
Colonel IN udore Roosevelt stepped
olt today upon the platform over
hanging the 2N0.fool hilh facade ct
The great dam which bears his name
the most prominent man IN his per.
sonal escort was John Y Ormc. prcsi.
dent of he Water Cacrs association
Nj Orme introduced Co,onel
Roosevelt. on behalf OF the 25ooodd
members Ot the association of lar.
m.rs who made possible the great
Salt river reclamation project pl lrdg-
ing sil per acre for 20O00U acres OF
land which, they owned that they
wogld IN ten years rom the opening
OF thc project. repay a. the rate OF
81 .unn 600 Per wear the $4,000 900
loaned by Uncle Sam 90 build the
dam
Ormc and his friends and neigh
hOrs nave 'or the first line IN the
history of the United States eXempil.
fed principle OF guv'rnmr MT co.
operation and government hnaucing
NJ n gr,a, proioct Out ct reach oi
private cppiihl
II is this same Water Users asso-
citation John + Ormr. president
which Viii take tit," in It's own name
20 the great Roosevelt dam with its
more thau 500 miles of main ana
subsidiai, canals. when n pci cent
of th s"ooo, GOO now uwina on tho
works has hoon paid
The government was adv tO go
ahead with the building ol the dam
u found that most of The land in tho
valley was under private ownership.
said Mr. Orme The government
could nor sn q farmers aud make an
individual deal with each lan1 own.
or That vas win, So formed the
association We incorporated II with
1900 uomh rs There arc 2i0N mem.
hcrs NOW. each IN, owner of 100
acres of land 40 one can own
more than that under th, rc,ama
ton prf
Roughly SPEAKING ~ the time ol
uur hrsi agreement with the govern.
m,nt We bad signed up about 200.
o00 acres On this land, which is
now receiving water, we levy an as.
Hcssmtnt ~ 81 90 per acre per year
for maintonanc. operation ana I'm
proyomonts This amounts TO $50
Ior yoag on each larn
We will repay the $y.uo0, ,u0o which
out interest, and In ten annual paw
mNnts. after the reclamation project
is declared formally opened rhat
viii he TWO wears from now Each
farm OF the 2u0.010.odd acres pledg
ed r"lnvs NJ the yale OF Sij per acre
That makes II sli0 per acre per
wear But by the tim" tho repay
ment begins, We will have much
. loo Ytt.
az than We have now We now re-
ceiyo from this source sGo.00n pc,
year A. tn demand tor power IN
creascs We VIII sell more power
With the power from proposed new
plants we viii have an estimated an
nual income Of s20oo00.
This. Wo figure will lct Ms clint
nate tn maini nance and extension
charge OF s 80 per acre. AMI lol the
farmer repay only the actual cost
ol the great reclamation project H.
scd"
The Water Users association Is a
sort of miniature model OF the fed
cral government, The irrigablo arcu
is divided into ten districts Each
of these districts elects three mem
bors Ia the council and one membe,
10 the board OF governors, which cor
responds To the house of represents
tives and The senate The president
of the association If also chairman
of tn board OF governors
Each owner OF one l6u'acre unit
has AZ much voice In the affairs OF
the association a. any other owner
and no one can own more than on,
unit
We think" said Mr. Ormc. that
We have Il combinalion.prooi. mo.
nopoly.prOof and hog proof
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