Arizona republican., 1913-04-08
WATER USERS
 BOARD MEET
Town Ditch, Chandler Con- tract, Ditch Cleaning Rates, All Subjects of Protest-Vote for Gov ernors and Councilmen CanVaSSed

If Phoenix wants the town ditch re- moved it must pay the entire expense itself. That is, if the protest taken in the regular monthly session of the board of governors of the Water Users association has any weight with the authorities.
 The recommendation recently sent to the Arizona congressional delegation by the city of Phoenix for the removal of the Salt River Canal, asking that the cost be stood by the city, the tax pay CTS in the neighborhood of the canal and the Reclamation Service-all said to be beneficiaries by the removal of the ditch will be matched shortly by a protest from the Water Users board of governors. This protest was passed unanimously yesterday and ordered prepared in writing by the legal adVis- or, Captain George D. Christy and sent by him to Araizona's congressional del egation, Senators Smith and Ashurst and Representative Carl Hayden.
 The protest maintains that the pro- ject which has ultimately to pay for all the activities carried on within it's boundry relating to canals and such, will not benefit in the long run by the removal or obliteration of the town ditch.
 The vote on governors and council men taken on April the first in the Salt River project was canvassed yester- day by the board of governors sitting as a canvassing board. Not a single change was made in the results as pub lished in the table of elections on April the second in the Arizona Republican.
 While the board was in a protesting mood yesterday it took upon itself the duty of objecting most seriously to the cOnsummation of the proposed contract between the government and the Chandler Improvement company for constructing for the latter certain pumping plants and laterals. Chandler and it's lands are said to be outside that acreage that was figured upon when the project was first planned. It is not so much an objection to the sale of power or the building of outside lat erals by the government as it is the fear that the project will contain more lands than the river and reservoir can serve. If Chandler lands are given water under the system proposed in this contract. it is said that a prece- dent will be established which will give them the right to water while some of the other lands are doing with out. especially if an agreement is signed
 The ditch cleaning problem was again before the house yesterday and resulted in proposal which may or may not probably the latter-suit the reclama- tiOn service officials. Three members
 pointed as a committee to draw up and submit a "lan or proposal to the rec lamation service to take charge of cleaning two test ditches for a year at
 the price which the government paid
 for the same work last season. If the
 water users association can make any thing on the side. well and good It will be just so much to the credit of the project, but the main thing which the governors are trying to demon strate is that ditch cleaning can be done very much more cheaply than it is done by the reclamation service. Just to try this idea out the gov ernment and the association organized sometime ago to give a little demon Stration. Plans and specifications for cleaning two test ditches: one on the
 north side and one on the south side were drawn up in the office of Engine or Reed and submitted to the association For six weeks advertisements were published to try to get bids from the 1 farmers on this work Result-One single solitary bid and that, so ridicu- l lously high that it could not be con | sidered for moment And at that | one eminent member of the board of 1 governors had been heard to say he 1 could clean ditches on contract for fifty per cent what it costs the gov 1 ernent.
 l The complication Of the federal eight 1 hour law for laborers on government
 work entered and spilled the beans for 1 a number of would be contractors who 1 hoped by hiring a flock of Maricopas
 and Pimas and working them about | fifty hour a week to make a nice little | bit on a contract, bid in slightly under | the government figure.
 | Another chance will be given to the 1 farmers to demonstrate how sheapy 1 they can do the work of maintenance
 on certain valley canals and laterals.