Arizona republican., 1913-04-24
LANE FIRST ID
 HEAR FARMERS
New Secretary Will Hear About Salt River Project from President Orme: Board Prepares Special Recommendations

Recommendations touching every phase of the relationship between the Water Users association and the ad- ministrative body of the reclamation service Were passed at a special meet ing of the board of governors yester- day and given to President John F. Orme for presentation to Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane. MT. Orme will probably leave for Washing ton this evening bearing the sugges- tions of the association to the first conference a secretary of the interior has ever called with members of Wa ter Users associations. It is notable 1 that this meeting is the first official recognition of the fact that land own CTS under United States projects have any right to a word in the construc- tion and government of their own ir- rigation systems.
 Closer touch between the reclama- tion service and the Water Users asso- 1 citation is one thing that has been urged as a solution of every difference that now commonly arises. With this opportunity for suggesting changes in the administrative policy it has been predicted will come greater cooperation between the two factors in irrigation development.
 The first recommendation in the list concerns charges for maintenance The distribution of maintenance expenses ! over all land in the association for which tor ic l1 ic hn | important item in this recommends | ton. This system was instituted in | the Orlando project in California rec ently and The Republican discussed it | for this project at the time. The ex- 1 perience at Orlando has been that the ] system tends to throw open unculti- vated lands for the home seekers, has | reduced the large speculative holdings | and made the acres more uniformly 1 productive. The paragraph dealing with this matter:
 | Tn the distribution of water we be- l lieve that all lands whose owners are members of the Water Users associa- 1 tion and for which irrigation water is | available should pay an annual mini mum maintenance charge whether l cultivated or not; said maintenance charge being equal to the cost of de- l livery of two acre feet
 1 The recommendations go on to deal | with other vital questions-the sub mission of power contracts to the as- sociation an investigation of the pro- ject cost together with an engineer appraisal of the value of the work al ready done so as to eliminate from the
 sum the water users must finally play all items incurred in experiments which
 have gone to cheapen the costs of other projects; the early completion of the
 distributing system; homestead units
 matters of contracts between the pro
 jects and outsiders and things which
 increase the cost of the work and fin
 ally an endorsement of Senate Bill 100 which extends the time of payment.
 The rest of the recommendations ar'
 as follows:
 We believe that any contracts made for power or any expenditures made i: connection with development or dstri button of power on the Salt River pro ject should first be approved by th' Water Users association and that al revenue derived from the sale of powe be credited to the annual payments t' become due under the terms of tn reclamation act.
 We favor an early investigation o the cost of the Salt River project ant a just determination of the amour thereof properly chargeable to the Wa ter Users association.
 We urge the completion of the dis
 tributing system by the time the powe
 plants now under construction ar
 completed and in operation. We further believe that in justice t
 those homestead entrymen within tn
 Salt River project who filed on thei
 lands previous to the passage of tn !. three year homestead law in 1910, tn unit should not be reduced below It | acres
 s We especially urge that as tn | equitable owners of the project and oh , | ligated to repay to the government a 1 proper charges for it's constructio that the Water Users associatio
 should be informed and consulted re
 gardng every proposed contrac
 change of plans. new constructor
 change in method or charges of wat'
 distribution, increase of expenditul
 and every other matter affecting ti
 project, it's construction and cost. an
 should have a voice in the determine
 tion of all such questions.
 we heartily approve Senate Bill 1'
 providing for an extension of time
 twenty years for the re- payment of ti
 cost of the project and we request tf
 secretary of the interior not to oppo:
 it's passage
 The trip to Washington of MT. Orn
 will cause the postponement of |:
 proposed inspection voyage to Blood
 Basin and Lime Creek of representS
 tives of the association. reclamatit
 and forest services and stock grower
 which was to have started today