Arizona republican., 1913-06-28
Secretary of Interior Out lines Conditions Under Which the Farmers May Take Over Maintenance and Operation
OF ALL
 ACRES MUST ASSENT
Vote Required by Depart ment Head Almost Pro hibitiVcly Large - Also Names Questions to Be Settled

settled
 Outlining his conditions under which the farmers of the Salt river project may take over q part of that | project and naming some of the open questions that must be settled before | he will allow any of the anagement | to be taken from his hands. Secre- tary Lane of the interior department | yesterday communicated at length [ with President John r. Ormc on the ! matter which has been agitatcd here | for some time. Before the majority ! of the construction charges are re- paid to the reclamation fund this | project must be held by the govern ment. but if the water users desire to act as agents of the secretary, 1 parts of the management of the sys tenn may be turned 0Ver-but then only on condition that two-thirds of the irrieable acreage in the project is voted favorable to the change By some this amount is considered much too high, that il will be impossible at this time of the wear to get out fifty per cent of the vote on both sides of the proposition, much less the two thirds assenting- Others be- liove that by working on the farmers
  part of the concern a week from Tuesday.
 By the table printed herewith it will be seen that it will take q Vote of 107064 acres within the project to carry the proposition-or that 2.344 land owners will have to come out 10 the polls before the secretary condition can be fulfilled
 MT Lane notes several things that must be determined before the ncg"- tiations are over: fixing the bounds of the project; taxing all acres Tor which water is available the mlni- mum whether the two acre feet are used: determining who shall pay for 1 extending the lateral system and the pumping plants.
 The letter If MT Lane follows: IDEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, | WASHINGTON.
 June 21, 1913. MT. John Orme, President,
 Salt River Valley W. l.. A, Phoenix. Arizona.
 Sir.-Tn accordance with the re quest made by you when in attend ance at the conference in washing I ton May l to F, to the effect luat arrangements be entered into with
 vour association to operate the irri- l EatlOn SNSIefilp l ~tt 4LC 2''J'N 1 vided vour association is willing to
 assnrne the obliPa tions which rest Iupon the government
 As a necessary preliminary to con | sidering such an arrangement II l7 essential that there be clearly cN-
 nressed desire on the part of at least
 t1vo-+hirds of the stockholders repre-
 senting two-thirds of the lrrIgahle acreage that the government turn over to the association the operation and maintenance of the system anu | that the stockholders as 2 body are
 ,,.iI1ine, to assume the obligations in- cident to such management bE llcih communicating the effective protection
 and use of the works and the carry
 ITO ant of all understandings or
 ,eraanents incident 70 control ot thls ' character.
 The reclamation act of June l'. f 1000 con+enplat in section that
 when the payments required hN the act are made for the maJor p'Fti'i
 of the lands. then the management
 ana oneration shall pass to the own
 ars of the lands to be maIntalneu a1 their expense. 1,;1 oc+
 boe not vet arrived and, therefore,
 # is impossible to make the llild'
 rranqanoents contemplated in the
 act h,it prior to the time when pay |
 o,+r have been made for the ma1"r
 ,ar+ior of the lands, it may pc PIt'-
 liaat1o for vour association, actfhE as agent of the secretary ol the ill 4orior to carry on the operation o+bnrv,fse must be handled py mn r. i with this view of the iild' 'tI' , iz that the association acts d9 'iio aocnt of the secretary o1 tile iii'I n , for. that I will endeaVof u iiioo' desires expressed by you. +,,c Assuming that two-thlrds ol a7.baIdnrs representing two thlrds +bo acreage desire the assoclallon = act in this capacity. 1t Will o' s.ol,ossarv in the preliminary asic'- o,7+ to decide upon the 1oAo"i i's pottirs rtirst-The definite acreage ana m 10, cation of lands to be 1ncluoeo III ''' project o,, o,, Second-The 1evying upon each am every irrigable acre thus de9iE Eil'''' af uniform operation and mainten ance charge to be pald e'oh S } ,,,botber water is used or not, ah' an additional charge per acre-foo far water used in excess of two acre feet per acre.
 ,rbird-The lateral system to be eX ] 4o,,7aa to each farm unit within LII ! designated area. LII. ,, } Fourth-The system of wells all $ pumps to be completed Wl'h q } to irritating the maximum acreas st' The above items are among ,,,ost important to be considered II any nreliinary agreement. There arr donbtIess other details which will oc cur to both of us during the cours