The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-05-04
/
|WASTEF(]LNESS
NOT INDICATED
Hearing on Salt River Recla-
nation Service By Secretary
Comes to an End.
CHARGES NOT PROVEN
No Detailed Investigation to Be Made
a. he Facts in The Case Do
Not Warrant Il.
CHARGES NOT PROVEN

Secretary Of the Interior Lane stated
yesterday at the hearing ~ the Salt River
reclamation project that no facts had
been developed during the two days cen
ference on this project which indicated
fraud or gross wastefulness. He further
stated that the testimony which has been
so far brought forward did not warrant
him in asking the large appropriation
from Congress necessary for a detailed
investigation of the works by competent
experts.
BY the close of the conference yester-
day afternoon. no testimony embodying
specific charges had been given, and
Secretary Lane adjourned the hearings on
this project indefinitely. He announced
that when the conference reassembles on
Monday at 1:s0 the time will be given to
the consideration OF other projects.
Lewis c. Hill. supervising engineer Of
the southwestern division of the Recla-
nation Service, who constructed the
Roosevelt dam, and who Is In charge
of the Salt River project in Arizona,
made a statement of the operations OF
this project yesterday. and remained
upon the stand until the adjournment
Of the hearing. =
At the conclusion of Mr.. HilIs state
ment, Secretary Lane questioned him
upon the feasibility OF turning the opera
ton Of the irrigation works over to the
water users themselves. why shouldn't
they have all the glory of its manage
ment-and all the trouble?' he asked
Mr.. Hill.
Hill Clears Some Points. =
Engineer Hill stated that he could see
no objection to putting the property
in the hands of the water users, other
than such complications as would arise
from the fact that the work upon this
project has not yet been completed.
Secretary Lane then inquired whether
or not it was possible to place the con-
troll of the distribution of the water in
the hands OF the users. The people in
the Salt River project are evidently not
satisfied. he said, and fun control of
the distribution of the water. might OBJ
viate this dissatisfaction.
Another point upon which the Secre-
tary mistakenly sought Information was:
Do land spectators profit from the ex-
penditures of the government in the ir-
rigation improvements to greater eX-
tent than the homesteaders?
Mr.. Hill thought not. He said that
there were two distinct types of specu-
lators First, there was A class OF
men owning large tracts of land az
fected by the Salt River project who
had purchased their lands several years
before the reclamation measure was
passed, before bringing water to these
lands by government cooperation was
thought of. This class, Mr.. Hill said.
is undesirable land SPECTATORS. The
other class, he stated, are those VINO
are buying lands to be reached by irri-
CATION and continually disposing of them
in broken-up holdings when water Is
opened through them.
Tn lrrlRatf0n
done for the lands, Mr.. Hill said that
lands worth so an acre before water
was brought to them are now worth
from 500 to $50 per acre
Secretary Lane again said: who
gets the benefit of the added land values
from all the money that the United
States is spending there? Are the large
or small holders most benefitted?'
Mr.. Hill stated that large and small
holders benefited equally.
Senator Ashurst of Arizona questioned
Mr.. Hill as to the feeling between the
farmers and the representatives of the
reclamation service. Mr.. Hill stated that
he was not aware of especial ill-feelng
between the service and farmers n the
project. He said that they consulted
to gether frequently. The case of How |
ard Reed. one of Mr.. Hills assistants, |
was brought UP again yesterday. Mr.. |
Hill was asked why ne Kept man In /
his service who was a persona non grata |
to the farmers. Mr.. Hill answered that
it was because of Mr.. Reeds high ef- |
ficiency. Mr.. Hill was closely questioned |
concerning several contracts, but his an |
swers were all apparently satisfactory.
Examination Is Severe.
Mr.. Hill stated in answer to a Cues |
ton that it would take many thousand |
dollars to carry out an examination Of |
the project, when this matter should be |
placed in the hands Of competent men. |
Estimates of the cost given were be- |
tween $4,000 and 100000.
The engineer was subjected to the |
sharpest questioning during the last few |
minutes of the hearing. He was asked |
to give an outline of his experience as |
an engineer, to explain his possession |
Of stock in certain Arizona bank. to
clear up certain details of a deal for |
a canal bed. and to answer the charge |
that the Reclamation Service dealt with
to their interest and left |
small holders high and dry
Mr.. Hill made clear answers to all of
the questions. He entered into the de-
tails of various contracts and construc-
tons of the service. and told at length
Of his qualifications for his work.
Before he could answer the charges
IA i