The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1913-07-09
ADVISES
FARMERS
Secretary Of the Interior
Would Have Settlers Hand
lie Own Affairs.
Letter From Secretary Lane Asks
Truekee-Carson Project Farmers
To Perfect Association.

Washington. d. C., june IS. 1913.
President Truckee-Cafson Water
Users Association.
Sir
Al the conference held IN Wash
in. .on May / TO II, certain formal
requests were made by the delegates
present. II Is my desire, as far as
practicable TO conform TO these re-
quests by modification of the exist
lrg administrative methods.
The first request made by these
delegates is that a water users as
soeiation shall be established on
each project TO cooperate and deal
with the government. This request
ls given in the following language:
we believe no project, or unit
thereof should be permitted to be
constructed or operated by the gov
s.nnent or IT'S agents. without the
cooperation of legal organization
OF all the signed land owners, or en-
trymen hereunder. into water
users association.
The first question | would Ike 10
ask you whether your present asso-
citation which / understand Is vol
nntary 10 a certain extent repre-
fehts ell the entrymen or ownora Of
private lands included within the
project.
The second question Is whether
two-third5 of the entrymen and own
ers Of irrlgable land included with
IN the project. representing at least
two-thirds of the acreage, desire that
the association be recognized ag rep
resentatiye OF all Of the water users.
and that each water user shall con-
tribute 20 the expenses Of the said
association. Past attempts 10 COM
lel the minority Of water users 10
cone into the association have been
questioned on the grounds of legal
ity and proprlety Before going to
such extremes hereafter. il is desir-
able and necessary that have the
clearly expressed views OF at least
t7o-thirds Of the water users Of the
various projects
It is my hope that it will be pos
f.0le IN the near future for The gov
eminent to cooperate and deal with
each and all the water userg on your
project through an association. Judg-
ilg in the light of past experiences,
& does not appear practicable 10
foster and maintain constructive CO.
operation between the government on
The one hand and the water users as
individuals on the other II there
S to be an administration of the af-
fairs of these reclamation projects
that Is not arbitrary and bureaucrat-
le (the two main adverse criticisms
that have been mpde against the
past arrangemcnD. II is necessary
that the opinion Of the water users
as whole shall be expressed through
some association created by them
selves. with which the government
may deal as one in authoriay There
must be some such organization upon
whose official statement and word l
can place complete reliance as rep
resenting the views OF great major
ity Of the water users.
Instructions have been issued to
your project engineer or manager to
furnish applicants with all available
Information concerning the method
OF organization of similar water us
ers associations elsewhere. II should
be easily understood by all Interested
that all homestead entrymen or land
owners must be members in good
standing OF water users associations
that are officially recognized by the
secretary, and that the secretary
Will cooperate with the association
to enforce payment of membership
dues.
Although II has not been found
practicable to organize these associ-
atoms on the basis of equal votes for
each individual, ii has been found
necessary TO set a definite limit to