Arizona republican., 1914-11-29

be brought under cultivation. The rec lamation fund must therefore be main tained intact For this reason it is your duty to pay a dollar where you get d dollars worth of value so that the money may be used some place else to assist other men who are entitled to have homes for themselves and their children.
 Other deserts must be reclaimed, other communities must be established, with schools and churches and com fortable homes: otherwise the waste lated. You are doing the proper, pat riotic thing when you return the mon- ey that has made your prosperity pos sible It is not like paying a debt to some money lender who seeks nothing but his own profit. You are giving back to beneficent government q fund to be used by other Americans who have the same right to enjoy the comforts of life as any one of you.
 You should not selfishly say, "I will save for myself every dollar that I can," because you must realize that the dollar loaned to you must be repaid if it is to do useful work in any other place. That is the way this question is viewed by the members of the house and senate in discussing our irrigation policy. It is big, broad scheme, pro- viding for revolving fund that will ultimately reclaim the west. If it had not been for the wide scope of the plan we would never have obtained the rec lamat;On act in the first place. It is only proper that you should bear that fact in mind when the time comes to carry out your promises to the gov ernment.
 In this brief time I wanted to help you to appreciate the situation both as to the merits of the reclamation exten- sion act and as to the attitude of the secretary of the interior. as l under stand it, respecting the deductions that may be made from the construction charge for the project. I shall now be glad to answer any questions that you may ask
 Completion ot the Projects
 MT Murphy. What about the com pleting of the projects? What seems to be the feeling of congress?
 MT Hayden. The failure of the rec lamation service to complete the pro- iects promptly and within the estimat ed cost was the principal reason why we had to accept an amendment pro- viding that hereafter. instead of allow ing the reclamation fund to be appor- tioned by the secretary of the interior. congress will direct where it is to be spent. It was charged on the floor of the House, and proven, that the recla- nation service, in planning the work to be done. greatly underestimated the cost on all of the projects. Instead of adopting some ten or twelve projects for construction, which could have been completed promptly. they began work on nearly thirty. with the result that they are trying to keep all the projects going with insufficient funds. If the reclamation service had commenced work on half the number of projects, all could have been completed, pay ments started and the money returned Whether the committees of congress will do any otter l have grave doubts i but nevertheless. from now on. any | money that is apportioned to any pro 1 ject will be allotted by a committee of | the house and committee of the sen ate. as part of some annual approp- riation bill. The result is that con | gressmen are placed in this position | Heretofore the members from the west | could act as a unit in respect to irri- | gation legislation but now it will bt | necessary, for instance. for me to gC against my good friend Ed Taylor oi | Colorado in order to show why more
 money should be allotted to Arizona 1 than to the Uncompagre project.
 must do the same to Tom Stout o l Montana, and to the gentleman iron i Nevada. In other words, this change is | going to inject a certain amount of an | tagonism into the relations between tho
 members from the west respecting tho
 division of the money for reclamation | work 1t is the duty of each one of us
 to obtain, as best we can, for our sev- eral states the amount of money nee eSSdrN to CdTTN the pTOJeCtS on tt completion.
 MT. Murphy. Is there general dis position to complete these projects? MT. Hayden. Yes.
 MT. Murphy. Any probability of get
 ting money from other sources?
 MT Hayden. I understand that thu
 secretary of the interior feels this wa! about it. While he would like to ge
 money at once by a bond issue or oth erwise, yet he cannot consistently E,
 to congress and ask for more money
 until the reclamation extension act i
 placed in actual operation and until thu people of the west show good faith D,
 making their payments when due l the water users meet the terms of tn law he can then come to congress an, say, You see they have made good. an,
 a loan may be made to them with tn
 assurance that it will be repaid Bu where the payments have been delaye,
 as long as on this project, for instance you have not in any way shown you
 desire to pay by actually making a pay ment.
 MT. Murphy But we have kept ou
 contract
 Mr. Haydan Ahsolutol,, eo ,,,, te +bj