Arizona republican., 1914-06-02
News Leaks Out in Meeting of Water Users Associa- tion Yesterday That It is No Mere Pleasure Trip for BarOnet
IS MAKING AN
 ECONOMY STUDY
Believed Builder of the As souan Dam is Retained at Staggering Fee to Re wise Water Service Con ditions in America

Sir William Willcocks. Bart. en- eineer of world wide fame is con- sulting engineer for the United States reclamation service on special de- tail to study water economy in the American projects.
 That was the astonishing informa tion that leaked out in meeting of the governors of the Water Users Comptroller w. A Ryan, himself, disclosing the official identity of the distinguished builder of dams. So it is no mere sightseeing trip Sir Will liam is taking. Neither is he devOt- ing himself entirely to the advance ment of science and engineering. He is not even looking for the good green fields, the pleasant rippling waters. the splendid masonry dams. and the efficient working systems but he is searching for flaws-alkali land. water logged acres. flooded roads. wasteful ditch and lateral systems, inefficient construction feat tres. In other words he is making d study of the defects in the Ameri- can system, from the viewpoint of man whose WatchWord has been econ omy. and whose practice has effect ed savings of millions in half dog en immense old world irrigation works.
 It was in a short speech made be- fore the members of the board of governors in their regular monthly meeting early yesterday afternoon that MT Ryan let slip the hint of Sir Williams real mission to Ari- zona. He gave his hearers the i'm pression that the new engineer was being retained at tremendous fee, but was well earning it by his incisive reports on the projects reports on which local engineers may base great improvements in the water service systems
 In startling coincidence with the announcement of Comptroller Ryan was the filing of petitions by the growers of cotton. cane. cantaloupes and other perishabIe crops, asking for emergency water service. With
  tected against further inroads. and the stiff growing season coming on, planters of cotton and other perish able commodities have concluded that they cannot quite get by with the apportionment coming to them out of the water fund
 The Remedy
 Twenty cotton men from Mesa, headed by Vice President E. w Will bur as spokesman, the nursery men headed by C. L Helm, the can grow CTS speaking through W. J. Murphy. the cantaloupe men getting represen- tatiCn from all three, appealed to the board for immediate relief With MT. Ryan, q member of the all powerful reclamation commission, present. the board was pleased to consult a high err up. In response, MT. Ryan made several suggestions, and incidentally admitted that the men on the farms and at the project headquarters knew more about their needs than anybody could possibly know at the Washington office He said that the commission was glad to aid the farmers when matters such as this are put up to that body Had l not been present, I could have known nothing of your emergency. Now, all have to say is. figure out what you want and we'll try to get it for you.'
 The result of the discussion was the adoption of q resolution asking | the reclamation service to serve emergency allotments of not to ex- ceed one acre foot per acre, out of what is known to be d twenty thou sand foot surplus over all present allotted waters in the reservoir. This amount has resulted from deposits made since the allotment was pub iished. The farmers will get this emergency service at $f25 an acre foot, which is considered cheap. l A committee composed of Project Manager Fitch, representing the rec | lamation service, and Engineer w. R. Elliott, representing the Water Users | is to administer this emergency fund Little Pump Projects
 A decision that may be the means of raising tiny pump projects all over the valley, was made at the board meeting yesterday. It has all ways been the custom not to permit the water users to exchange or trade credits on the reservoir or on the normal flow. But MT Ryan said that it would be permissible for in- dividuals or groups of water users ] to put in pump projects, supply the water to low canal and get an equal amount of river water from canal lines above their holdings This means that John Smith may build a l Continued on Page Twelve.)