Arizona republican., 1914-10-07

i tober first, many land owners have been denied the right to buy water in the usual manner and have been notified that they will be required to come under this proposed "TRUS- 1 TEE RENTAL BASIS" plan. Tn many cases the lands denied are acreage tracts distant from any town or city and used solely for agricul- l tural purposes.
 | This Board desires to protest against the action of your commits sion, and to express it's disapproval | of the same on the grounds of it's 1 forfeitures of the rights of such land owners, as owners of shares of stock i in the Salt River Valley Water Users 1 Association, and of the priority rights they control; also on the ground of it not being to the best l interests of the Salt River Valley, and again on the ground that the action of the Commission is in no manner authorized by the law on which they have based it.
 i Referring to the Act of April 16 1906. We find it is as follows: An Act PROVIDING FOR THE WITH DRAWAL FROM PUBLIC ENTRY OF LANDS NEEDED FOR TOWN . SITE PURPOSES IN CONNECTION WITH IRRIGATION PROJECTS UNDER THE RECLAMATION ACT OF JUNE r, 1902" and for other purposes.
 We leave out Immaterial portions to save space, but will quote enough of the law to show that the intent and purpose of the law was never for the purposes to which You have now applied it.
 BE IT ENACTED * That the Secretary of the Interior may with draw from public entry any lands reeded for townste purposes in connection with irrigation projects under Act of and not exceeding | 160 acres in each case and survey and subdivide the same into town lots x
 Section provides for the ap- | prasement and sale of such lots | Section relates to the mainte- | nance by the town authorities of the 1 public reservations of such town | sites.
 Section I. upon which the Com mission probably bases it's authority
 is as follows:
 That the Secretary of the Interior shall. in accordance with the pro- visions of the reclamation Act, pro-
 vide for water rights in amount ie
 may deem necessary for the towns
 established as herein provided, and
 may enter into contract with tn, proper authorities in such towns, an,
 other towns or cities on or in th,
 immediate vicinity of irrigation pro iects, winch shall have water righ | from the same source as that of saif project for the delivery of such wa. J ter supply to some convenient point = and for the payment into the recla
 nation fund of charges for the same | to he paid by such towns and cities
 which charges shall not be less no
 upon terms more favorable thal
 those fixed by the Secretary of tn,
 Interior for the irrigation projec
 from which the water is taken"
 Section , pertains to the develop
 ment of power
 An analysis of the law does no ! reveal any authority for the Com { mission to bring hereunder thou | sands of acres of patented lands loni , under irrigation entirely outside O
 the limits of any city or town. sub
 divided into tracts which may a
 they say Indicate a use for town II site purposes"
 y We find that in this case, tn : owners of such lands were not con
 suited in the matter, and we believ
 that even if the law did so provid
 for subdivided districts to come un It der the Trustee, Rental plan" tha Il it should be only with the approve e of the majority of such owners. y Setting aside the legality of tn e action you have taken, we must pro
 test against the same on broade Y principle.
 l. The government itself. and n
 Secretary of the Interior, personal. l. have shown a disposition to encour
 age the smaller unit of ownership [ If lands under irrigation projects. Thei n every act has been to discouras IT large units of ownership and to en IT courage the smaller; the small trac $ ownership is the spirit of the gov $ ernment. recognized as the solutio = of the many problems that confror
 the community dependent upon th l. expensive methods required for tn IF cultivation of lands under an irriSa d tion project
 Il The welfare and prosperity of tn If Salt River Valley depends upon l. larger population, a large home mar n ket, and an attendant higher cultiva n tion of the soil. and more intensifie
 farming.
 e To that end the first and greates is necessity is the subdivision of th D. larger tracts of land into small farm $ or ranches and the application of IT e tensificd methods of cultivation.
 The man who cultivates two, fiV ,r or ten acres of land well and make l. it produce to it's capacity of tn