El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-06-28
DISC0RD APPEARS
At COST REVIEW
Attorneys For Water Users
and Reclamation Service
Have First Clash.

Discord began to appear Monday
morning at the cost review IN progress
here to determine the cost Of the Ele-
plant Butte irrigation project
H. B. Holt. attorney for the Elephant
Butte Water Users association, and
Porter W. Dent, legal adviser to the
reclamation service, crossed verbal
swords lightly as to the admission as
evidence before the cost review board
of certain testimony, including a re-
port on irrigation subjects made by
army engineers to the SD congress and
certain articles in the incorporation
papers of the Elephant Butte Water
Users association. Neither document
was admitted as evidence, the board
not making any decision at the time
First show OF Fire.
Although the objections made by
both attorneys to the evidence sub
mitted by his opponent was couched
in the smOothest language, enough
fire" was apparent to suggest that
the hearing will develop some hot
fighting before the investi cation is fin
when the board went into session at
II o'clock Monday morning on the ninth
floor Of the Mills building. that the at
torneys for the water users state the
contentious LlEN are 70 AlAaEAE Al AAAl
hearinE-that is, whether they mean 10
argue that he water users should pay
the actual or the estimated cost OF the
Cost Exceeds Estimate.
The original estimation was S7,2OO.0O0
but the actual cost will far exceed
that sum. Both Richard Burgess and
Mr. Holt admitted that the water users
associations Of the Rio Grande valley
had passed resolutions stating they
would pay the actual cost OF the pro
iect. no matter whether II exceeded the
estimated cost. While the argument
between Mr.. Dent and Mr.. Holt was
on regarding this question, professor
T L. Taylor, chairman Of the board,
announced that the proper cost OF the
project was the only one 10 De con-
sfdered He pointed out that II the es-
timated cost were the one to be paid by
the water users, the question was al
ready settled, as the amount IS ALREADY
named likewise, with the acIuaA cost,
for that can be determined by merely
auditing the accounts Of the project 70
date. Theferoe, he said, the only peru
neut question to consider would be the
proper cost
Many Documents.
Voluminous documents containing
transcript Of the authorization Tor the
building Of the project, the original
agreement between the water users ana
the reclamation service, the agreement
with Mexico in rgard TO the distribu-
ton Of the water and similar data per
tanning TO the proJecl-on Wnlcn lneIs
will likely be no fight-Were submitted
70 the hoard by the farmers represen-
tatfves. They were all admitted Win
ont question by Mr.. Dent Chairman
TAYLOR announced that he was IN 1aEor
Of admitting all testimony suDnlttel
by either side. When. later, Nj Dent
ATTEMPTED to submit an irrigation re-
mort by army engineers TO congress- at
rOrnevs for -the water users prepared
10 resist its admission to the records
and brought up the questlon % 81.
Ievancv. Before the matter could ne
argued-and It appeared that the ar
q-rment might be a heated one-tne
morning meeting adjourned
Among those at the morning session
we're professor Taylor, L. N. Lawson
- W CLAMP. nember Of the board;
FeIfT Martinez, Porter W. Dent, II Is;
Holt. Richard F. Burgess and Terrell
Written Testimony.
When the board resumed its session
after lunch the first business that cam
before il was a general discussion OF
fhe adrnissibility of testimony Attor-
news and board members cast ABOUT
fer A means Of determining fairly 70
both the water users and reclamation
service the relevancy Of proposed testl-
monv Chairman Taylor and MS COL
leagues left the room to discuss the
matter. When they returned, II was
announced that all persons who sub
nit testimony in the form Of documents
must give a brief statement OF the IN
formation therein and the object OF its
presentation. If there are no obJec-
lions from the opposition. the testl-
mony viii be admitted II there are
objections, the board Will hear them
and pass on the question Of admitting
the testimony involved into the record
L. ;. Arny Report.
The fact which brought this question
I'D was the submission OF a report by
Porter W. Dent. Of the observations
OF a board of army engineers regarding
reclamation projects. H. B. Holt Oh
jected TO it on the grounds Of irrele-
vancy and the board was forced to
take IL under consideration As there
are many thousands of word in II, the
discussion OF it by the board consumed
much time