Arizona republican., 1917-03-01


ton directly in opposition IL that OF
The members of The national reclama-
ton commission Of WASHINGTON, u. c,
in the matter of the movement now
under way TO secure the concession
OF the application Ol water power
revenues To the immediate payment
If project operation and maintenance,
Secretary Lane. himself western
man. is Sicins directly in with the
water users oil the Salt river valley.
While il is charged that the reclama -
lion commission is oDposing both
Mir Lane ana the users in granting
this request.
Received yesterday bv the Water
Users association. the verbatim re-
port of the hearing bv fhA committee
on irrigation Of arid lands in con.
gross granted ON CONGRESSMAN Carl
Haydens bill is every para graph of
interest to eVer,' user Of prOject water
in the salt river valley. If The Water
Users association and the secretary
~ the interior receive the legislation,
from congres IS they arc after II means
an annual saving estimated at least
81 for each acre in the salt river
valley project 1t win be noted that
Congressman Moudell of the state OF
Oregon was notable in his opposition
q to the bill which has been introduced
tnr the relief of the irrigators Of this
valley
The hearing was held with Honor
able William X. Smith. chairman o.
The congressional committee. presid-
ing and statements were made by
Director Davis General Counsel VIII
r. King Of he rcclama ton service
and Edward c. FinneN. memoer board
of appeals, interior department. There
was introduced a letter from Secre-
taly Lane recommending the enact
ment of the bill in question, being Fl.
i. 20.294.
one OF the statements was nat the
public notice. rs prepared by the rec
lamation commission. tor this project
was sent L. the secretary for his APP
prevail and was returned to the rec
lamation commission with directions
10 amend the concluding paragraph.
which would allow the Yearly credit
for power TO he applied in the NeaI
in which it was earned instead of be
ing accumulated and apply toward
the end of the 20-year period or about
sixteenth wears and from there on.
Evidently the reclamation commission
WAS abie to convince the secretary
that ne had no legal power TO SO APP
Div the power receipts and therefore
lie approved the original draft of the
public notice. However, At the same
time, he sent for Congressman Hay
den and gave him for introduction 4
bin " hich If adopted ~ congress
would give him tine power To do what
he wanted to DO in the beginning.
Oregon Man Fights Plan
Congressman Mondeu made u state
ment before the committee and some
of the dialogue following his remarks.
and those ct other witnesses. are eX-
tremely Interesting as shown in the
following extracts
Mr. MondeH continuing. If VOC
viii give US another million dollars OF
the Shoshone ont Of the fund and We
can find market for the power We
viii have taken from the fund $1,000,
eco Of money not 70 reclaim lands and
make homes but to build q manulac-
tuning plant and bs- 50 doing We may
he. a -cOrding - The theory Of this bill
entirely relieved from repaying any 9.
the money we have borrowed. either
aor the power plant or for irrigation.
Now. how far would we get with "a
request Of that sor. under those cir
cumstances aud conditions Where
would We get the money
Mr. Hayder-St:ange as it ma
sound to vou. that is exactly the prop
osition which was made to the water
users under the salt river project
INfE " - an 81 ftSNF-t'tl AZ t43-t ~ az at
expenditure al S3.ue0 600 fer power
plants and when the reclamation
fund became exhausted they cts
told that If they lvoHld tax them
selves and raise the money 10 com
pletc the power plants there Wonld 1T
revenue enough derived from The
sales Of power 10 largely relieve then
from the payment Of The construction
charge They were also told tina
when the construction charge wa
paid off, the profits from this power
Eould pay all the expense Of opera
tien and maintenance. Ii my mem
Or serves me well, IL was even hint
cd that they might receive their irri-
eating water free and also get "a divi
,lend ont Of the business.
Mr. Mondell- Whether some un-
authorized person may nave told then
hat sort of fairy tale / know not
an snre that no one was authorized
10 say anything Of that sort. cal
think of 70 one who could have beer
authorized 10 make a statement o
that kind.
Mr. Hayden shall be very glad t,
produce Il statement in writing by
very distinguished man. showing tina
such an inducement was held ont [,
the water users of the Salt river val
ley.
Mr. Mondell-I do not think of an
change | would suggest at chs time
assuming That the present law is a
it has been interpreted by the rec
lamauon service to be that Their
shall he a credit on the construction
charge. but that the payments shall
go on without regard to those credit
until the two shall meet
Service Chanres Heart
Mr.. flayden-Let me suggest thi
to you. Mr.. Mondell, that no sue
construction was ever placed upo
the law until the power plant unde
the Salt river project proved to be 8
profitable Then, there being som
money in sigat amounting to abou
S250,G00 a Iear. proving that the v-or
Of the reclamation service in this in
stance, was successful and had nc
tually accomplished what they in
tended 70 do b. making the waite
users . profit. it comes now to tn
bold proposition that instead of lettin
them get the profit each year to whic
they are entitled, the reclamatio
service now proposes 10 hold thes
power receipts as long as they ca
so as to get the use of the money o
other projects for the next l. year
Mr.. KinS-May / make a sugges
llon theTe j Oh say no such cor
struction was placed upon the law
So far as ! know the legal divisio
was never called upon for a construc
ton Of the law until after it wa
completed.
Mr.. Hayden venture to say tn;
ii was not In the mind Of any men
Der Of congress at the time the a,
Of April 1G 1906. was passed bet tn;
the receipts from power should
credited to the project in the year