Arizona sentinel., 1918-01-10
WATER USERS FAVORABLE TO BROAD POLICY
 WHICH WILL BUILD PERMANENTLY
All-Day Mass Meeting Attended By Large Body of Rep resentative Men From All Parts of the Valley-Commt tee will Phrase Platform for Report at the Next Meet ing, To Be Held Soon.

the directors of the Imperial irrIga ; tion district for an advisory meeting
 to consider the contract which the
 committee brought back from Wasl
 ington after conference with Secretary
 Lane, a large body of men from al
 parts of the valley gathered in the
 basement ballroom of the BarDa1a
 Worth Hotel to discuss the contract and other phases of the valleys water problems.
 The meeting was, in reality, one oi the most representative that ever gathered in the valley. Practically ey. cry water company was represented by either it's president or some of it's directors. Business and professional men were there as we'll as large num- bers of stockholders of the various water companies.
 Leroy Holt, president of the district, presided at the meeting Directors McPherrin, Nickerson, Manning and Edmunds and Secretary McIver were present. The districts attorney, Phi! D. Swing, Engineer Clark, President w. s. Fawcett of No. 1 and other prominent men were in attendance
 The meeting started with the read | ing of the proposed contract as sub mitted by Secretary Lane and the re port made by the returning members of the delegation.
 Following the reading of the con tract discussion was opened and it was clear to see that every man in th2 room was opposed to some of the pro visions it contained, particularly i'll giving Yuma preference water right over Imperial Valley and also the I'm periaLLaguna Water Company's claim that it had a right to water ahead oi this valley.
 W. F. Mansfield, of Brawley, spoke against the contract but said that he was in favor of going to Laguna dam. He characterized the Reclamation Ser vice as the 'rottenest appendix" tha government had, but was willing to work with it if that was the only sOlu tion for the water shortage that an nually visits this valley.
 President Walker of Water Go. No }, spoke in favor of some united ac- ton that would bring water from the river by way of Laguna dam and said he was in favor of the larger plan of Secretary Lane and wanted to see the valley back the secretary up.
 President Will Edgar, of Water Go. No 12, while not speaking for his com pany, but only for himself, favored the idea of broadening the foundations o Imperial Valleys prosperity by work ing for the big plan nd turnout the meeting he was a staunch fighter foI the effort to get a concrete expression of this favorable effort reduced tC pape and placed on record.
 President Edward Dool, of No. 6, saw in the proposition a safe and sane solution of the water shortage an6 1 that is what we are all after.
 President Baker of No. ', spoke for himself He hoped that the contract as submitted might not be entirel | turned down, but that it would be re medied and made to conform to what we want
 He said he was not in favor of an | secondary right agreement whateveI and would never consent to the trans fer of the girthright of this valley t Yuma.
 Mr. Smyser, who is a new man 1T the water councils of the valley, for cibly and clearly sized the situatio I'D as one that could be remedied b' l the endorsement of the bill offered U Secretary Lane which would give the | secretary power to deal with all tht | projects on the river and make Wha' 1 ever improvements wanted provided | all the expenses would be borne by the | lands benefited. He asserted fOrciDl | that we need not expect the United | States to build works that will en nance the value of land without the | land bearing every cent of the e1 pense.
 President w S. Fawcett of No. 1. offered suggestions for the formation of a platform on which all the valley could unite His suggestions were az follows:
 l. That storage dams would bene fit the valley greatly; that the should be built and paid for by the United States.
 2. Union with the Laguna dam should be on a basis of cost to be