Arizona state miner., 1926-05-29
BOWERS ANSWERS SENATOR
ASHURST ON VERDE STAND

"Surely Senator Ashurst knew as
much about Senate Bill No. 3342 >On.
April Is as he does now" said ]. d.
Bowers, director of the Paradise
Verde Irrigation and Power district,
this week. AT that time the com
mittee of which he is a member fav-
orabIy considered the report and
unanimously recommend that it
pass.
HE surely knew wnen he voted
in that committee whether that bill
was an empty gesture or not. If he
didn't know then, who 'wised' him
up?
q have always admired Senator
Ashurst, but it has taken him six
years to learn that the Verde dis
trict could not stand alone. Arizona
has some great problems to solve
in the future that are going to take
real he men,. men who have the
courage to get right, and the back
bone to stay right, and fight right.
1--WE. would like to cooperate with
the Water Users association and the
secretary of the interior, and the dis
trict has offered to do all, I think,
that any reasonable-minded person
would ask. Right here I wish to
quote proposal made by the dis
trict to the association in March
1925, and leave the decision to the
public
Phoenix, March 8, 1925.
''To Mr.. F. A Reid, president, Salt
River Valley Water Users as
sociation.
Dear Sir:-On February q, 1925,
the secretary of the Interior, Hubert
Work, addressed the following com
munication to the commissioner Of
the general land office:
"Dearl Commissioner: On January
Is, 1925, I denied the application Of
the Paradfse-Verde Power and Irri-
cation district for extension under
contracts of May q. and May 25,
1920
"By telegram of even date, which
this confirms, I denied the petition
of the Salt River Valley Water Users
association to transfer and grant to
it irrigation and power rights from
the Verde district.
DaToHiCn-
Verde Power and Irrigation district
for 80 days extension within which
to finance the district has been de-
MED, and that action is hereby con
firmed.
In order to preserve water rights
and any other things whicn might
be lost or jeopardized by the termi-
nation of said contracts Of May Fl
and 25, 1920, the same are hereby
extended for a period of so days from
and after February %, 1925, to per
nit agreement of parties in interest,
or such final disposition of the mat
ter as the department may deter
mine
Paragraphs 1, and of said or
der need no explanation or comment.
We desire to call your attention to
the fourth and last paragraph, and
particularly that portion Of the same
as follows to permit agreement of
patries in interest
"We interpret said quotation to
mean that it is the purpose and de
sire Of the secretary of the interior
that the parties in interest enter into
an amicable agreement looking to-
ward the development Of this district
under such conditions and under
standing as may be amicably arrived
at between your association and this
district
with this Interpretation it is our
sincere hope and purpose at once
to enter into negotiations with your
association to the end that such an
agreement can be reached and ap-
proved upon the following general
principles as a basis:
First: That all rights. easements
and franchises Of the district remain
in the district.
Second: That a board of engi-
neers be selected to determine the
amount of wafer available TO the
district from all sources, the board
to consist of three members-one to
represent the association, one to rep
~oeent the district, and the third to
ho agreed upon by the representa-
ives Of the association and the dis
tr'ct. If the association and the dis
+~'"+ are unable to agree upon the
th*rd member then the selection of
~''~h member to be made by the sec
r~+~~v of the interior
"TThird Paragraphs numbered
f~~+ an1 second above having been