The Coolidge examiner., 1931-01-02
SAN CARLOS PROJECTS COM
M|HEE RETURNS With
GOOD REPORT

H. Southworths district engineer,
returned Saturday from the Capitol
city, where they have been for
more than a month Representing
the San Carlos District. They were
accompanied on their trip east by
John F. Truesdell attorney, and A..
L. Wathen, supervising engineer,
both of the Indian Irrigation Servie.
AS a result OF the work done by
these men in Washington, there
is now every probability of fixed
acreage costs Of the San Carlos
project and a contract with the
federal government under which
the project will operate, by next
July. These matters have been
waiting settlement five years. 1t
IS also arranged by special legis-
lative action, that costs incurred by
the Indian department in matters
which have no connection with the
San Carlos project, shall not be
included in costs of the latter.
The main object Of the Washing
ton trip had to do with the costs
Of the project to be repaid by the
white land owners. Since this
matter was certain to come up at
the hearings of the Interior Depart
ment Appropriation Bill it was es-
sential that the district be repre-
sented at these hearings. At the
hearings Of the previous year the
Congressional committee was great
ly concerned, because this contrac'
had not been entered into. The dis
trictt was no represented and the
impression wps :e;t with the comni.
ttee that the failure to have a con-
tract executed was the fault of the
district At the hearings this year,
which were attended by the dis
tricts representatives,, it was shown
that this districts was 20 w.se at
fault and the real difficulty was a
differe nee in fundamental ideas be-
tween the field representives Of
the government and those handling
this matter in Washington. While
the matter had never been official
ly presented to the district yet the
views of the officials fthe dis
trict were very much in opposition
to those entertained nWashington.
Controversy Over Old Indian
ReimbursabIes
The Washington officials took
the position that the old works on
the Indian reservation, such as the
Sacaton dam and bridge, were to
be included and repaid as other
costs of the San Carlos project.
These items amounted to S1,700,000
and if their position would be
maintained, the white owners in
the project would be burdened with
one-half this costs, which meant
that the white owners would have
to pay an additional charge of $11-
90 per acre.
Long before the recent hearings
took place, however, the district
officials had negotiated a contract
with Mr.. Truesdell and Mr.. Wath-
en-, the field officials of the Indian
department, but when this contract
was placed before the secretary of
the interior for approval the de-
partment solicitor, Judge Finney,
held that the contract could not be
approved because it did not include
these old Indian charges. This was
the situation confronting the dis
trict officials upon their arrival in
Washington.
Appropriation Committee Uphold
District Contention
Chairman Champion, represen-
tative from Michigan, and chair
man of Interior department op-
propriaion committee, upon taking
up the San Carlos appropriation
item very definitely disagreed with
the department, as shown in the
printed hearings, part of which
follows:
Mr.. Crampton. AS a matter Of
fact, | drafted the law under which
Coolidge dam was built
THE white obligation was very
definite as to how that should be
repaid-amortized in 40 years with
interest. But there was no though
and may say here would seem
| fn hn