1906 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



113 



work may be carried on as the funds 

 come in from year to year. This pro- 

 vides for the finishing of the first sec- 

 tions of various projects. The proper 

 completion of the plans of work al- 

 ready started necessitates the use of 

 the funds that will be received for a 

 number of years. Any disturbance of 

 the equilibrium now established will 

 require the curtailing of some projects 

 and the abandonment of others. The 

 selection must be made from those that 

 would involve the least loss to the gov- 

 ernment. The disturbance of compre- 

 hensive plans for spending $30,000,000 

 cannot be otherwise than disastrous 

 to the West in general. 



No one disputes the immense value 

 that would be created by draining the 

 swamplands of the country. But for 

 this purpose a bill has been introduced 

 in Congress by Representative Steen- 

 erson of Minnesota, drawn along the 

 sensible, practical lines of the National 

 Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902. Its 

 passage and administration will bring 

 about the drainage of swamplands 

 throughout the country on an immense 

 scale, without diverting a single penny 

 from the present Reclamation Fund. 

 This bill, described elsewhere in this 

 issue of Forestry and Irrigation, 

 ought to command the support of 

 everyone interested in the highest de- 

 velopment of the country. 



The Secretary of the In- 

 terior has given his ap- 

 proval to a contract for 

 the purchase by the government of the 

 entire system of canals on the north 

 side of the Salt River Valley, Arizona, 

 in the center of which is Phoenix, the 

 capital of the territory. These canals 

 now become an integral part of the 

 Salt River Project and will be remod- 

 eled into an ideal system of distribu- 

 tion by which to irrigate 125,000 or 

 more acres of rich, fertile land. This 

 disposition of the matter has been 

 brought about as a consequence of the 

 disastrous floods in the Salt River Val- 

 lev last spring. Among other things 



To Buy 

 Salt River 

 Canals 



the flood carried away the Arizona, 

 dam. As a result the company owning 

 the dam has been unable to furnish 

 water and the farming operations of 

 many persons in the Salt River Valley 

 have been in serious danger. The ac- 

 tion of the government in deciding to 

 take over this irrigation system is in 

 accord with its policy to acquire all 

 possible water rights in regions affect- 

 ed by its own projects, thereby avoid- 

 ing useless and costly litigation. 



Xow that the Secretary of the In- 

 terior has decided that there is no ob- 

 stacle to the approval of the contract 

 for the purchase of the Arizona canal 

 system, it is an appropriate time to 

 recognize the invaluable services of 

 Mr. B. A. Fowler, president of the 

 Salt River Valley Water Users' Asso- 

 ciation, in meeting and overcoming the 

 numerous difficulties that have beset 

 the consummation of these negotia- 

 tions. Mr. Fowler's work in this con- 

 nection cannot be fully appreciated ex- 

 cept by one who has been on the 

 ground and who has been cognizant of 

 the many different phases which the 

 matter has at various times assumed. 

 The officers of the government are, of 

 course, bound by the rules of regular 

 and orderly procedure, and while they 

 have consistently endeavored to do ev- 

 erything that was officially possible to 

 expedite the negotiations, the numer- 

 ous delays incident to such matters 

 could have been overcome only by tact- 

 ful and persistent effort. Mr. Fowler 

 kept in touch with the proceedings at 

 every stage and by his attention, pa- 

 tience and persistence aided in dispos- 

 ing of many difficulties that would 

 otherwise have caused great delay. 

 The fact that these negotiations have 

 been closed within two and one-half 

 months, instead of taking twice that 

 long, is unquestionably due almost 

 solely to Mr. Fowler's presence in 

 Washington and to his untiring ef- 

 forts. The people of Salt River Val- 

 ley should understand and appreciate 

 this. 



