THE IRKIGATION AGE. 



145 



Reclamation Service, but that it should be carried 

 on by a commisson competent to judge of these 

 operations, and which will hear the officials before 

 it condemns them. 



This is no doubt true, and we understand that 

 there is a move on foot now to ask for an appropria- 

 tion which will take care of the expenses of a com- 

 mission that will make a thorough study of all con- 

 ditions associated with the reclamation work. 



This commission should be composed of not 

 only a competent engineer, but some well known busi- 

 ness men, who could study the business features of 

 the various projects, and sufficient time should be 

 given to allow a thorough investigation of every 

 project under the reclamation service. 



If a report could be furnished by a commission 

 of this character, it would, no doubt, give all of the 

 facts for and against the reclamation service, and 

 place them before Congress so that each member of 

 the House and Senate would fully understand the 

 situation and would have some ground upon which 

 to base an opinion independent of the reports which 

 come to him from the individual constituent who 

 has a grievance. 



We all know that the reclamation service had 

 difficult problems to solve, and it is generally well 

 known, also, that work of this character was new 

 to many of the engineers. How much has been 

 learned, and what efforts have been made to correct 

 mistakes of the early period of the work, would be 

 fully brough out in a report by a rightly organized com- 

 mission. It is the duty of Congress to pass either 

 the bill presented by Senator Borah or some other 

 bill which will permit the organization of a com- 

 mission of this character. 



We are informed that active investigations will 

 be carried on by the department of justice as soon 

 as funds are provided to cover the expense of this 

 sort of work. 



Should a bill pass which would permit the 

 president to appoint a committee, there is no doubt 

 that all other work in the way of investigation, 

 would cease until this committee had prepared and 

 presented its report to the president and congress. 

 Hence, we again urge the appointment of a commis- 

 sion of this character which may start to secure in- 

 formation at once. 



The action of the various committees of 

 Cannot the business associations of Phoenix, 

 Entertain Arizona, in declining the offer of the 

 Irrigation National Irrigation Congress to hold its 

 Congress next session in Phoenix met, it is said, 



with the concurrence of the directors 

 of the board of trade, which held a recent special 



meeting that was attended by Arthur Hooker, secre- 

 tary of the congress. 



The main points brought out in the discussion 

 held in Mr. Hooker's presence are those affecting 

 the cost and expenditures of the congress. Several 

 of the leading citizens of Phoenix supported a mo- 

 tion to accept the terms as offered, which made it 

 plain that an expense of at least $11,000 must be in- 

 curred to entertain the congress. Other members 

 contended that not only more than $11,000 would be 

 needed but that the time of many of the leading citi- 

 zens of Phoenix would be used in doing the work 

 preparatory to entertaining the congress, and that 

 their time would amount, in money value, to a 

 great deal more than the sum asked. 



In thus turning down the invitation which was 

 extended to the congress at Salt Lake on the assur- 

 ance that the expense would not exceed $7,500, the 

 Phoenix people have demonstrated that western 

 states are getting tired of contributing large sums 

 of money to pay high salaries for a secretary who is 

 employed the year around, and whose work could 

 all be accomplished in two or three months' time. 



When Mr. Hooker was made secretary at 

 Spokane it was done with the idea of favoring local 

 influences, and to secure a secretary who would be 

 subservient to the wishes of the Reclamation Serv- 

 ice and the Pinchot element, at that time in control. 



Hooker is an unobtrusive fellow and a very 

 pleasant gentleman to meet, but has no particular 

 qualifications for this office. All of the heavy work 

 connected with each of the congresses for which he 

 has acted in the capacity of secretary has been done 

 by the local board of control. Mr. Hooker has 

 shown no initiative nor has he demonstrated that he 

 is sufficiently strong in leadership to control condi- 

 tions which arise from year to year in connection 

 v/ith congress work. 



The fact is a $1,000 clerk would have accom- 

 plished as much as Mr. Hooker has done. There is 

 no necessity of paying so high a salary as $3,600. 



It is generally recognized that his assistant did 

 a greater part of the work, and she was paid in the 

 neighborhood of $1,200 per year for her services. 

 The young woman was especially competent and 

 could, no doubt, have done as much alone as was 

 accomplished under the Hooker administration. 



When the people of the west awake to a realiza- 

 tion of the fact that the campaigns of the best con- 

 gresses held were conducted by secretaries who re- 

 ceived no salary, and in many instances no allow- 

 ance for expenses, they will arrive at the conclu- 

 sion that a secretary who fills the office for a period 

 not to exceed three months, and whose expenses 

 including salary and incidentals would not go over 



