THE IREIGATION AGE. 



295 



A pernicious joker, under which the 

 Newell Reclamation Service expects to force 



and the the Federal Water Users to pay for 



"Betterment" the correction of all the mistakes 

 Joker and incompetency of its engineers 



as well as some other things which 

 look suspicious, was slipped into an Indian irriga- 

 tion bill, which was passed by Congress in 1912. It 

 is known as the "betterment" clause, and makes all 

 charges, in addition to those named in the settler's 

 original contract, a lien upon the lands of the water 

 right applicants. 



Western Congressmen and Senators, almost to 

 a man, insist that they did not know the import of 

 this joker at the time the bill was passed. The set- 

 tlers did not learn of it until they sought by law 

 suit to protect their rights. 



When Congress took up reclamation legisla- 

 tion at this session, G. E. Rodman, secretary of the 

 Sunnyside \Yater Users' Association, and treasurer 

 of the National Federation of Water Users' Associa- 

 tions. wrote to F. H. Newell, director of the Recla- 

 mation Service. He asked him as a matter of fair- 

 ness to urge the repeal of this pernicious "better- 

 ment" clause. 



"This, in part, was Mr. Newell' s reply: 



"Relative to your request that an endeavor be 

 made to secure from Congress legislation eliminat- 

 ing the provision as to betterments, contained in 

 Section 3 of the Act of August 9, 1912 (37 Stat, 

 265). it may be stated that the so-called Reclama- 

 tion Extension Bill is, as you doubtless know, now 

 pending before the proper committee in Congress, 

 and it can not be foretold what disposition Con- 

 gress will make of the matter." 



In a letter to Secretary of the Interior Lane, 

 Mr. Rodman quotes the Newell reply and adds: 



"It is the desire of the Water Users that this 

 provision in regard to betterments be repealed and 

 if Mr. Newell is not opposed to the repeal of it, why 

 did he not say so? The only conclusion that we can 

 come to from his answer is that he is opposed to the 

 repeal of the provision and will fight to have it re- 

 tained in the law if the matter ever comes up in 

 Congress. We cannot get away from the conclu- 

 sion that Mr. Newell is taking too much of a hand 

 in the legislation affecting the Water Users." 



The Newell letter is typical of the man. It 

 shows clearly just how little he has at heart the 

 interests of the Federal Water Users. 



The problems of the Reclamation Service are 

 now largely human ones. Secretary Lane must 

 realize this. In fact, he has been quoted as be- 

 lieving the human problems are uppermost. If he 

 is going to solve these problems, he can only do so 



by surrounding himself with red-blooded, warm- 

 hearted men who will devote themselves to the in- 

 terests of the settlers instead of those of designing 

 politicians and corporations. 



The time has come to eliminate Mr. Newell and 

 his ilk from the Reclamation Service. Their use- 

 fulness to the Service is passed. 



The Newell crowd have heaped up millions 

 upon millions .of dollars in charges against the Fed- 

 eral irrigation projects, all of which the settlers are 

 asked to pay. Nearly one-half of these charges are 

 unjust because the settlers will obtain no benefits 

 from the work for which it is claimed this money 

 was paid. Forty millions of dollars is generally 

 considered a conservative estimate of the amount of 

 money charged against the settlers for something 

 which is not doing them any good and will never do 

 them any good. 



This condition, and Secretary Lane has been 

 made pretty well acquainted with the facts concern- 

 ing these expenditures, should be enough to cause 

 Mr. Newell's elimination from the Reclamation 

 Service. 



If it is not, then he should be ousted on the 

 grounds of humanity. His place should be filled 

 by a man sufficiently human to fight for and protect 

 the interests of the Federal Water Users. 



What is the whole Federal reclamation of the 

 West worth, if even one man can charge justly, and 

 prove his charge, that he has been treated unfairly 

 or dishonestly by his government? 



The 

 Call 

 To 



Arms 



With the Twenty-Year Extension 

 bill a law, the real serious business 

 of the Federal W r ater Users in re- 

 adjusting their conditions is at hand. 

 The projects are to be revalued. 

 Secretary Lane has declared that the 

 Water Users shall have one member of the board 

 of three, who will make these revaluations. These 

 boards must decide whether the settlers must pay 

 for $30,000,000 to $40,000.000 worth of so-called 

 work, from which it is generally agreed they can 

 derive no benefit. 



Shall the Water Users be made to pay one dol- 

 lar for which they do not receive full value? 



It is now time for every Federal Water User 

 to ask Himself or herself this question. It is now 

 time for the various Water Users' Associations to 

 consider this question. 



It is a question which must be settled for all 

 time while the project revaluations and the re- 

 adjustment of payments are in progress. It can 

 only be settled satisfactorily by every Water User 

 doing his share in working out the problem in a 



