THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



331 



SETTLERS' ORGANIZATION WIDENS ACTIVITIES 



President Smith of National Federation of Water Users Outlines Plans 



A MEET IXC 

 i*. in the near 

 future of the 

 National Feder- 

 ation of Water 

 Users' Associa- 

 tions, as sug- 

 gested editorially 

 in the August 

 issue of THE 

 IRRIGTION AGE, 

 now seems as- 

 sured. Arrange- 

 ments to widen 

 the scope of 

 activities of the 

 Federation and 

 make it a still 

 more effective 

 weapon in be- 

 half of the Fed- 

 eral Water 

 Users, are also 

 under way. 



Prom inent 

 irrigators on the 

 Federal projects 



recognize that with the revaluation of the systems 

 at hand, the settlers are face to face with problems 

 even more serious than those confronted in obtain- 

 ing passage of the Twenty Year bill. The putting 

 into operation of various features of the new law 

 will also present added complications. 



In order to meet this situation with a united 

 and thoroughly representative front, the Executive 

 Committee of the National Federation has taken 

 steps to enlarge this committee and to include in 

 its membership a representative from every project. 

 Where the regular Water Users' Association is 

 dominated by the Reclamation Service, as is the 

 case on three or four projects, the Executive Com- 

 mittee proposes to recognize some minority organi- 

 zation of the settlers until such time as the regular 

 Association joins the Federation. 



The value of the National Federation to the 

 individual Water User and to the various project 

 associations is far greater today than ever before. 

 In the conferences in Washington in May, 1913, 

 Secretary Lane pledged himself to deal so far as 

 possible with the Federation officials as the recog- 



A Prune Orchard i 



nized represent- 

 atives of the 

 Water Users. 

 The Secretary 

 did this because 

 he believed it 

 was better to 

 deal with an or- 

 ganized body 

 than with 

 numerous i n - 

 d i v i d u a 1 s or 

 A s s o c iations. 

 Under the new 

 law and the 

 policies which 

 the Secretary is 

 inaugurating on 

 the projects the 

 value of the 

 F e d e r a tion is 

 believed to be 

 recognized more 

 at Washington 

 now than when 

 Secretary Lane 

 met with the Fed- 

 eration in 1913. 



Some indications of the plans of the Executive 

 Committee are outlined in the following letter, 

 written by Earl B. Smith, of Somerton, Ariz., presi- 

 dent of the National Federation, to H. A. Bustrin, 

 of Phoenix, Ariz., vice-president of the Land Own- 

 ers' Protective Association on the Salt River 

 project: 



"Your Salt River Valley Water Users' Asso- 

 ciation always cooperated with the Executive Com- 

 mittee of the National Federation of Water Users 

 up to the end of the Washington Conference with 

 Secretary Lane in May, 1913, but since that time 

 it has not cooperated. You have all had the benefit 

 of all the work this Committee has done, and we 

 are disappointed that your Association saw fit to 

 abandon us, and it is difficult for us to understand 

 the reason as none was ever given or offered. My 

 knowledge of you is only obtained from your com- 

 munications to THE IRRIGATION AGE. I am well 

 acquainted with your Mr. Sam Barrett. 



"There are only four or five Associations that 

 have not cooperated with us, all of which, we think, 

 are under the control of the United States Reclama- 



Joaquin Valley of California. 



