THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



139 



ISIciEJaiMSMSI^^ 



. 



Jl.no .I'-s 

 Wntor US-DPS 



A Department Devoted to the 

 Interests of the Farmers on the 

 Government Irrigation Projects 



EDITED BY GEORGE J. SCHARSCHUG 



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ELWOOD MEAD ON PROJECT REVIEW BOARD 



ELWOOD MEAD, prominent American authority 

 on irrigation, and the brains of reclamation of 

 the arid lands of Australasia, has been selected as 

 the third member of the general board of review 

 on revaluation of the Federal irrigation projects. 

 Mr. Mead will serve with Gen. William L. Marshall, 

 consulting engineer to the Secretary of the Interior, 

 and I. D. O'Donnell, Supervisor of Irrigation. 



This board will be the supreme court en the re- 

 valuations and will review all findings of the local 

 boards. Although Sec- 

 letary Lane saw fit not 

 1.0 name a water user 

 on this final board, he 

 must be credited with 

 picking out one of the 

 most eminent of irri- 

 gation men as the third 

 member, in his selec- 

 tion of Mr. Mead. As 

 an employe of the 

 United States govern- 

 ment, Mr. Mead won a 

 high place among stu- 

 dents of irrigation af- 

 fairs. He was called to 

 Australia to tackle a 



problem in many re- This is how one man has made a real business out of his poultry farm. the third member On 



SDCCtS far more difficult The auto truck means daily deliveries in town and satisfied, well-paying eacn l oca l board pre- 

 u ' 1 customers. Courtesy of the International Harvester Co. . 



than that of American sents one of the most 



reclamation, and made a tremendous success of it, difficult tasks which the settlers' representatives 

 introducing many advanced ideas in the settlement will face. This man is to serve on all the boards 



within a division of the Reclamation Service and, 

 according to Secretary Lane's instructions, "shall 



revaluations will not affect in any manner the con- 

 tracts between the government and the settlers, but 

 if it is not to alter the costs of water to the settlers, 

 why should there be a revaluation? ask the water 

 users. 



The cost of the revaluation will be charged to 

 the operation and maintenance of the projects. The 

 settlers' member of each board and the member 

 named by the settlers' representatives of a division, 

 and the government's representative as the third 



person on the board, 

 are to receive $10 per 

 day and expenses. It 

 is not expected that 

 the government's rep- 

 resentative will receive 

 any compensation other 

 than his salary from 

 the Reclamation Serv- 

 ice, but probably will 

 be entitled to certain 

 expenses. There will 

 also be stenographers, 

 and perhaps special 

 engineers and account- 

 ants, who must be 

 paid. The selection of 



of irrigated public lands. He also has served on 

 the faculty of the University of California. 



While Mr. Mead will not look upon project not be a water user on any project or directly or 



costs from the settlers' standpoint, the water users indirectly interested in the project, and shall not be 



may feel certain that he will show fairness in con- a person who is now or has, at any time, been in 



sidering the problems placed before him. the employ of the Reclamation Service." To find 



After many delays, Secretary Lane is endeavor- men with ample knowledge of Reclamation affairs, 



ing to rush through the revaluations. He asked all irrigation, economics, and just plain hardheaded 



projects to name their members of the project re- business to serve on these boards is going to be a 



valuation boards by March 1. On several projects difficult problem if the Secretary's requirements are 



the settlers did not see fit to comply with this re- 

 quest, fearing participation in the revaluation 



to be fulfilled. 



The Secretary declares the following are the 



proceedings would jeopardize their contracts with objects of the investigation of project costs: 



the government. Under these contracts, the price 



"FIRST, to ascertain the proper construction 



of their water right, based upon the estimated cost, cost to be collected under the terms of the Recla- 

 is fixed at a much lower figure than is expected to mation Act and amendments thereto from the set- 



result from the revaluations. 



tiers upon, or owners of the lands on each project 



Secretary Lane has stated in writing that the of the Reclamation Service, or units of projects, as 



