THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



173 



much from the government end, which has a tend- 

 ency to cause the water users to hesitate in going 

 into a proposition which they are afraid might block 

 the way for further protest against some of the 

 charges now made against the project. And in 

 view of the fact that the project is not done yet, 

 it is feared that subsequent charges against the 

 project could not be objected to. 



"R. C. Walter, supervising engineer of the 

 Reclamation Service, says that he is at a loss to 

 know why our local people are standing back on 

 this proposition. He says we have everything to 

 gain and nothing to lose by our participation in 

 the proposed review of the project. He says the 

 charges for the construction of the project are 

 always there against it and if we fail to participate 

 in the review Secretary Lane will naturally take 

 it for granted that we are satisfied and will make 



his recommendations to Congress on that basis. 

 Mr. Walter says that if we have any objections to 

 certain charges against the project now is the time 

 to make them, this being the purpose of the board 

 of review." 



The directors of the Yuma, (Ariz.) Water 

 Users' Association voted to refuse to participate in 

 the proposed revaluation of the Yuma project. This 

 action was put to a referendum by the settlers and 

 was overwhelmingly sustained. 



Water users on the Tieton project, around 

 North Yakima, Wash., passed a resolution demand- 

 ing that C. H. Swigart, supervising engineer of the 

 project, be eliminated as the representative of the 

 Reclamation Service on the revaluation board. The 

 settlers insisted that Mr. Swigart has had too much 

 to do with the construction of the project to be an 

 impartial judge. 



WATER USERS READY TO TAKE OVER PROJECT 



BY F. G. BURROUGHS, 



Editor of the Rupert, Idaho, Democrat 



THE directors of the Minidoka Irrigation Dis- 

 trict are anxiously looking for the receipt from 

 the Secretary of the Interior of the contract under 

 which the management of the Minidoka project 

 will be turned over to the officers of the district, an 

 action which will result in an annual saving to the 

 settlers of thousands of dollars. Without in the 

 least detracting from the splendid work of the 

 government in building the Minidoka project, it 

 may be properly stated that the work has now 

 reached a stage where the district organization can 

 step into the shoes of the project management and 

 complete the work so well begun. 



As demonstrating the possibility of saving to 

 the settlers under the district plan, a brief review 

 of the cost of the present management may be cited. 



The number of government employes in the 

 classified service, holding appointments from the 

 Secretary of the Interior, is sixteen, carrying a total 

 pay roll of $26,400. The number of employes hold- 

 ing positions in the registered service on the project 

 total forty-six, whose wages add 1 up $4,102 each 

 month more. A few more unskilled laborers are 

 employed at certain times in the year. This makes 

 a grand total of $75,624 that the settlers are paying 

 yearly for the maintenance of the project. 



There is not the slightest question whatever 

 but that under a judicious district management the 

 direction of the project can be done for a quarter 

 of this huge sum. There is not the slightest doubt 

 but that the work of the government has been car- 

 ried along to such a point where a district manage- 

 ment is feasible and opportune and where the Sec- 

 retary of the Interior should permit the settlers 

 to manage their own affairs through such an or- 

 ganization. The cost of operation and management, 

 under any other form than that of a district organi- 

 zation, is going to be a big yearly drain upon the 

 resources of the settlers, while the cost of opera- 

 tion and maintenance by the district will be an 

 insignificant part of the present charge. 



Requests have been made to the Interior De- 

 partment that the contract drawn up and forwarded 

 to the government be returned to the officers of 

 the district that they may submit the same to the 

 water users for their approval at a special election. 

 When Mr. King, Chief Counsel for the Reclama- 

 tion Service, was in the Minidoka project last year 

 he approved the proposed form of contract and 

 promised that when he got back to Washington 

 he would push the matter through. The directors 

 of the irrigation district heard from Mr. King on 

 the subject recently, and he made the following 

 statements : 



"After my very agreeable visit to your section, 

 I found on further examination of the laws appli- 

 cable to reclamation projects that before you could 

 take over the project along the lines discussed by 

 us while I was there, it is necessary that your state 

 laws relating to irrigation districts be amended in 

 some particulars. I have taken the necessary steps 

 to bring about these amendments and after the 

 adjournment of the Idaho legislature, if these 

 amendments are adopted, we will re-consider the 

 situation and I hope to be in a position to arrange 

 affairs so as to permit your project to be taken over 

 by your district. However, as above indicated, 

 before doing so the Idaho laws must be so amended 

 as to permit your district to act as fiscal agent for 

 the Reclamation Service." 



To sum up the situation, it looks as though 

 within the next thirty or sixty days the long looked 

 for contract may be sent on from Washington for 

 the approval of the water users. The necessary 

 amendments are under consideration in the legisla- 

 ture. 



Besides providing the machinery for the effi- 

 cient and economical management of affairs of the 

 project, the district organization becomes the 

 mouthpiece of the settlers as a body before the 

 government, and its request or protests will meet 

 with the instant attention of the Reclamation offi- 

 cials. The latter recognizes its authority to speak 

 for the homesteaders as their attorney-in-fact. 



