THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



117 



John Barrett, director of the Pan- 

 Latin American Union, the international 

 America organization of the American Re- 

 And Food publics, has recently made the state- 

 Problem ment that the countries of Central 

 and South America can decisively 

 help if not completely solve the future food problem 

 facing the United States and its European allies. 



Mr. Barrett states that as proving the natural 

 capacity of Latin-America to supply food products 

 and the dependence of the United States and its 

 European allies upon them that the twenty coun- 

 tries of Central and South America exported in 



1916 to the United States and Europe foods valued 

 at $774,000,000. Of this grand total there went to 

 the United States $371,000,000 and to other coun- 

 tries, principally Great Britain and France $403,- 

 000,000. While these figures represent only a small 

 part of the total food consumption of the United 

 States and its European allies, they show that the 

 Latin American countries with wise co-operation 

 and co-ordination in conserving supplies and ex- 

 tending production will be able to take care of and 

 provide against that very deficit or shortage in the 

 production of the United States and its allies which 

 might be fatal in an ultimate crisis. 



THE UNCOMPAHGRE PROJECT WINS CONCESSIONS 



Messrs. Catlin, Bell, Kyle and Ira Monell of 

 Montrose, Colorado, returned recently from Wash- 

 ington, where together with a number of the other 

 members of the Uncompahgre Water Users' associa- 

 tion they held a number of conferences with Secre- 

 tary Lane on matters pertaining to the Uncompah- 

 gre reclamation project. While not getting as 

 much as they had gone after, they seem to be well 

 pleased with what has been accomplished by the 

 trip back to Washington. That they put up a good 

 fight is quite evident from the fact that Mr. Lane, 

 at the close of the conference, complimented them 

 on the forcible way in which they had presented 

 their case. 



Concerning the conference and the agreement 

 reached with Mr. Lane, Mr. Catlin, who has taken 

 a leading part in bringing the matter to a confer- 

 ence, has this to say : 



"Secretary Lane gave us a prompt and complete 

 hearing and went fully into all the matters of our 

 project that we desired to present. Secretary Lane 

 is a big and just man and is willing to do everything 

 necessary for the success of this project. The ten- 

 tative contract which you will print, gives the 

 details of the understanding reached. We will now 

 be able to take over and operate the full irrigation 

 system beginning December 1, 1917. We believe 

 the cost of maintenance and operation can be ma- 

 terially reduced without reduction of efficiency. 

 The most important item for immediate considera- 

 tion is the immediate preparation by everyone to 

 use the water next year as all irrigable lands under 

 the project must pay their proportionate share of 

 the expense whether they use water or not. The 

 public lands will be open for entry without delay. 

 Everyone who desires to obtain a water "right from 

 the project, must subscribe before August 1, 1917. 

 This requires immediate action by our people and 

 the amount of necessary activity to get the lands 

 in readiness for using the water next season will 

 bring into use all the men and all the teams of the 

 valley, great expenditures in material and for labor. 

 Our committee was unanimous in regarding the 

 adjustment so satisfactory that no honest complaint 

 can be raised. All irrigable lands should be sub- 

 scribed, and with no payments on cost for five 

 years the outlook is such, in my opinion, as to wipe 

 out all doubt -and hesitancy and bring a period of 



genuine prosperity such as we have not seen in 

 this valley for many years. 



"Our delegation is enthusiastic in its apprecia- 

 tion of the work done for us by Congressman Tay- 

 lor. We want to say that Mr. Taylor is a true friend 

 of the people of the Uncompahgre valley, and we 

 owe a great deal to him for the splendid way he is 

 looking after our affairs." 



Mention has been made of the outstanding 

 points in the results of the conference, but the 

 details which are contained in a letter from Secre- 

 tary Lane to Dr. McClanahan, president of the 

 Water Users' association, will be read with much 

 interest by all interested in development under 

 federal projects. The letter is as follows : 

 Dr. Albert C. McClanahan, 



President Uncompahgre Water Users' associa- 

 tion, Delta, Colo. 



My Dear Doctor : Referring to conference had 

 with yourself and other representatives of the Water 

 Users' association, May 22 to 26, inclusive, I have 

 to advise as follows : 



I have personally carefully examined into the 

 evidence and arguments submitted by the Water 

 Users' association relative to abatement of the cost 

 of the Uncompahgre reclamation project and the 

 general situation of the water users upon and land 

 in the project, and in accordance with our tentative 

 understanding, I have to advise that under existing 

 law and conditions the best and only method which 

 I can find for assisting in the working out of your 

 problems is embodied in the following provisions : 



1. That the project be operated for five years 

 from December 1, 1917, by the water users, the 

 latter to pay during that time the actual cost of 

 operation and maintenance. 



2. That at the end of that period, unless ex- 

 tended or modified by law, or order of the Secretary 

 of the Interior, public notice to issue and payment 

 of construction charges to be made in accordance 

 with the reclamation extension act of August 13, 

 1914, or other applicable law. 



3. That the recommendation of the Central 

 Board of Review be adopted and $47,370.81 be elimi- 

 nated from the project cost; that the remaining 

 cost be divided by the number of acres of private 

 lands subject to irrigation, plus the irrigable acre- 

 age of public lands and the construction cost per' 



