Year 



THE IRRIGATION AGE 



VOL. XXXII 



CHICAGO, JULY, 1917. 



No. 9 



THE IRRIGATION AGE 



With which is Merged 



The National Land and Irrigation Journal 



MODERN IRRIGATION 



THE IRRIGATION ERA 

 ARID AMERICA 

 THE WATER USERS 



THE DRAINAGE JOURNAL 

 MID-WEST 

 THE FARM HERALD 



THE IRRIGATOR 



BULLETIN 



D. H. ANDERSON 



PUBLISHER, 



Published Monthly at 30 No. Dearborn Street, 

 CHICAGO 



Entered as second-class matter October 3, 1897, at the Postoffice 

 at Chicago, 111., under Act of March t, 187*. 



D. H. ANDERSON, Editor 



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Official organ Federation of Tree Growing Clubs of 

 America. D. H. Anderson, Secretary. 



The Executive Committee of the National Fed- 

 eration of Water Users' Association has taken action 

 whereby THE IRRIGATION AGE is created the official 

 organ of this vast organization, representing 1,000,- 

 000 persons on the government irrigation projects. 



The more one considers the sugges- 

 Study tion of the Uncompahgre Water 



New Users' Association that one dollar 



Payment per acre per annum should be the 



Suggestion basis on which future settlement 

 should be made for water on Fed- 

 eral project tracts, payments to be made under 

 strict and precise supervision of the Department of 

 the Interior, the more fully is the writer convinced 

 that this plan can be worked out to advantage to 

 the Government as well as the settlers. 



The 90 million dollar investment has caused no 

 end of trouble to the Department of the Interior and 

 has imposed burdens on settlers who were in no 

 condition to bear them. 



Leaving out all questions of mistakes which 

 were made in making and publishing cost estimates, 

 is it not better for all concerned to come to some sort 

 of an understanding and in that way eliminate the 

 turmoil incident to affairs that are admittedly in a 

 bad condition. 



It is the opinion of the IRRIGATION AGE that 

 Secretary Lane would welcome suggestions along 

 this line and it should be remembered that such 

 recommendations would have a better effect if pre- 

 sented simultaneously by all the projects. 



The IRRIGATION AGE would like to hear from 

 the officers of each water users' association concern- 

 ing this suggestion so that some plan may be laid 

 out to bring all of the association heads together for 

 conference. 



Mr. F. D. Catlin, attorney for the 

 One Uncompahgre Water Users Asso- 



Dollar ciation, suggests as shown in a let- 



Per Acre ter to a Colorado congressman pub- 



A Year lished in this issue, that the settlers 



unite in an effort to induce the 

 Department of the Interior to accept $1.00 per acre 

 on construction cost, which sum added to the oper- 

 ation and maintenance fee would, in his opinion, be 

 about all the settlers on each project can comfort- 

 ably pay. 



This would necessitate an amendment to the 

 Reclamation Act. It is his opinion that this will 

 solve all difficulties, as it is pointed out that by rea- 

 son of the fact of the settlers taking over the pro- 

 jects at an early date one-half the cost of operation 

 and maintenance can be saved. In other words the 

 settlers can, in Mr. Catlin's judgment, operate the 

 projects for one-half what it costs at present. ''$1.00 

 per acre per annum toward construction charges" 

 should, in Mr. Catlin's opinion, be the slogan for all 

 water users unless some one can devise and make 

 public a better plan. 



"This would insure the success of all projects, 

 will inspire confidence," says Mr. Catlin, "will re- 

 new enthusiasm ; will remove all apprehension and 

 worry as to ability to pay ; will permit all the pro- 

 jects to adopt the irrigation district plan and thus 

 bring each settler where he may take advantage of 

 the Federal Farm Loan Act. 



Mr. Catlin further states that the Government 



