132 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



has plenty of time ; it has already invested 90 mil- 

 lions on a 40 million estimate, and moreover, unless 

 some such solution is acted on the Government will 

 have lost a great part of the fund, besides bringing 

 untold distress on the people. 



Mr. Catlin is of the opinion that if all water 

 users' associations get together, renew and thor- 

 oughly organize the National Federation of Water 

 Users and bring the members together annually at 

 some central point like Salt Lake City (there are 

 90,000 water users under the Federal projects) great 

 results would follow. 



This latter plan of an annual meeting has been 

 suggested many times by the IRRIGATION AGE. This 

 journal has been made the official organ of the 

 National Federation of Water Users Association 

 and is ready at all times to help this movement 

 along. 



Salt Lake City is the most central point for all 

 the 26 projects as well as all private and Carey Act 

 development, and the writer will visit that city in 

 July with a view to stir up interest there and at the 

 same time learn what the citizens will offer in the 

 way of accommodations and entertainment in case 

 it is finally decided to hold annual meetings there. 



It was suggested at one time that a monument 

 to Irrigation (in the form of a temple or auditorium) 

 be erected in Salt Lake City, and it is our opinion 

 that a bill was introduced in Congress asking for 

 $250,000 to be used for that purpose. 



A building of this character would fit in well 

 with the plans above outlined and additional in- 

 formation will be obtained at the time of the writer's 

 visit so that more may be told about it in the IRRI- 

 GATION AGE for August. 



is no small undertaking, but those who are ac- 

 quainted with the men that are actively in charge 

 will have no fear of results. In the opinion of the 

 editor of the IRRIGATION AGE the settlers on the 

 Uncompahgre project owe much of their success 

 to the untiring efforts of Mr. F. D. Catlin, an at- 

 torney at Montrose. 



The Water Users of the Uncom- 

 Uncompahgre pahgre Project, Colorado, sent a 

 Project delegation to confer with Secretary 



Wins Lane in May, and a prompt and 



Concessions complete hearing was granted. All 



matters under dispute were gone 

 over and the members of the delegation are enthusi- 

 astic about the reception given them by the Secre- 

 tary of the Interior. 



One concession granted is that the project is 

 to 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. 

 The payment of the assessments for construction 

 charges has been postponed five years. This will 

 give the settlers that much longer to get on their 

 feet and should make it much easier to meet pay- 

 ments from December, 1922. 



The matter of taking over the maintenance and 

 operation of the projects for a period of five years 



The time has arrived when an 011- 

 Secretary looker who may have expressed 



of the varying opinions of Secretary Lane 



Interior. and his policy toward the settlers 



Lane on reclamation projects may be per- 



mitted to give an opinion far from 

 unfavorable concerning him. 



It was feared during the earlier years of oc- 

 cupancy of this exalted office that the Secretary of 

 the Interior was being swayed "as moves a swing" 

 by breezes emanating from the flummery of differ- 

 ent department heads in the reclamation service. 



This was more noticeable on account of his 

 splendid utterances and activities in connection with 

 work unassociated with reclamation. 



It is now safe to say that no Secretary of the 

 Interior in the past forty years, which is about the 

 period of range of the writer's recollection, has been 

 more conspicuous for broadness of vision on public- 

 questions than has Secretary Lane. 



This statement refers to that part of his serv- 

 ice other than the reclamation of lands by irrigation. 

 Judging from recent information the Secretary 

 has at last discovered the inner facts about the 

 settlers and is determined to give them a fair run 

 for their money. 



In looking backward over the field it now be- 

 comes evident that he has been gradually feeling 

 his way and has come to the conclusion that the 

 settlers rather than the officials of the reclamation 

 service are the base on which the success of this 

 great work must rest. 



This is amply proven by his decision after hear- 

 ing the settlers' side of the Uncompahgre project 

 muddle. 



The writer found occasion to say to a prominent 

 official of the service some weeks prior to the time 

 of the visit of the Uncompahgre Settlers' Commit- 

 tee to Washington, that a milder attitude toward 

 the settler would accomplish much more than any 

 attempt at bulldozing, and the advice was supple- 

 mented by the statement that it was the height of 

 folly to tap a hornet's nest with a walking stick 

 without definite knowledge that at the time of 

 tapping the thermometer registered below zero. 



On the assumption that the Secretary's stand 

 on the Uncompahgre matter is an indication of his 

 future good intentions, the settlers have much to 

 be thankful for. 



