The legal branch is organized in the following units:

1. Office Proper of the Chief Counsel.

2. Law Section.

3. Land and General Section.

4. District Offices (nine in number).

Office Proper of the Chief Counsel. The Chief Counsel is the chief law officer of the Service and is a member of the Reclamation Commission. He is appointed by the Secretary of the Interior and receives a salary of $6,000 per annum. In the order of November 22, 1915, the Secretary states that

The Chief Counsel, as the head of the legal division, shall conduct all investigations involving the legal rights and privileges of the Service, and will control all employees of his division.

As a member of the Commission the Chief Counsel assists in matters of administration. In testimony before the subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations, in charge of the sundry civil appropriation bill for 1916, he stated that probably half of his time is taken up with work that cannot be termed legal work.

Law Section. The Law Section looks after strictly legal matters and has for its duty the preparation of opinions upon the numerous legal questions continually arising.

Land and General Section. The work of the Land and General Section is chiefly along administrative lines, including the withdrawal and restoration of lands and routine examination of contracts, examination and amendment of farm unit. plats, etc. This section also handles much of the routine correspondence of the Washington office of the Service.

District Offices of the Legal Division are maintained at nine points in the west for the purpose of handling legal matters. arising out of the construction and maintenance of the several projects, such as negotiations for the purchase of land, the filing, purchase and adjustment of water rights, and the prepara

tion of construction contracts, public notices, and agreements with water users' associations; and of furnishing legal advice to the field forces of the Executive and Engineering Division. Each office is in charge of a District Counsel who, in addition to the work just mentioned, frequently assists the United States attorneys in the preparation and trial of cases involving the Service.

The location of these field offices, together with the projects or other assignments within the jurisdiction of each District Counsel is given below:

2.

1. Denver, Colorado.

I.

2.

3

Office of the Chief of Construction.
Organization of Irrigation Districts.
Contracts.

Montrose, Colorado.

I.

Grand Valley Project, Colorado.

2. Uncompahgre Valley Project, Colorado.
3. Strawberry Valley Project, Utah.

3. El Paso, Texas.

I. Rio Grande Project, New Mexico-Texas.
Carlsbad Project, New Mexico.

2.

3.

Hondo Project, New Mexico.

4. Los Angeles, California.

I. Salt River Project, Arizona.
Yuma Project, Arizona-California.
Orland Project, California.

2.

3.

5. Portland, Oregon.

I. Umatilla Project, Oregon.

2. Klamath Project, Oregon-California.

6. Yakima, Washington.

I. Yakima Project, Washington.
2. Okanogan Project, Washington.

7. Boise, Idaho.

8. Helena, Montana.

1.

Black feet (Indian) Project, Montana.

2. Flathead (Indian) Project, Montana.
3. Fort Peck (Indian) Project, Montana.
Huntley Project, Montana.

4.

5. Milk River Project, Montana.

7.

North Dakota Pumping Project, North Dakota.

8. Lower Yellowstone Project, Montana-North Dakota.

9. Shoshone Project, Wyoming.

9. Scottsbluff, Montana.

I.

North Platte Project, Nebraska-Wyoming.

2. Belle Fourche Project, South Dakota.

Fiscal Division. The Fiscal Division was created by order of the Secretary on December 13, 1913, and was continued by the order of November 22, 1915. By that order its function was defined to be "the inspection of all fiscal practices and accounts," the Executive and Engineering Division being entrusted with the "administrative examination of accounts,' and with the actual keeping of the accounts. The nominal head of the Fiscal Division was for about three years-1913 to 1916-the Comptroller who, as already stated, was by the same orders designated a member of the Reclamation Commission. The Fiscal Division had, however, but a short life as an independent division of the Service, as the Comptroller was granted successive leaves of absence during a great part of 1916 and 1917, finally resigning on June 30, 1917. The several examiners of accounts under his jurisdiction were on the latter date transferred to the Executive and Engineering Division, reporting directly to the Director and Chief Engineer.

The Fiscal Division has, therefore, no longer any real existence, and mention is made of it in this place only because it is recognized as an independent division in the Secretary's order of November, 1915, which has not yet been rescinded.

Office of the Supervisor of Irrigation. The position of Supervisor of Irrigation was created by the Secretary of the Interior by his order of December 13, 1913. By the order of November 22, 1915, he is directed to "advise and counsel with water users as to the best practice of irrigating and cultivating irrigated lands, the development of markets, and all questions affecting the welfare of settlers and water users," and to "consult and coöperate with the experts of the Agricultural Department that are assigned to the projects, and advise the executive officer of the Reclamation Service regarding all irregularities in the operating departments of the respective projects that may come to his notice through inspection or otherwise."

The Supervisor of Irrigation maintains his office at Billings, Montana, where he is assisted by a secretary. He is appointed by the Secretary of the Interior and receives a salary of $21 a day and expenses when engaged on Reclamation Service work. He has visited most of the projects at intervals of several months, held popular meetings with the irrigators, urged the extension of area planted to alfalfa, and better farming methods in general, and is a monthly contributor to the Reclamation Record on subjects relating to better farming.