Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-02-14
THE DRAINAGE ACT CLAIMS
REPORT OF TEE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE
In FAVOR OF PAYMENT.
Attorney-General KarshaVs Cpiuion-The
Equities Discussed.

| tQulsleS D1scuS3sd.
The Assembly Committee on CLAIMS has filed it
report in favor OF paying the sums dc for work
servises performed under the Acs to promote drain
age. Tie matter affects go large nuaser of cti
zsns who in good faith, under inducements held ou
by the state, expended their means and gave thei
labor to State work. that the report nearly ~ full il
herewith presented
| Mr.. Speaker Your committee to whour was re-
| ferred Assembly Bill No. 2o7-an Act TO ascertain
the sum dae all claims for work done ami rnate-
rial furnished under the provisions of can ACT to
promote drainage. approved April %, $780, and to
appropriate money to pay the same, not excee ipg
| S275, 000-have had the same under consideration
and do now beg leave to report thereon as follows
oEICIN OF THE CLAIMS, ETC.
The history Of the debris question is familiar &c
every one who has carefully observed the curren.
events of this State and your committee do not feel
at liberty to recount the in this report but It
viii be sufficient 20 say bitter controversy arose
some years since between the mining and
agricultural, and, to some extent, the CON-
mercial interests Of large portion of the
State, growing out OF the flow of debris from
the miDes into the river channels and upon the val
ley lands The attention of the United States Gov
eminent attracted to the question, and Colonel
me0ueiI ana Quiet 6ONeIntneub engineers gave the
| ter consideration, and recommended the con.
struetion Of elaborate works to restrain the flow of
sands gravel and other matter IN the streams and
correction, deepening and otherwise improving the
| streams and increasing their carrying capacity.
The Legislature, in 1873; passed Act entitled
" An Act to provide system Of irrigation, and to
PIT mote rapid drainsge, and to improve the navIga-
tim of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers u
This Act established the offce of State Engineer,
and provided for his appointment and prescribed his
duties. William Ham. Hall, thoroughly compe.
tent and scientific engineer, was commissioned by
Governor IRWIN to that important ofhce, and after
very extensive examination OF the question, after
complete data had been obtained by actual surveys,
and after full consideration OF the important ques.
tons involved, and benefited by the observations
and counsel of the Government scientists, made a
report to the Legislature of 1885, giving the results
of hls work and recommending ccmprt hensve
system OF irrigation and drainage, embracing the
correction OF the dangers from the aOw Of tailings
from she mines and the wash of the mountains.
Following the recommendations Of
THIS EXHAUSTIVE REFoAT,
The Legislature enacted law entitled can Act to
promote drainage" which was approved April 90,
1880. This Act constituted the Governor Surveyor.
General and State Engineer Board of Commits
sioners; and authorized them to establish one or
more drainage districts in the State and provided
means of raising funds to carry on such works as
might be constructed under the law 1t also en-
powered the Governor to appoint three Directors of
each drainage district to be established, who
should under the advice and with the assistance OF
the State Euglneor carry opand conduct the affairs
Of such district This Commission met at the Capt.
tai and established Drainage District No. l." en-
bracing the Sacramento valley and ALI OF its
shed. The Governor appointed as Directors OF said
district Hon. Niles Sears, Hon. w. II. Parks and
William F. Knox, and the Board of Directors thus
constituted, with the advice Of State Engineer Hail.
and after full consultation with Captain Eads, who
personally visited and examined the region Of coun-
try to be operated in, adopted aplan fo7 the promo
ton OF drainage in their district and proceeded TO
construct the works.
The law under which they were acting provided
for State tax on all property in the State, tax
upon the property OF the district, and a tax upon
the water used for hydraulic mining, as the means
OF raising funds for such operations and there
collected from those several sources, and paid into
the State Treasury, the sum Of $685.. 625 90, ap
pears from the State Controllers report.
The work was done largely by contract, and the
interests OF the State seem to have been
WE'LL GUARDED
By the Directors in the letting OF all contracts and
we have failed to discover any trace Of extravaganza
or unfairness. Contracts were let as follows:
l. Rideout & Binney, to build dam on Yuba river
Contract amounted to sos 2S4 y.
2. Doane d Mclean, to build dam on Bear river.
Contract amounted TO $73, $50 o.
3, To John WEIGH, to build levee on south side OF
Yuba river, and repairing and adding to levees al
ready built. Contract amounted to sl9,Z44 so.
4. Toomb Il Dufhcy, to build levees Yuba
river. Contract amounted to S2l ,450 go.
5. Rideous & Binney, to construct revetment and
brush work Yuba river Amount iueiudod In
6 John Mcguire, to build Ievee on north side of
Yuba river, what is known as Browns Valley grade
to the citizens levee. Contract amounted to s12,
754 IL.
Z. Contract to Wood & Jasper, to build levee on
north side of Bear river-Johuson's Crossing to
railroad bridge. Contract amounted to S22 96s is.
s. Sewel & Seward to build leyee lower or
western on north side OF Bear river. Amount OF
contract, 81 ,26o 80.
o. N. Doane, to build levee on north side of Bear
river. Contract amounted to ss4,7l7 90.
10. John Elliott, TO raise and repair the lower
Berry &Johnson leyee on south side of Bear river,
and reyet with brush ;.buid brush spurs, etc. Con-
tract included in Maguire's contract No. 6.
IL. d. p. Durst to build levee north tide Of
Bear river, from Railroad bridge to Long Bridge.
Contract amounted to Sl2,l52 81.
IL r. A. Mil er, to reform and protect west bank
OF Sacramento river at Washington Point. Contract
amounted to ss,6i1 So.
h. P. A. Miller, closing Todhunter break, west
side Sacramento river. Amount OF contract, So
Cos q.
IA. P a. Miller, On American river. Reseinded
and no work done
Is. James Trayner to build and improve citizens
eyee on Yuha river, north side. Contract amounted
to Sl2 9S5 20
1G. Marcuse & Peck. closing Humphreys break
on Feather, and rucEing levess connecting
Herewith. Also, constructing levee on west side
amounted II S2S les
II. steinmal & Hail. to build levee on Forth sid,
of Bear river, from Lorg B:idge TO oakley's.
Amount, SS0,7l7 SO
IS. Patrick Ney. to protect and reform west bank
of Sacramento river opposite foot OF street. Con
tract amounted to S6,03l 49,
49, Rdeout g. Bnney, work done by Howell
Davis, building levee on upper Sacramento river.
Contract amounted to s., 200.
90 Patrick Ney, to construct escape weir in Eng
| fish break, above Washinet n. Contract amounted
| to S10,54S 81.
The Directors of Drainage District No. have duly
audited and allowed the following claims, but war
rants have not been drawn by the Controller.
Here follows schedule Of all the individual claims.
BESIDES THESE
Contractsf considerable sums were expended and
| Indebtedness incurred for work done directly
under the employment of the Directors and to this
must also be added the salaries of engineers and
tn ir assistants as well as material and supplies pur
clased
Warrants were drawn in favor of the several con-
tractors and Others against the funds in the State
Treasury appropriated to this district, amounting TO
the sum Of 1868 900 06, ali of which paid, ex-
cept these embraced within the following list,
amounting TO the sum of S55,I57 81, as follows.
Here follows the lis'.l
At this point of time all proceedings were sudden
ly oppe1 by the decision Of the Supreme Court, de-
claring the Act TO promote drainage uuconstitu-
tonal. The state Treasurer could pay no more war
rants and those iUSt enumerated remain unrad, al
though there is Till in the treasury to the credit o:
the Sta,e Drainage Construction Fund the sum Of
S35, 226 49, ard to the credit of the Construction
Fund of Urainage District Number One the sum Of
,oiS IS, making in the aggregate the sum OF $780,
275 10.
| The State Controller could not legally draw any
more warrants, and it app hat the Directors Of
| Drainage District Number One bad, prior to the
said decision passed upon and audited long list OF
demands the original bills and vouchers whereof
are row on file in the Controllers office. The fol
| lowing is list OF such audited claims upon VIII ef
no warrants have been drawn. There were alsc
| other claims hch bad not been presented and au
dited, ard which are represented as containing equ
ties just as great as those already enumerated The
following lis is believed to embrace nearly all Of The
unaudir red claims, and we assured that but few
more exist Tine list appears in full in the report
SUMMARY
From the foregoing the following summary may
| be deduesd
Amount Of warrants paid. S3eS, 021 g.
Amount of warrants Issued and unpaid. 55,S65 &c
Amount Of audited claims. ........... 179,9lO S.
| Amount Of uuaudtea claims mot oyef). 1850 0t
Making grand total Of. .s56l 400 o;
Which represents the entire cost OF all operation:
under the Act to promote drainage, if all paid
From this total sum of.............s 56I 400 o.
Deduct the amount already paid $685. 81
And we have the total amount now