Rocky Ford enterprise., 1893-12-21

AOous k41S1kNfCN 1no - Ao88s hAA = 0O40n O@As
ers in Prowers county calling for a. much
more, making an aggre1ate Of At least 100
cubic feet These are not paper ditches eth
er, though not having made proof they do not
sppoar on the records. They are In actual
use and have been for from two 70 ten years.
do not know the capacity Of the Prowsrs
county ditches but an satisfied I Am under
rating them. Assuming them 70 Be correct,
the percsntagss would b reduced to %. 70
and u respectively.
Besides these there are paper ditches which
have plats and statements fled in the state
engineers Once requiring ls7s cubic fest and
State Canal No. I. the capacity Of which be-
lieue Il COS cubic feet. in all 10,soS for which
the visible supply Il l5eo-a little over II per
cent Mighty encouraging for dry seasons II
the paper ditohes should matsEialise. And
..blseding Kansas" wants water too.
The above figures being unquestiooable,
wonder where the unappropriated water for
State Canal No. il to BE- founfA; The ditohes
mentioned above - not having made proof Of
priority are taking steps 70 do 20 now, and
they being in existence and operating viii all
certainly out date It.
Streams in the northern part Of the state 70
ceivs nearly all tho water back through secp-
arc, but this element can not bo counted ON
here. We know this by experience, ~ tho
river At Las Animas, % miles below the La
Junta and Lamar canal, and thence to tho
state line has bocn comparatively dry for
four months.
The supreme question with us 10 "what arc
We going to do about itr'
There are few men in this valley below Pu-
eblo who are mot aware Of the privations some
people experienced during the past year ow-
ing to the scarcity Of water. It 10 chronic to
tho Ill -
of the season was unusually dry with hardly
an average amount of snow on the mountains,
but what assurance have We that we will not
have . repetition the next year and the nexti
There is . great deal Of talk about the Twin
Lakes reservoir being appropriated for the
supply of State Ditch No. I. Mr.. Cramer prob
ably thinks We can stand Joke and makes
out that he can turn the waters back into the
natural channel, run It there for 100 miles and
then turn 1t into the ditch. Against such aot-
ion It appears to be our duty TO protest % Wig
orousiy that tho prejudioed members Of
the Legislature will allow NO such job tn be put
up on us.
Our senator and representatives., being
thoroughly posted on tho situation and most
Of them practical farmers and men Of the
people, will be power hard TO overcome.
II practicable, and almost anything u, there
Ganising tho territory taking water from the
Ariansas river (somethinS similar TO the
Wright law In California; 90 that we could 10
sue bonds to build and equip che the Twin
Lake. and other reservoirs. The bonds to b
paid BY . tax On all Agricultural lands and
all real property benefited BY the increased
supply and enlarged area under cultivation
Tho expense OF constructing the resarvoii
referred to would not exceed e00.e0o. Thers
are l2oy0oo acres Of land under cultivation In
Otero. Bent and Provers counties, and 1oo.0ol
could be made, % they say. By the STATE ditch
in Fremont and Puelo. making total Of 1an.
o00 aores. An annual tax for 20 years OF NO,
over IN oents Per acre would redaem thu
bonds and no man would miss the money az
pended. This would give employment u
hundreds Of men for months, and In thai
manner would be Of public benent.
There are obstacles to overcome OF course
Some Of the Older priority holders, whose sup
ply there ID NO doubt of at any stage OF tn
river. would not like to Be taxed. and their
arc many other points to be considered.
The etate ditch would. BY such legislatiou
sand on an equal footing. oxcept the sdjudi
cation Of priositics heretofore OF TO b hero
aftsr made. with other bitches. and tAeg
certainly should ask no more.
| WI. NAr1nEws,