Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-02-27

l"eA VI HuupllNb nllDuSteflnB t0CuCS,
some Of the members very much De.
layed progress by ulimportant mo.
lions and suggestions This action was
evidently the result Of misunderstood
ing rather than any endeayor to delay
business The discussion was INDUCED
In upon reading of the order of bust
ness.
COOPERATION.
Mr. Doughecty Of salt Lake offered
a resolution expressing hearty cooper
alton with the national irrigation con
gress and the interstate irrigation con
gress, embracing the state Of Wyoming,
Colorado and Nebraska, Referred.
NATIONAL APPROPRIATION.
Il. Il, Luke Of Emery presentea a
resolution making It the paramount
issue of the convention that the ma
tional government be solicited for aid
in building canals ana reservoirs in
the State Of Utah and for the reclama-
ton Of arid lands Referred.
GREATEST TROUBLES.
Geo, G. Peart Of Rich introduced a
resolution providing that each county
appoint one member Of committee to
report the most uniayorable water
conditions In their respective counties
In order that the most important of
them may be selected by the committee
for discussion and treatment by the
convention
CONFUSION IN IRRIGATION.
Under this heading IN the order Of
business state Engineer A. IT, Dotemus
was unanimously requested TO further
continue his address of last night
which was necessarily brief because
Of the 'leness of the hour and his mis-
understanding Of the time when he
should participate In the program, Mr..
Doremus said that irrigation Is the
fundamental basis Of industry In Utah
There Is more money Invested IN this
industry than almost any other Re-
ferring 20 the confused conditions sur
rounding irrigation IN this state the
| speaker made comparison between the
orderly facilities and method of proce-
| dure IN recording transactions In land
| and the slipshod method, or lack Of
method altogether in the case Of water
rights, In the curly days an original
| appropriation of water IN a stream had
sometimes made his first water appro-
priatl0n through the medium Of SIN
gle pillow furrow Later on the furroW
would be- enlarged by the addition Of
another and still another until the
original tiny stream grew TO- be canal
So many appropriations OF this Kind
have been made that nearly all streams
have been oyer-appropriated At the
present time. and for long time past
there mas been no more available water
The end has been reached, and more
than reached
Go to 8ny prominent water course In
the state and It viii be found that in
one case the farmer says he owns a
'rod" of water, another an acre. sun
another q stream" and yet another "a
foot and 80 on Such confusion has
led the people into contention and law
suits which have become very eXpcn-
siye. In many Instances much bitter
feeling has resulted and IN few cases
very serious fosultg have come about
When these contentious have been
taken into court they have resulted
very unsatisfactory as rule In the
division Of water no account Of the
volume OF the supply seems 20 have
been taken-no inventory OF the thing
TO be divided nas beer taken-elther In
OF out Of the courts. Usually q ease
IN court Is brought by small portion
Of the water takers from large
stream against another small portion
Of such community In determining
the rights OF these parties as related 20
one another no account Is taken OF the
fost of other water takers on the
stream because they have not been
made parties 10 the suit and their
tights are consequently not IN the court
Tor consideration and adjudication,
Even when the court DEGREES that the
defendant and plaintiff are each en-.
titled 20 90 many acres or so many
'ieet Of water. the allotment Is en-
tlrely indefinite and unsatisfactory,
The term acre does not mean the
same in st. George as 1t does In Lo-
gan. and 20 on Some order must be
brought out of this confusion, and this
must be- done before we can reasonably
terlng the supply However much the
supply might be Increased the problem
OF unsettled and indefinite division
would remain the same and be as irri-
tuting as 10 Is now. Reyerting 90 court
adjudlcauons of water dlspates Mr.
Dorenus stated that in some instances
more Wptcr has been allotted by the
courts 10 iItlgators than the stream
contained Therefore contended the
speaker The FIRST effort should be to
eliminate the present confusion
Some OF the residents Of Utah, who
have been particularly irritated and
hompered in lheir efforts at husbandry.
on account Of their water troubles, are
moving out OF he state In order to
escape the annoyance, Mr. D0remus
commended that such action was like
jumping out of the fryiugpan into the
fire Tor nearly AN the irrigation
streams IN Utah while small ana insig- |
uiicant as compared with big streams |
OF other states, have their beginning |
and their end mere. In that case |
there Is no interstate question to con-
front the irrigator and for that reason !
u ought TO be- comparatively easy to |
settle his difficulties
Another matter that has been en- /
tirely Ignored for years Is the fact that |
the rivers. creeks canals and bitches /
do not entirely and completely consti- I
tute the water systems The sources. ,
Of sUpply--the lands in which lliest
streams have their origin-haye been
utterly neglected II Is true that by
portions OF the natural des-
ert hgve been converted into parks;
but 1t Is also true that by operation Of
this same system Of irrigation the nat
lwnl rarks have been converted into
deserts.
Under the present method OF irriga-
ton it Is now impossible to cultivate
more Than per cent OF the entire area
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