The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-02-13

which the money was expended does
not seen to be clear at first glance,
except that a large amount of it went
for expenses that it is said were need
lessly incurred. The district in which
Mr.. WOrmser figures is known as No.
2, and through his efforts a COM
pany had been organized to irrigate
a considerable area of land. The
commission wanted the canal and
water rights owned and controlled by
the company and issued bonds to the
amount of 500, 900 to secure them.
Whether this was a good investment
others may judge for themselves, but
it is said that the ditch irrigated
about 500 acres and is only eight
miles in length. so a surveyor claims,
although the commission says it is
thirteen miles long, and it carries
from 800 to 500 miners inches of
water. Those pretending to be COM
petent to pass judgment allege that
the ditch could be constructed for
less than $4,000, Notwithstanding
that 100000 bonds were issued for
it.. Wanting to issue more bonds and
not being able to- do it on the land
the Wormser ditch would irrigate, the
extended the district by
taking in 1900 acres of other land,
thirty or forty miles away and on the
other side of the Yellowstone river
and which it is said cannot be reach
ed by the $500, 900 ditch. To help out
matters Mr.. Wormser undertook to
contract for the extension of the sys-
TEN and for the construction of an
other ditch, this to reclaim the addi-
tional $4,000 acres of land. He was
required by the commission to give a
large bond for the fulf1llment of his
contract and he arranged with a bond
ing company to go his surety, for
which he vas obliged to pay a premi.
UNI of $1,000. In addition he was
also required to deposit 100000 in
cash with the surety company to in
demnify it against loss. The COM
mission heard of this and wanted to
get the 100000. To get it the mem
bers called on Mr.. Wormser to cancel
his arrangement with the surety com
pany and deposit the 100000 cash
with the commission, the latter agree
ing to accept his personal bond in
stead of that of the surety company.
Although he lost the $1,000 premium,
Mr.. Wormser consented and the com
mission offered him a credit Of about
$1,000, which he had previously ad.
vanced to it. He next gave his per-
sonal check for $4,000, which the
commission insisted should be made
payable to the secretary, instead of to
the state treasurer, as it had been
originally drawn. That seems to have
been the end of it.
The commission has done nothing
in the way of improving or extending
the canal it bought for the bonds,
neither has it done anything in the
way of retaining the additional A.
900 acres of land, except to make a
survey, the cost of which it is claim
ed did not exceed $4,000. The report
of the disbursements for the district
show that S1O,075 was paid for sur
veys and expenses, the biggest single
item. The commission also seems to
have been generous with itself in the
way of allowing it's expenses, as that
is placed at s5,740.
Those there are that say the prop
erty for which $1O0, 900 in bonds and
something like $4,000 in cash was
paid for would not bring to exceed
10000.
1t is these things that Mr.. Tolman
wants to have investigated and it the
showing made on the face of the re-
ports is correct it would seem that at
last the house has really found some
thing that should be subjected to a
searching investigation. H.,
The Butte Miner reads a lecture
TO the republican house of the leg