The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-02-06
MAY FALL BACK
ON MERGER PLAN
Stockholders Favor Utah Laks
Scheme But Officers Oppose.
COMMISSION FINDS FAVOR
LAKE NOW so Low THERE IS NO
DANGER OF FLOODS.
FINDS FAVOR

Utah lake may be enclosed by gov
eminent dykes despite the discouraging
action of the canal companies. The
question is submerged under tempo
rary disappointment, but the promot-
ers of the merger scheme have not Civ
en- up all hope that the companies will
take up the proposition again and carry
1t through. A representative of one
of the canal companies said yester-
day:
The stockholders have been in favor
of the consolidation all the time The
North Jordan people voted against the
measure, but this was done through
the influence of some OF the officers of
the company. Some of the officials have
not looked with favor on the merger
scheme, because a consolidation will
naturally wipe out some of the Offices.
/ Relieve that if committee of rep
resentative citizens went to the stock
holders, the scheme would go through
yet. Some of the stockholders of the
North Jordan company said that if
would vote in favor of the cOnsolida-
ton, although they voted against it
before.
May Take Matter Up.
The matter may be brought before
The Commercial club. 1t will be taken
up in some form and brought to the
attention of the club There is a great
deal of work connected with this mat
ter and the business men who are in
terested only indirectly for the benefit
of the people at large do not want to
devote their time to it. Each man is
waiting for some on else to act first. as
some of them viii have to neglect their
business more or less until the plans
are fully matured."
Colonel Z. f. Holmes said the other
day: Il have not given up hope yet.
If we can't get the Utah lake propo-
sition one way we can another. but
the merger plan was the best one, s
1T consolidated all the interests of the
canal companies. We can appoint a
commission to go on with this work. or
an individual can be empowered to rep
resent the interests of the four COM
panies and deal with the government.
The merger plan was, of course, the
best one. The government would have
TO be assured that the water would be
properly distributed and that the money
from the sale of reclaimed lands would
be turned over to the government. A
bond would have to be given. Prob
ably bond to the amount of 81 ,OOO, 900
would have to be advanced"
Would Spend 100000.
George c. Lambert said yesterday:
The scheme of having an individual or
commission represent the canal inter
eSts might be satisfactory to the gov
eminent The bond suggested is not
large one when one considers the inter-
ests involved. OF course. the gOverf1-
ment will spend S2,000,000 or more in the
Improvement to the lake. l understand
some objection has been raised to the
dykes at Provo, but it is easy to see
through the objection. There is no OBJ
lection in the southern part of Utah
county, and the people there favor il
and see the benefits that would result
There have been some differences re-
garding the water question between
Utah and Salt Lake counties in the
past, but these differences have been
compromised
The differences TO which Mr.. Lambert
refers are over the suit brought about
two years ago against Salt Lake
county. 1t was claimed that by raising
the plaRks of the dam in the Jordan
narrows the waters in the lake were
raised, and the result is that many of
the farms in Utah county were flooded.
y compromise was effected. as the re-
suit of which $4,000 was paid to rectifN
the damages and a commission was APP
pointed 20 take charge of the dam.
Work of Commission.
This commission was to vote wien
to put in the planks and when to take
them out. 1t consisted of two men
from Titan county and two from Salt
Lake county. A third man was app
pointed from one of the adjoining
counties 10 vote when the other COM
rrissioners could not agree.
This commission had it's hands full
of trouble the first year. When Salt
Lake wanted the planks down Titan
county wanted them up, and vice versa.
The commissioners were voting half
the time and the other half they could
the lake water kept going down and
the planks became a permanent fea-
tUre of the dam The water became so
low that a pumping plant was put in
10 force the water over.
Three of the companies paid for the
pump. The city has recently purchased
an interest in the pumps, and the
North Jordan company intends to-
Since the pump became necessary the
commission has had no work to do but
ii has been kept up at an expense in
accordance with the terms Of the COM
promise.
Mr.. Lambert said that, in his opinion,
the lake could not be pumped below a
certain level. for as soon as the pres
sure is removed the flow of the numer-
GUS springs in the bottom of the lake
is increased and the increase is equal
to the water taken away by the pumps.
Meetings Held.
a meeting of the presidents of the
canal companies which take water
from Utah lake was held yesterday in
the Office OF Angus NJ. Cannon. One of
the most important questions under
discussion was the purchase of the
Cooper water right. A vote was taken
in favor of the purchase. The amount
to be paid is $11, 900 for twenty-three
second feet. The other four companies
agreed to go in with the city and Guy
the mattress factory right which the
city purchased last year. The Cooper
privilege gives the companies about
$4,000. 900 additional gallons of water
1omo m tn Rn0u0