Imperial Valley press and the Imperial press., 1907-01-12
EXTRACTS FROM MESSAGE
 OF PRESIDENT GLEASON
Comments on the Affairs of Impe- rial Water Company No. I During Last Year tt

w. Gleason reviewed the affairs of Water Company No> at considera- ble length. The following excerpts are made from che document:
 Dminc this period the cement gate at Hanlcu heading was complctcd in the most ubs ntial and satisfactory manhcr. built .a solid rock lounda- ton. but all efforts to turn the river were suspended until the high water period vas past
 In the month ol Janua,y the United States surveyor. appeared toreswvev parts of Imrufal valley lands under the act of congress of July 1. 1902 and then it became apparent for the first time that those fling made sub- sequent Co that date were not to be surveyed as private land claims. but must move their lines SO as to con form to the nearest ,ubdivisional lines of the Henderson survey, throw ing our canals and roads off from the property lines. delivery gates in wrong places, causing overlapping claims of those who filed before that date upon those filed later, and pro- ducinc the greatest confusion. and in- jury to the extent of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
 After spasmodic and i'll advised ef- forts along the line of petitions, let ters to congressman and senators, etc., it was decided to send a special repre- tentative to Washington armed with numerous letters, recommendations and endorsements of prominent men, and Paul H. McPherrin was selected for this mission, his expenses to be born one-half by the California De velopment Company and one-half by the valley people through their mu- tual water companies.
 Your president gave nearly one month of his time exclusively to this matter, securing cooperation of the various interests, data for maps, let ters of recommendation, etc., and crowding to the utmost early action in the matter and accompanied MT McPherrin to San Francisco to in terview General Graham. secure his endorsement and see lIr. McPherrin off on his errand
 Survey Problem
 His arrival in Washington was most opportune, just having time to get the matter before the proper authorities and the work lined up in time to get special appropriation of S2O,000 tackled on to a special deficiency bill then up before congress, and later passed, thus supplying the funds and at the same time the honorable com missioner of the general land office gave his decision to include and sur vey as private land claims all entries up toMarch 3l, 1906, and suspend from entry further claims until such resurvey should be completed.
 Thus was successfully avoided an- other of our dangers which for a time loomed up before us in the propor- tions of a calamity.
 Soon after Mr. McPherrin's return numerous desert land applicants who had made final proof on their lands, and to whom final receipts had been issued about two years previously, received letters from the general land office under date of April l2l 1906, stating that their entries were held for cancellation because their water stock was mortgaged and hence was not an "absolute title"
 The more the effect of this decision was studied the more unjust it seemed and the more apparent it became that it spelled ruin to a large number of UT people who had not the credit or he means to pay up on their water stock before making final proof, and again your officials got busy and at first prepared a petition setting forth the facts and sent letters to congress- men and senators, but soon realized that this was not the proper way to handle the matter This being a de- cision of the law department of the