The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1907-05-09
EAST HOOD RIVER
IRRIGATIONISTS
FARMERS INCORPORATE SYSTEM
Purchase of the Bone Ditch Considered
bylaws Directors
Elected-BOard organizes.

River Irrigation company held YER
enthusiastic meeting on last Saturda
afternoon in the Artisans hall. Near
ly 100 men were present at this ses
sion which continues from until
p. IN. II. f.. Davidson called th
meeting TO oIdeT and was elected TEN
porary chairman. Z. S. Davidson
was electeu socretary J. Il. Hender
son, who Tad piepated the necessar
legal instruments for the incorpors
tion, made such explanations as wer
necessary from time to time concern
ing the legal aspects of the company.
The secretary, after calling the roll
announced that there we're 1888 share
subscribed at $50 per share and tha
19l shares we're represented at th
meeting, also that the capital stock O
the company was placed at $4,000.
1t developed that the subscription
for stock had been made under tn
name of the East Siie Irrigating com
pany, and that this name was so sim /
lar to the East Fork lrIigating com
pany, now incorporated and doin,
busines on the east side of Hood riv
Ell, that it was deemed expedient t,
change the name OF the Incorporate OF
to the East Hood River Irrigation
company. A resolution to this effeo
was introduced and adopted. Thil
carried all of the subscriptions fol
stock under the former over to the
latter and the original subscription
was presented and adopted.
The secretary then read the articles
of Incorporation al filed with the sec.
retary of state and the clerk of Wascc
county.
The president stated that some OF
the articles might seem to cover more
ground than necessary but that it Waf
easier to embody them now than to
have the charter amended in after
years and that the time. might come
when the company would be justified
in taking up some of the enterprises
that appeared improbable at this
time.
Chas. IL, Sproat, as chairman of the
committee on sby-laws then lead q
substantial copy of the Farmers Irri.
eating company's bylaws of the west
side. After some remarks it was
adopted as read with the exception OF
section II, which reads as follows:
The board OF directors may enter
into water right contracts with per
sons owning land under the ditch or
dituhes of this company by which the
company shall agree to furnish the
amount of water therein specified Tor
term not exceeding 80 years, at the
rate of $50 for each miners inch OF
water, which contract shall be in
writing, under seal of the company,
and shall specify the land upon which
water therein contracted for is ito be
used. Each person so contracting
with the company for water right
shall be entitled to one inch of water
for each share of stock subscribed for
by him and may distribute said
water on the land described in his
contract.
Such water right contracts shall also
provide for the payment of such an
nual charge as the board of directors
may deem necessary to cover cost
and expense of maintaining the ditch
es, fumes and canals of the company
and distributing the water, and Other
necessary expenses of the company,
such carge 10 be fixed from year to
year ~ the directors; to b. payble
on the 18th day of June OF each year,
and to be delinquent on the first day
of July of each year and il not paid
on or before said last named day the
water shall be shut off from such de.
linquents. When the water is turned
off under the above provision it shall
not be again turned on until all ar.
rears and charges then due are paid,
and In addition there to charge OF
So to cover expense of t1rning water
off and on.
This section became the subject of
an animated discussion. 1t appears
that the stock subscriptions we're TAX
Ell with the understand that $50
should repI esent one share uf stock
which in turn represented one inch OF
water, and it appeared to many that
an effort was being made to refer this
section to a committee with authority
to fix the value of shares SO that they
might represent the real value of the
water represented by the stock. In
other words it the real value OF the
water per inch was $50 they could not
afford to sell it at $50 per inch, hence
losing $40 at the very beginning and
in all future subscriptions.
The mistake made by the farmers
IrIigating company was very appar-
ent. They found that the plan OF
placing the shares on fiat basis of
$50 per share was not equitable. As
the value of the system was increased
by virtue of additional impr ove-
ments-it was sought to place the
shares on sliding scale, and an at
tempt was made to charge subsequent
purchasers sum in excess of the $50
as provided for by the bylaws, hut
this was held to be illegal on account
of the provisions of the water con
tracts.
An understanding was finally had
and the following resolution presented
by ID. L. Davidson was adopted as
read to wit: "Ihat q committee OF
three be appointed to draft section IL
SO as not to Incl ease the price of the
present subscribers above $50 per
share; but add interest and necessary
expenses to future subscribers, and to
report to an adjourned meeting OF the
stock holders to be held Saturday,
May IS, at l 30 p. m. in the Artisan
hall. =" The chair then appointed p.
s. DAWSON, L. A. Decker and M.
Hawthorne as members OF that CON-
mittee.
The company then proceeded to
elect directors, and the following sew
an memhars we're eleCted: L. r.
CLARK, G, Dethman, M. M. Hill, II.
f. Davidson, @. K. Marshall, NJ.
Hawthorne and p. S. Davidson.
L. E. Clarke then read the report
of the committee appointed at a pre-
vious session to inspect the system of
the East Fork lIrigating company and
in reference to proposition made by
that company for the sale of their
ditch, and personal effects of the cor