Los Angeles herald., 1908-01-24
CHAFFEY INTERESTS
WILLING TO SELL
INSIST THAT FRED EATON DO
LIKEWISE
Freight Controversy Brings Up
New Phases of Water
Rights

The Chaffey interests in the owen
valley offered yesterday to sell to tn
city officials their various holdings, Il
with which Attorney Waite
Malins Rose said 5000 miners inche
continuous flow would be guaranteed
The city has all along contended tha
such rights are not well founded.
The aqueduct board Is handling tn
growing out of the fac
hat the Southern Pacific was the onl
bidder for hauling the aqueduct freigh
and this latest offer Is the newes
phase of the situation.
The Chaffey attorneys, through MI
Rose, gave out the following statemen
1t has been suggested that my
clients voluntarily sacrifice their
private rights in Owens valley in
Difference to the public needs of
the city. and. as evidence of their
public spirit as it's citizens, offer
to transfer and convey to the city
all those rights at the exact cost
of the same to date.
Do Not Seek to Sell
My clients have already made
the city a much more advantageous
offer that has been rejected. They
have never sought and do not now
seek to sell Los Angeles anything.
They have never asked and do not
now ask of its officials anything,
save to be let alone in the pursuit
of their lawful business, UNDER
taken in good faith.
Nevertheless, they are willing to
make such an offer If there is any
81 lit l.
civic loyalty demands so much, the
more especially as the city is con-
tinuing to delay the building of the
Owens valley railroad and is there
by losing the benefit of a competing
line in Owens valley during the
period of aqueduct construction.
Accordingly, on their behalf, I
hereby offer to sell to Los Angeles
(a) all their ranch and water rights
in Owens valley, and (b) all their
power and railroad rights, or either
of these, at exact cost to date.
To this offer l attach but one
provIso. the fairness of which will
be obvious, to wit:
Would Force Eaton's Hand
That at the same time Fred
Eaton transfer and convey to Los
Angeles at cost to date all lands,
water and water rights acquired in
Owens valley, and especially the
Long valley reservoir site which he
owns, and the water rights ad-
jacent thereto which he has been
permitted to acquire and hold pri-
Vately without any such hostile
demonstration as has been contin-
ually. made against my clients.
If Mr.. Eaton does not care to
concede that it is a case for such
charity on his part then my clients
will be satisfied to sell to Los An
geles their rights at the same per-
centage of profit as that at which
Mr.. Eaton will sell his Long valley
reservoir lands and his Long valley
water rights to the city. He is the
only other citizen of this city with
extensive land and water interests
in Owens valley. His Long valley
holdings are especially important,
il not vital, to Los Angeles. My
clients will match any offer, as re-
spects it's generosity to the city,
that Mr.. Eaton may be induced by
these circumstances to make.
If Mr.. Eaton shall prefer to hold
mis- Long valley water rights in the
expectation of an enhancement in
will still make their offer to sell
their property as itemized above.
or either of those items, at an ad-
vance over cost equal to the profit
that has been allowed to Mr.. Eaton
Dy city officials as a result of his
transactions on behalf of Los An
geles.
AS to Freight Bid
That there may be no groun
'or the assumption that the Los An
yeles & Owens River Valley railroa
officials did not intend to or will no
bid on the transportation of freigh
'or the aqueduct the company has ad
vised Mayor Harper. William Mulhol
and, chief engineer Los Angeles aque
1uct, and James A. Anderson, chair
nan of the board of public works. tina
It is very desirous of making a bi
for the carrying of aqueduct freigh
and asks these officials to advertise
second time therefor in order that tn
city may have the benefit of such com
1eting bids. The letter reads:
To enable us to make such COM
peting bid in good faith it will be
necessary for us to have your as
surance that all existing protests
filed by Los Angeles against the
grant of the applications for rights
of way for power in Owens valley,
which this company expects to
utilize in the operation of its line,
shall be by you withdrawn forth
with and also that the consent of
the city to the approval of our
rights of way maps be similarly
given.
"Road Tied Up"
Had it not been for the protests
filed against the applications for
the power which we intend to
utilize and the refusal of city Of
ficials to sign the agreement of
compromise and adjustment which
was orally agreed to many months
ago, this company would long since
have had its road in process of
construction.
AS it is. we have completed our
surveys and have since been tied
up by the tactics of obstruction
employed by the counsel for the
Los Angeles aqueduct
Inasmuch as We have had from
time to time. official assurances
that our projected road was not
looked upon favorably and that the
city of Los Angeles positively did
not want any of these power
rights, save a prior right on lower
Cottonwood. which we agreed to
concede more than a year ago, you
will ROC div see that the poIicV to