Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1908-04-16
MAY RAISE PRICE
OF WATER RIGHTS
GIenns FERRY Project People Say
Rate of $50 an Acre Is
Too Small.

BOISE, April 14.-Sccretary of
State Robert Lansdon, a member OF
the state land board, and H. S.
Martin, a representative engineer
of the board, returned yesterday af-
ter viewing the proposed Glcnns
Ferry project which was recently
taken over by the King Hill Irriga-
ton company, and for which the
company is asking a change in the
egregation and that a higher max
imum ate for water rights be
changed t. sos an acre.
The segregation was allowed to
the original promoters for 20, 600
acres, but Mr.. Hammett and his
associates, it is understood, contend
that the project is impracticiblc if
the irrigation Of more than IL, 600
acres is attempted. The proposed
highline canal, they say, will have
to be abandoned and this will c
state the REIMBURSEMENT of 8, 600
acres.
When Mr.. Hammctt and those in
tercstcd with him first made formal
application to the state land board
they asked that a water rate be
tered into allowing the sos as a
maximum price, with a graduated
scale of prices for less valuable
acreage. Several meetings of the
board were held and finally the
price was determinedat $50, leav-
ing the matter of classification of
the lands to the company. Work
on the project which had been sus-
pended for more than two years,
was at once resumed, and the mat
ter was believed to have been set
tied until at a recent n eeting of the
board, Mr.. Hammet' his attorneys
and the engineers { the company
again presented the matter, asking
the board to increase the maximum
price to SOS an acre, that the COM
pany may profitably complete the
project in accordance with the re-
viscd plans as designed TO reclaim
IL, 600 acres.
Their showing was that change
of plans would not reduce the cost OF
the project only about Is or 20 per
cent, while the company could a
ket water rights for but a little
more than half the acreage of the
original segregation. The original
cost, including the settlement with
those local capitalists who started
the work, was estimated at $780,
900. The segregation to those first
taking up the enterprise was at the
fixed rate of $50 per acre, and it
was because 1t was found that a {
this price the project would not be
profitable that it was finally aban-
doncd.
The lands under this project, al
though it is small, are as fine as
any in the state, and they will be
especially adapted to fruit growing
owing to their sheltered location in
the Snake river canyon. The water
rights will be ~unexcelled in that
there is water sufficient for the tir-
rigation of so, 900 acres, although
but IL, 600 acres are now available
for reclamation.
The project will be expensive in
construction in that so much flumc
and syphon work are necessary, and
one of the most difficult engineer
ing feats vel attempted in this
section of the west. These facts
will also mean that the cost of
maintenance will also he greater
than in other irrigated tracts.
A report will in all probability
be made at a meeting of the state
land board this week by Secretary
Lansdon and Engineer Martin, and
some action taken On the applica-
ton to raise the price of the water
rights.