Semi-weekly herald., 1909-08-30

irrigation district tax If the owners dc
not so desire?
A They do not
@. 3. When patents are obtained
nom the government on such lands, II
The towner of 100 acres desires tc
nave portion only included In the
! district, can the district compel him
10 include all of the irrigable land OF
the l6O acres, or can a part only be
included upon his application therefor
10 the board of directors of the dis.
trict?
| A. The district cannot compel him
10 include any of his lands In the dis.
! trfct. 1t is purely a matter of ne
collation. and arrangement between
The owner of the lands and the dis
] trict. BY agreement. all such lands
may be included, and also by agree
/ ment. any portion of such lands may
be included
O. a. Can the owners of unpatented
lands inside the boundaries of the
proposed district, and who reside
thereon, or who reside in the county
wherein the lands are situate, vote AT
any elections held to organize dis
trict or to issue bonds or let con.
tracts? ..
A. They cannot. Only the bona
fide owners OF agricultural land re-
siding in the district can vote; and
such other residents of the county as
own forty acres or more of agricul.
tural lands within the district may
vote upon such questions. Ownership
as used in the statute means an owner
OF q Gee simple title.
Aside from the foregoing. take
this opportunity of saying that the
plan of the district irrigation law
approaches as near community man
aeement as anything known to our
law. After a district Is formed and
the directors are elected, they are EN-
powered to make such researches and
investigations with reference to
proper water supply for the district as
may be necessary. Having determined
upon system, they are required to
estimate the cost of the same; and
only then can they submit the ques-
ton of bond issue to the district;
and before bonds can be issued, a ma
jority vote must be obtained The
owners of the lands in the district are
further protected by other provisions
of the law, requiring every contract In
excess of $4,000 to be sanctioned by
one-third of the voters of the district
before such contract will be effective;
and where the contract calls for an
expenditure of more than $25. 900, such
contract must be ratified by a major
ity of the voters of the district at an
election duly called for that purpose
Any unpatented public lands within
the boundaries of the district are not
Ia any sense part of the district
and can only be made so by the con
sent of the owners The Legislature
has provided a way. however, whereby
such lands may become part of the
district and be supplied with water
from the district system upon the own
er entering into a contract with the
district for such purpose.
The district system has become a
favorite method of supplying water to
iirigable lands, not only in the state
OF Colorado, but elsewhere throughout
the western states and territories
Among the advantages of such sys.
tenn is the community interests here
tofore alluded to; the length of time
wisely provided by the legislature be
( fore any payments of the principal of
7 the bonds will be required; the econ
omy of construction and management
resulting from one system as contra.
distinguished from a haK dozen or
more private bitches, each supplying a
portion of the land; and the authority
given TO purchase or construct ade'
quate reservoirs for the supply Of wa
ter.
Speaking generally, we have now
reached the period in irrigation iI
Colorado where all irrigators recog
nize that the growing of the higheI
priced crops can only be made Ger
tain where an adequate reservoir sys
TEN is used. In fact. agriculture IL
general can only reach Its most pro
ductive state in the arid region wher
there Is an ample supply of store,
water to be used in connection witt
, the growing of such crops.
Hundreds of reservoirs have bee
constructed, in what is general
known as the Greeley district, With
the last few years. and In all othe
+ parts of the state engineers have bee
searching diligently for available re,
0 syvotr sites. and It IL safe to say thu