Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1910-01-27
HOLD IMPORTANT
WATER MEETING
WATER USERS ASSOCIATIONS OF
MOUNTAIN HOME DECIDE TO
TAKE ACTION
Fully 1000 Raised at Meeting at
Court House Tuesday Afternoon
For Purpose of Irrigating 5000
Acres This Season.


Citations was held at the Court House
Tuesday afternoon for the purpose of I
devising ways and means for the
raising of money with which to re-
pair the Camas ditch to the end that
the waters of Camas reservoir be /
made available for that part of the
land under the Great Western Beet
Sugar company's segregation, which
will be put under cultivation this
year
B..P. Thompson presided and ex-
planned that while the moneys spent
in repairs last year were carefully
used and the work thoroughly and
well done, that the re-tinbering of
the Camas ditch was necessary at
this time in order that the full con-
servation and flow of these $4,000
acre feet of water from the Camas
reservoir, sufficient to irrigate 1900
acres of land might be available at
the opening of the season and with
proper attention made to do duty
during the full season.
J. G. Watts was given the priv
ilege of the floor and explained more
at length of the necessities for re-
pairs at this time He cited the
matter of enlarging the spillway at
the Long Tom reservoir at an esti-
mated cost of $500, stating that the
settlers in that section would not
permit of the filing of this reservoir
until this work was done on account
OF the danger of the dam going out
and flooding the valley. He stated
that the estimated cost of the needed
repairs this spring. together with the
expense attached to looking after the
reservoirs during the season, would
be about $4,000, and that he con-
sidered the most feasible method of
raising this amount would be for
each member of the association to
assess himself 81 per acre and that
the receiver of the company should
be instructed to issue receivers scrip
for these several amounts, which
scrip acts as a first lien upon the
assets of the company and is interest
bearing at the rate of % per cent.
In this way it would be possible to
raise the money necessary for the
repairs on both the Camas tunnel
and the Long Tom reservoir and
makes possible the delivery of suffi-
cient water for fully 5000 acres of
land.
Receivers Attorney Willis Sullivan
was caleld upon and declared the
ideas of Attorney Watts were the
only practical method of procedure.
as it would not be advisable or fair
to use the maintenance fee assess
ment system. Contending that as
soon as the matter was fully settled
in the courts. ii would be no more
than right for the parties who even
tually took hold of the system to pay
for the improvements.
c. l.. Sawyer of Minnesota and
Mountain Home cited many illustra-
tiOns of the value of Grand Junction
and Wanatchee fruit acreage and
stimulated his hearers with the asser-
ton that. all conditions considered,
Mountain Home land, when mixed
with the proper proportion of mois-
ture, had them all beat by at least
a neck.
To give those present some idea
of the value of fruit land, Mr. Sawyer
said: Il knew a man who sold two
sections of land in North Dakota for
100000 and moved out to Wanat-
chee, where he purchased 2 acres for
$4,000 Buildings occupied one
half-acre of this and the p acres
apple crop netted him $4,000. He
also sold tomatoes to the Seattle
market in the spring, and they netted
him 50 per 20 pound crate. Then
y
cherries and other small fruit He
later bought acres adjoining for
$4,000, and three months after sold
the whole piece, 8 acres. for $31, 900.
Sold it because, he said, he was
getting too old to work hard any
longer. Of course" added Mr..
Sawyer. this can only be done by
scientific farming.
Il came here to make friends with
the people of Mountain Home and to
work with you. There are Just as
good conditions here as in Wanatchee
with the exception that we are a
little backward in settling our water
question, because we have been un-
fortunate. I think we will persevere
in our undertaking and we will be
the gamers thereby. We must all
bear our share and cooperate in
meeting the expense of getting water
on our land this year. and we must
do it in the most feasible manner"
Those in attendance seemed of one
mind and very little further talh
was INDUCED in.
An agreement, presented by At
tOrney Mott. ready for the signatures
of those who would, and a motion
was made to the effect of its cOnclu.
si0ns. as follows:
Moved that it is the sense of this
meeting that those who contract foi
the use of water for the coming sea.
son, subscribe their names hereto in
the sum of at least 81 per acre OF
their holdings"
This was seconded without debate
and unanimously carried. as was alsC
motion TO the effect that Mr.
1ssacson be secured. if possible. ts
take full charge of the repair worl
necessary this spring.