East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-05-16
State Water Commissioners
Meet in Echo to Adjust
Disputes.
MANY LOCAL ATTORNEYS
PRESENT AT HEARING
State Board Meet for Adjudication Of
Water Rights Along Umatilla River
Settlement May Require Years
Hearing to be Held i'm This City
Thursday-Movement to Settle Dis
putes Will be State Wide In its Ef-
fects.

Litigation having for it's object the
along the Umatilla river and which
will probably require several months,
if not years, to complete, was started
at Echo this morning. The original
hearing is taking place before State
Engineer John H. Lewis of Salem and
F. NJ. Saxton, of Baker City, who IL
the eastern Oregon member of the
state board of water commissioners.
A large number of Pendleton attorneys
went down this morning to attend the
hearing which will probably contin-
ue over until tomorrow or next day.
Thursday similar hearing is sched-
uled to be held in this city.
Commissioner Saxton came over
from Baker City last evening and went
on to Echo early this morning. AM
ong those going down from here this
morning on the local were Col. J.
H. 4Raley, Judge James A. Fee, At
torney Frederick Steiwer, Attorney
Harrison Allen of Portland, W. n.
Daughtrey of Portland, Will Moore,
Judge H. ]. Bean and Judge s. A.
Lowell Attorney Oliver P. Morton
of Portland and Attorney Edward 9.
| Taylor of Hermiston are also there to
represent the government.
The Echo hearing and the one
which is to follow in this city next
Thursday are the first steps in the
movement to settle once and for all
the question of water rights in the
state of Oregon. The Umatilla river
has been selected as the place of be-
ginning by reason of the demand for
an immediate adjudication. More wa
ter has already been appropriated
than flows down the stream during
the irrigating season and it is abso-
lutely necessary that some adjust
ment be reached as soon as possible.
By the present arrangement every
man using water from the river will
be compelled to appear before the
commission either in person or by at
torney at the Echo or Pendleton meet
ing. He will then be compelled to
make affidavit showing when he first
began taking water from the stream,
giving the dimensions Of the ditch.
the number of acres irrigated and the
amount of water he uses and needs.
II there is no objection to this claim
on the part of other users, the claim
will be allowed and the claimant will
be given the proper papers making
his rights permanent and showing the
amount of water to which he is en-
titled.
In case any mans claims are dis
puted by any other, and there is every
promise that scores of them will be
contested, the disputants will be CIV
en- a hearing before the commission.
In case this decision is not favor
able to both sides an appeal will be
taken to the circuit court and will
then be appealed to the state supreme
court whose decision will be final.
Papers will then be issued as in the
former case.
After the rights have all been ad-
Indicated it will then be an easy
matter for the water masters to make
an investigation and see that each
man is taking no more water than
he is entitled to.
1t is estimated that there are ap-
proximately 400 users of water along
the Umatilla river and It's tributary
streams of Mckay, Birch and Butter
creeks. so that the task before the
water commission is a gigantic one.
Settlers under the various reclama-
ton projects will be represented by
the project owners.