Imperial Valley press., 1910-10-22

uhSiS WdHCeu lO SHl0Dle On JndJ chance
 they could do so but they should not have chance to say that they had
 not been told what was likely to hap
 pen to them.
 MT. Eshleman asked question in- tended to elicit an admission that the proposed wasteway for number eight
 is only a convenience and notNa neces- ity. MT. Mckinley said: 'If MT.
 Eshleman will say that number eight
 does not want the wasteway, we will
 cut that out and say no more about
 it." MT. Eshleman declined to make
 the statement suggested.
 MT. Shaw started the same thing about the number four waste, and he
 backed up when asked if he would
 declare the wasteway not wanted by
 his client.
 MT. Eshleman asked this final ques- tion "If you get the water to th.
 boundary through Mexican territory,
 would you have any difficulty in SUD-
 plying the needs of the valley during the next nine months with the system as it stands MT. Clarke admitted
 that the system might carry the water, if no consideration were given to structures requiring replacement or to
 new works needed for safety of ope- ration.
 Chester Allison, assistant engineer, who has been on the work about eight years, followed MT Clarke and ex- plained the estimates in detail He admitted that some of the minor work contemplated might be postponed without serious menace to the system, but maintained that the dredging, re- pairing and raising of levees and in- stallation of wasteways and other structures were necessary to the safe operation of the canals and delivery of water. Structures of wood, in his opinion, would last six or eight years. ! The receivers auditor, E. J. McAIlen produced books and accounts showing the revenues and expenses under the receivership and the basis of the re- ceiver's estimates of revenue and ope- rating expense for the next nine months. The lawyers spent part of Wednesday and all of Thursday dig ging into the accounts and getting information, which most of them evil dently lacked, concerning the relations of the Sociedad to the c. D. Go. and the reasons why the revenues of the Mexican company do not get into the hands of the receiver. Half dozen well-fed attorneys and several high priced expert engineers set around killing time while MT. Britt, with the pertinacity of ferret, chased a four teen cent voucher through a maze of books as if it were vital factor in the water problem that the court and brigade of lawyers are supposed to be trying to solve. An effort to get the books of the Sociedad into the case failed because the court has no jurisdiction over a Mexican corpora tion and the receiver has nothing to do with its affairs.
 The Sociedad is in the hands of Mexican receiver, who collects the water rentals and pays them over to w. J. Doran, trustee, presumably for the use and benefit of the Southern Pacific. The revenues for the past year are estimated to have been about $18,O00. Some of the attorneys have argued that the receiver should have abrogated the contract between the c. D. Go. and the Sociedad and gotten hold of the latter's revenues in some way, but they have failed to make clear how an American court could acquire jurisdiction over bankrupt Mexican corporation that is in the hands of the Mexican courts, or how the c. D. Co, could get water through Mexico if the contract for delivery through Mexican canals should be set aside. The Sociedad is likely to be sold by the receiver in Mexico at any time and when that is done the stock contracts and other liabilities of the company will be wiped out and the purchaser may make such terms as he chooses for the delivery of water to American users. It has been sug- gested that the purchaser of the Mex ican canals might construct a new in. take and main canal wholly in Mexl- can territory, and contract to deliver water directly to the Imperial Valley farmers without the intervention of