Imperial Valley press., 1910-07-16
Owners Entitled to More Water Than They Could Use Might
 Sell Their Surplus
Law Allows Such to Assign Water, or Any Part of 1t, to Other Land own- CTS Under Provisions of Proposed Irrigation Distriet-Taxation Based on Land Values Exclusively. Q


 passed to take the place of the Wright Act which had been pass ed by the California Legislature some ten years previously. The Act of 1897 was framed to avoid all the defects that had been found in the old Act of 1887, and has been found, upon actual trial to be one of the best irrigation statutes now in existence It provides for the organization of irrigation dis tricts, similar to municipal corpora tions, in the following manner, and in the following language:
 SECTION l. A majority in num- Der of title or evidence of title, to lands susceptible of irrigation from a common source and from the same system of works, such holders of title or evidence of title, representing a majority in value of the lands, accord ing to the capitalized county assess ment roll or rolls, for the year last proceeding, may propose the organi- zation of an irrigation district, under the provisions of this Act. Said capitalized assessment roll or rolls shall be sufficient evidence of title for the purposes of this act''
 In order to propose the organization of such district petition must be prepared and signed by majority of the owners of title or evidence of title to lands within the proposed dis trict, which said owners must also represent majority in value of the said lands, according to the last capitalized assessment roll
 After this petition shall be present. ed to the Boord of Supervisors, hear ing will be set and the matter taken up in the same manner that any other petition for the. formation of a muni- cipal corporation. At the day fixed anyone who desires to oppose the or ganization can appear and present his arguments. Also, the final bound aries of the district will be establish ed.
 After the petition shall have run the gauntlet of the legal red tape, the Board of Supervisors will divide the proposed district into five divisions and shall call an election within said district, for the election of five direc- tors, one in each division, and an assessor, tax collector, and a treas urer.
 At the same election the voters shall vote upon the question of the organi- zation of the district, and the vote must be two thirds for the district in order for it to carry The election of officers is made by plurality vote, the person receiving the highest vote for any office being elected.
 In order for any landholder to be qualified to sign the petition and re- ceive the benefits of the district, he must be tax payer upon the last equalized assessment roll That in- cludes the owners of possessory rights, and does not confine the organization to patented land only, as some have contended. The law expressly pro- vides that the presence of a tax pay CTS name upon the equalized assess ment roll shall be sufficient evidence of his title for the purpose of this act.
 The Board of Equalization of Impe- rial County is now in session, and the equalized assessment roll Of the Coun- ty will soon be completed. All those whose possessofy rights were assess ed this spring will be upon that roll, and by the express provisions of the statute, will be entitled to participate in the organization of the irrigation district, and in the enjoyment of it's benefits. The proportion of irrigable lands not covered by the County as- sessment is very small, and it can be safely stated that no other irrigation, district in the State will nave as small proportion of non- contributing land within its borders as will the Imperial Valley Irrigation District.
 Upon the formation of the district, its goyernment is vested in the Board of Directors, who are empowered to do everything necessary to carry on the business of the district At all elec- tions held in the district all persons possessing the qualifications required of voters under the general State law, will be qualified to vote. In other words. an Irrigation district is a mu- nicipal district. andits affairs are con-