The times-herald. [volume] (Burns, Harney County, Or.) 1896-1929, 1911-04-22

a private irrigation corporation
as contracts on fee land appea
to the eastern investor.
Filings were made on certain
reservoir sites together with ap.
plications to store the hooC
waters Of Silvies River in May
1910. and an entire year has been
devoted to making surveys and
estimates and collecting the nee.
essary data in shaping up the
project to ascertain and show
Just what can be done in water.
ing Harney Basin land. Certain
favorable features have been
found and these will be taken
advantage of to the fullest extent
in securing the capital to put in
the system. These will tend to
overcome our natural handicaps.
The transportation question is
still an argument against us. We
believe that railroad or roads
will soon build through the Har.
ney Basin. The development OF
the country would certainly in
sure their speedy construction.
Railroads without development
would fall far short of making
this country. They would, tenn
porarily. put a fictitious price on
land held for speculation; they
would bring a class of small mer-
chants, professional men, specu-
lators and non-producers who
would settle in small towns along
the lines and who would necess-
arily have TO live on the country.
They would not add one single
factor to the insurance Of prof.
table production from our land,
which is already too high priced
to make n profitable return in
producing light crops of wild or
rye hay.
Don't be afraid of overproduc-
ton. Irrigate and develop just
twenty thousand acres of Harney
land. Let the word go down to
Judge Lovett and Jas. j. Hill
that you have forty thousand
tons of alfalfa hay and six hun
dred thousand bushels of grain,
with stock sufficient TO feed this
product to, and they will get in
each others way in their endeavor
to get their freight trains to your
sidings.
II we are right in our firm be-
lief that the irrigation of the
Harney Basin is practical and
that with It's installation this will
be one of the best and most pro-
ductive diversified farming sec
tions in the Northwest, this de-
velopment will and can be ac-
complished.
The next step in its realization
is the settlement and adjustment
of existing water rights. Ripar-
ian owners who have diverted
and put to a benfcial use water
from the natural flow of Silvies
River are entitled to a continual
ton of such beneficial use by
reason of their prior appropria-
ton. Ii matters not 10 an irriga-
ton company who these indivi-
dual owners are so long as such
rights are determined, definite
and capable of mathematical and
engineering estimation. These
rights were initiated prior to the
adoption Of our Water Code.
Therefore the records are in
ueUnlIe ana lncOmplete.
These water claimants have
had their differences in the past. |
In these we have takenno part
and have no interest. There
must be no differences in the
future if the irrigation project is
10 go in. Litigation or threaten
ed litigation over the water rights
1t this time would absolutely de-
feat irrigation and retard devel-
,pment indefinitely.
There are two methods by
which the existing water rights
,an be adjusted. One by each
claimant making an acceptable
Individual agreement with the
irrigation company determining
his right and in which he shall
therefore, be protected. This
would not be affective
lnless contracts can be secured
With each and every claimant.
The other method is by the
complete adjudication of all ex-
sting rights on the stream by
he State Board Of Control under
he rules and. regulations and in
he manner provided by the
Water Code. A number of these /
publications throughout the
tate have already been made.
hey have proven economical
nd in the main most satisfactory,
nd the decisions rendered by
ne board have been upheld and
lstained by the State courts in
ne comparatively few cases
herein an appeal was taken.
We have communicated with
le State Engineer TO learn when
n