Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1911-10-12
NEEDS CORRECTING

of Jerome. publishes what is pleased
to be termed public statement
but which in many instances might
more properly be termed mis-
statement" of events leading up to
the granting to the Land and Wat
er Co. permission to water IA, 900
acres of high land from the present
gravity system.
An error creeps into the very first
paragraph when it is stated that
permission was asked To increase
the price to- $50 per acre. The first
proposition was to make price of
S65 per acre, which was afterwards
modified and price of $50 was
asked with the further privilege OF
charging maintenance fee Of S23
per horse power for six months,
which it il variOusly estimated
would. cost from So to s4 per acre
per season.
The next paragraph states that
the directors of the Farmers Assn.
conceded that the Co. had right
to water the lands under the pres
ent contract Herein the statement
is again wrong. What the attorney
for the Assn. did admit was that
the Co. had the privilege of selling
this amount of additional water
rights under the gravity system
providing an availability of water
could be shown, but nothing under
the contract could be construed rs
granting them any privileges un-
der the system as asked for, and if
we mistake not, this opinion still
prevails. However this objection
was never raised. The only demand
on the part of the Assn. was that
the present settlers on the tract be
assured of an ample supply of wat
er before additional territory was
added. In this demand we believe
they represented the wishes of all
of the actual farmers on the tract
who are here to stay. The Co. were
not willing to grant this request,
and after the matter had been thor
oughly discussed before the Land
Board, Il compromise was effected
whereby resolution was adopted
by the board in which the Co. wer,
given the privilege of charging s6t
per acre, PROVIDED, that the boarc
could be satisfied that there wa
sufficient water for the new acreage
This resolution seemed reasonabl
and was perfectly satisfactory t.
the settlers and was thought woul'
meet the approval of all whose in
terests were centered in the devel
opment of the tract 1t, however
did not meet with the approval {
the Co. and as the statement tell
us they were willing to drop tn
matter by abandoning the under
taking at the present time"
Perhaps the Co. realized the ju'
tice of the demands on the part {
the settlers, and were willing to |,
the matter stand until the questio
of water supply was fully demon
strated, rs they must know, Ink
everyone else on the tract, that IL
solving of this problem would ope
an era of prosperity the like of whic
was never known, but which con
dition can never be brought abol
until there is more specific unde
standing regarding water rights m
deliveries.
At this point however, these pr
ltSSloilul anu buSiii'SH hiVh, iNi"'
ing the editors of the Co. orgal
here and at Wendell, protesting
know more about the actual cond
tions on the tract than the settle
themselves, prepared petition co
demning the directors of the Ass
for their act in demanding rig
and justice to the settler on Il
tract in seeking to protect the IN;
on the land" The objects of I'll
petition have never been quite clea
ly defined, the statement for sol
reason cleverly refraining from gi
ing the full contents of the sam