East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1911-01-25
DESERT LAND
HOLDERS KICKING
WILL SEND SKINNER
BACK TO WASHINGTON
New Ruling on Irrigation Law De-
clarcd TO be Unfair by Settlers on
Umatilla Project at Hermiston.
Especial correspondence }


Hermiston, ore, Jan. 25.-Last
evening there was held a meeting at
the Umatilla River Water Users as
sociation office, that is of great i'm
portance to the desert land holders
on this project over one-third of
the land under this project is desert
land claims, on which most of them
have made final proof. The recla-
nation law is such that patent will
not issue for this land until the water
right is paid in full, even after notice
has been received from the United
States land office that the proof is
excepted as to the reclamation law
with the exception of the permanent
water right.
The desert land holders think that
this is an unjust ruling for the rea-
son that they give to the Umatilla
River Water Users association a
mortgage covering the water right,
and the association is under contract
with the government assuring them
that they will receive the payments
for the water Also these lands include
over 5000 acres, and under the eX-
| isting circumstances no taxes can be
levied on this land; also another rea-
| son is that unless the desert land
holders can receive patent for their
lands they can not dispose of any of
this land, and this leaves areas of 100
acres lying with no Improvement
whatever, and retards the project,
whereas if these people could be able
to sell in small tracts this would inn
| =
tlement. At this meeting of these
holders they decided to send Mr.. w.
H. Skinner to washington with a bill
to the house setting forth this measure
and to ask for an amendment to this
law Five hundred dollars was rails
ed for expenses and Mr.. Skinner will
leave at once.
These desert entrymen filed on
their claims before the government
built the Umatilla project irrigation
works they have complied with the
requirements of the government in re-
linquishing down to 100 acres, sacri-
ficing in some cases as much land as
they were allowed to hold under the
government system, many of then
have waited for water from one tC
i've years. lity "tit 1ilph "
to make final proof.
They have endured the delay will
no complaint, have signed up for thu
government water, and otherwis
have complied with the law in ever.
way. One-third of this project con
sists of these desert lands and no
only the entrymen themselves but tn
people in general are anxious for pat
ents to issue for these claims, the,
contend that the development of tn
; land is being delayed by the actor
of the government contrary to 1t
general policy. The government di
vides its public lands under the pro
: ject into ten and twenty acre home
steads at the same time it hinder
the owners of the desert claims from
selling and dividing their lands int
smaller tracts. The officials of tn
government have made the statemen
that those people can relinquish Il
| legal subdivision of farm units; tina
is to say they seem to be playing
; freezeout game at which the peopl
, are indignant. They contend, tina
| they have complied with the law an
{ that their land is security as paten
land they should receive the benefi
OF the usual dry land entrymen.