The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-05-01
WATER RIGHT CODE
FOR WASHINGTON
Committee Has Been Appointed
to Draft Code to Present to
the State Legislature

SPOKANE, Wash, April 26-
| Washington will have the most prac-
teal code of water rights and uses
| in the Union if the measure, to be
submitted by committee of Is, APP
| pointed by Governor Marion f. HAY
at conference in Spokane. April is,
is enacted by the state legisla at
| OlNmpia, next January The plain is
| to harmonic the most beneficial
features of the best codes of the var
ious states, adapted to Washington
and formulate uniform laws that will
have the effect Of promoting deVel-
opment of all projects for the use of
water and encourage capital and set
tiers.
| Governor Hay, who was the first
speaker at a meeting of irrigationists,
water users and representatives of
power development companies in the
rooms of the Spokane Chamber of
| Commerce, where all parts of the
state were represented. said he fully
realized the Importance of a practical
water code. saying also that the pres
ent laws governing the water PROPOSE
ton in Washington are conflicting and
utterly inadequate for either irrigation
or power, adding:
! Formulate Il Code
| Because | realized this ! appointed
a code committee, which formulated
a water code that was introduced in
! to the state legislature by the COM
mlttee on irrigation and arid lands in
February. 1911. The bill was not an
proved of, therefore | have called YOU
/ to suggest committee which will
propose code that will prove salts
! factory and practical in every way"
| Ihis committee was appointed on
Recommendation of E. f. Benson of
! Prosser and a. j. Tenant of Quincy:
Lachlan MacLean, Spokane; E. c.
Burlingame, Walla Walla: William r.
Clark, WenatChee, and Arthur j.
! Shaw, Spokane, representing the wa
ter user; Professor o. l.. Waller. Pull
man; c. II. Swagart, North Yakima,
fedora. reclamation engineer in charge
of the state of Washington; Joseph
Jacobs. Seattle. engineer in charge OF
the Quincy valley project; Marion
Chase, Okanogan, irrigation engineer;
Carroll b. Graves, Seattle; Ira p. En-
glehart, North Yakima Ralph p. Will
hanson, North Yakima; Cyrus Happy,
Spokane; Eugene w. Burr, North
Yakima. attorney of the United States
reclamation service, and l.. *. Arm
strong, Spokane, representing the ir-
lrigationists, and David l.. Hunting
ton, president of the Washington Wa
ter Power company, Spokane, repre-
senting the power companies.
study irrigation Needs
| The committee will meet several
times during the year at Wenatchee,
North Yakima, Spokane and other
points in the irrigated belts. The
idea is that if the proposed code
meets with the approval of these
centers of irrigation, when presented
for passage by the legislature at it's
next session, it would have the sup
port of the entire state, thus insuring
its passage.
Professor Waller, who is thoroughly
familiar with every phase of irriga-
ton in the state of Washington and
Throughout the Northwest, said an
owner of irrigated land in Washing
ton cannot abstract water title at
Ipresent, adding that this bars the in
IVeStment of capital in such enter
prises and retards the development
and settlement of the lands. Con-
| tinuing, he said:
| Washington should be among the
first to have good water code. The
man who owns the land and the wa
ter bodies of the state should be pro
ltected, so that the water will be used
where and by whom it is needed
Much money is being expended in the
attempt to settle claim to water rights
in this and other states. If we had
a practical state code, his would be
oIle u the most import
| ant features is to give title to the
water"
Most Important Question
Judge Cyrus Happy of Spokane,
said the water code question is one of
the most important in Washington to-
day, adding:
| The state is to be congratulated
on the wonderful progress made in
irrigation, without a proper code. but
at the same time we must realize that
such a code is needed | thing great
care should be taken not to retard
the development of irrigated lands
| We should have a code that will en-
courage the improving of arid lands
and provide for the proper use of wa
ter on all irrigated land. 1t is nee
essary to get down to practical
working basis and not place restric-
tons in the code that will interfere
| with the irrigation"
Others taking part in the discuss
ion were: Eugene w. Burr of the rec
llamation service at North Yakima; II
r. Mann of the Loon Lake Irrigation
company. Stephen o. Jayne, Spokane,
| irrigation expert in Washington for
the department Of agriculture. Arthur
j. Shaw, representing the ID. G. Corbin
irrigation interests in the Spokane val
ley and William T. Clark, Wenatchee
Lachlan MacLean presided at the
conference, the secretary being A. j.
lTernant.