The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-05-29
DISTRICT VOTES
BOND ISSUE
SUCCESS OF THE SYSTEM ASSURED
Land Owners Show Overwhelming Senti-
ment in Favor of Bones Lumber
Go. to Protest Appropriation

The election held yesterday in East
Fork Bonded Irrigation district for the
purpose of voting a bond issue of
Sli5,OO0 was carried and the success of
the project assured. The sentiment
expressed was overwhelmingly in favor
OF the bonds. and the board of directors
of the bonded district will be enabled
to proceed with the purchase of the
system of the old East Fork Irrigating
Co., TO make needed extensions next
year on laterals and to further improve
the system.
The ditch, which has its source in the
East Fork Of the Hood river above the
toll bridge in the Mount Hood district.
covers the East Side orchard district.
the largest in the valley. The territory
comprised in the district is approxi-
nately l3, 000 acres.
The ditch was constructed privately
by c. K. Bone. The original system
and laterals were completed by MIR.
Bone IN the year 1901. He operated
the system for six years, selling the
system in 1907 to the East Fork Irri-
eating CO., cooperative concern, COM
posed of the orchardists and ranchers
who used the water furnished by the
system. 1t was realized last year that
some urgent action was necessary to
prevent the system from becoming in
operative because of lack of finances,
and the bonded district form ef main
taining the ditch and supplying water
was proposed. A petition was circu-
lated last fall and the county court was
asked to submit the question for vote
of the people. A forty thousand bond
issue, sold by the cooperative company
fell due on October |, and no means
was had of selling a refunding issue
under the old system. On January IA.
the land owners of the district voted To
establish the bonded district, after
which the board of directors elected
secured lease of the properties Of the
East Fork lrrigating Co. and an option.
The result Of yesterdays election will
enable the directors to complete the
sale, and to proceed TO make the bond
ed district effective.
The result of the election by pre-
eincts is as follows:
No. /, Mount Hood, Is to 9 in favor
of the bonds; No. 2, East Odell 36 to
2 in favor Of the bonds; No. 3, West
Odell, % to in favor of the bonds;
No. 4, south Pine Grove, 36 to 3 in
favor of the bonds No g. north Pine
Grove, 2l to in favor of bonds.
: Since the bond election it has become
known that the Oregon Lumber Co.
will contest the right of the bonded
district to make an appropriation of
the waters of the East Fork IrriaRtinR
Go. Chas. I. Early, manager of the
company, and superintendent of the
Mount Hood Railroad Co.. gave out the
following statement yesterday after
noon:
The result of the election was only
to have been expected. This, however,
only increases complications. Rights
Of the Oregon Lumber Company to the
water it is intended to appropriate, |
feel, cannot be questioned, but if it is,
the question will not be settled in
day, week or month.
If power and an irrigatng propo-
sltion come up at the same time | con-
cede that irrigation should have the
preference, but when the rights of any
one have been established, it is not al
ways an easy matter to brush them
aside as is seemingly the desire here.
Personally, | depore the fact that
we must contest this so far as we are
able, and our attorneys have been in
structed to that end. IL means much
to the Oregon Lumber Company; it
also means much to the Mount Hood
Railroad Company, as without the op-
Grating of the mill the railroad could
not exist.
ITO the best of my knowledge, the
present company supplying this dis
trict could not sell the small amount
they have appropriated and if that is
the case, what will they do with the
several thousand more inches that they
propose to take?
Later on we may be thanked if at
this time we are able to prevent the
of this water and the
great increase of debt that goes with
1t. No one. more than we, have the
interest of Hood River valley at
heart"