East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1913-12-26
NEWS OF FARM AND RANGE
BENEFICIAL USE OF
WATER IS DEFINED
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SET
FORTH EXPLANATION
OF TERM.
Doctrine OF Economic Use Will BE Of
Importance in Future Adjudica-
uonS-Public Interest to BE served.

Under the laws of water rights as
established by legislation and court
DEGREES in the arid states of the west,
the final test of a right to water for
irrigation Is that the water claimed
shall be put to beneficial use. AS
expressed by the laws of several
states, beneficial use is the basis, the
measure, and the limit OF rights to
water. These laws, however, do not
attempt to define beneficial USE"
At conference of the project man
lgers of the United States reclama-
ton service and representatives of
the department of agriculture, held
at Salt Lake. November 1915,
resolution attempting such defini-
ton was adopted. This definition is
somewhat long and detailed. but in
substance Is as follows:
A water user is entitled to that
amount of water that will render
| him a reasonable maximum amount
of good with a reasonable economic
| handling Of the water" He Is en-
| titled to the protection Of the state In
! this right, but, in return the state has
a right to demand that he use rea
5onable care and judgment in con.
veying and using water and cultivat-
ing his crops.
| The conference adopted also a
definition of Economical use" which
was in substance as follows:
Since the water supply available
for irrigation in the western states Is
adequate for only relatively small
percentage of the entire irrigable
acreage, the fundamental standard OF
economical use must be the financial
results accomplished per acre foot of
water applied, rather than the yield
per acre irrigated. In future devel-
opment the doctrine of beneficial use
must in many cases merge into or be
anted BY that Of economic use
The doctrine of beneficial use looks
to individual interest; that of econ
omic use to the general welfare OF
society as whole. So far as posi-
hle, water charges, systems of dis.
tribution, and regulations should be
so adjusted as to make the interest ot
the individual water user coincid:
with this public interest
Poultry Show May Fail-Thougf
an effort is being made by Earl A
Williams to have poultry show helt
at Milton this winter it is possibl,
the move may not succeed In or
r der to secure the coops now owned
by the Umatilla-M Morrow Poultry as
) sociation the new organization mus
/ pay an Indebtedness of s106 which
hangs over the old association. Mr.
Williams is now working to this enc
/ but is complaining of lack of supper
from his home people.
|
Killed Tubercular Cows Afte
having been found to be infected will
tuberculosis. four we'll bred Gallo
way cows. formerly owned by L. G
Wesley of the Vincent country, wer,
killed on the Robert knight plac,
near Sunnyside Tuesday by Govern
ment Inspector II. E. Pinkerton.
The animals killed are said to hav
been fine specimens. but when foun,
to be diseased, they were at once con
demned to die.
Trades Wheat Land-H. NJ Whit
OF Milton last week sold his S0-acr
wheat farm four miles east OF Yves
ton, for 20 acres of garden land oil
the Sound, taking a substantial casl
payment in addition to the SCUM,
land. The new owners expect to pu
he Weston land to alfalfa and estab
lish a dairy on the place.