The daily sentinel., 1914-05-02

statement and interviews from A. r..
honnold published in this paper:
Grand Junction. Colo.
April 80, 1914.
Mr. Walter Walker,
Editor. Daily Sentinel.
Grand Junction, Colo.
Dear Sir;
With your permission, ] wish, on
behalf of the Palisade and Mesa
county Irrigation Districts, to make
reply to two articles recently pub
lished in The Daily Sentinel under
the authorship OF A. r. Honnold. dis
trict counsel to the local govern
ment or Grand river project
In the first article Mr.. Honnold
says among other things:
Il have been informed that GER
tain land owners In the Palisade and
Mesa County Irrigation Districts be-
lieve the last portion of article OF
the form OF contract approved by the
secretary Of the interior March 28,
1914, is ambiguous and that in case
the districts elect to become n part
OF the project when their bonded in
debtedness Is paid, they might be
required to pay portion OF the con-
structlon cost fixed for the project"
He assures us that this Is a mis-
apprehension on the part of the land
owners in the two districts, and
further assures us that this provi-
sion of the contract ia only intended
aE an offset to tho cost OF construc-
tlon TO the government.
There are about $500 acres OF
land in the two districts on which
taxes are paid. about 8 500 acres of
which are In the Palisade Irrigation
District. and about 2 800 acres in the
Mesa County irrigation district, with
n total original bonded and construc-
tion-warrant Indebtedness of about
S47 .000. The original bonded in
debtedness of the Pallsade irrigation
district is s24S, 900. which will cost
TO mature, If paid at maturity. $545,-
GOO. The total bonded and con-
struction-warrant Indebtedness OF
the Mesa County Irrigation district
is about $223,000, which will cost
this district to liquIdate. II the
bonds are paid at maturity and the
warrants in ten years, $4G7 GOO. This
will be a cost to the Palsade Irriga-
tion district TO liquidate its indebt-
edness, provided the same Is paid at
maturity, OF n little more than s94
per acre, and q cost to the Mesa
County Irrigation district, provided
its bonded Indebtedness Is paid at
maturity and the warrant indebted
ness In ten years from the date there
of. OF about s1S7 per acre. II the
districts for any reason have to re-
fund their bonded indebtedness. the
amount will necessarily be much
greater than the above figures. An
n IL II 4 T-N Nat.
acre will be further hereinafter con-
sidered
IL is supposed that the cost to the
water users under the government
project proper win be about $50 per
acre. and may be less. The contracts
in question provide that when the
districts shall have paid their indebt-
edness, then they may upon dissolu-
tion Of their organization become a
part OF the government project by
conveying all of their water rights,
ditches, works ana power plants to
the government. In other words,
by using the above costs to the dis
tricts for their irrigation systems as
an offset in the manner suggested
by MIR. Honnold, the Palisade Irri-
cation district will pay for the privl-
lege of becoming part OF the gov
ernment project s9f per acre plus
,he amount hereinafter specified, and
the Mesa County Irrigation district
will pay for the same privilege $1S7
per acre plus the amount hereinaf-
ter specified: whereas, those who
own land under the government pro
ject proper, in order to secure the
same privilege, will pay not TO eN-
ceed according to estimates. $50 per
acre.
In addition to the above, the con-
tracts provide that the districts are
to pay the United States a sum of
money for carrying water for their
use during the time they are hqui-
dating their Indebtedness double
the amount oil the present cost TO
the districts for like purposes AZ
The present time the Mesa County lr-
rigatiun district is paying about
$4,000 per annum for delivery OF
water into the head OF its main ca
nal. II the district fully liquidates
its Indebtedness at maturity. 1t VIII
necessarily pay the government
bonus OF S4S.000 over the present
cost of delivery. which would amount
10 an additional S12 per acre or
total of $I06 per acre for the privl-
lege Of becoming a part OF said prof.
ect.
The great difference between the
cost to the original owners OF land
under the government project proper
and those under the two districts Tor
the same privilege may appeal 10
MIR. Honnold as Just and equitable,
but to all fair-minded persons II
carries suggestion of the power OF
the sovereign over his subjects.
Under all other contracts submit
ted by the government. the districts
we're accorded the privilege of dis
posing of their dam, intake and
power plant for whatever sum they
could obtain therefor, TO aid them
in the liquidation OF their Indebted
ness, also the privilege of retaining
their bitches and irrigation water,
and conveying only their power wa
ter to the United states. Most OF
said contracts say nothing about
priority for irrigation purposes, but
the last two provide that the gov