Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-12-14
THE LAND BOARD MEETING

last Monday was conspicuous by the
absenceof the land board but was also
CONSPICUOUS by reason of the fact that
some 500 farmers under the Idaho Ir-
rigation system met and heard the
truth regarding their water situation
and were convinced of the intentions
Of the Irrigation company. to hand the
water users a good big lemon and that
the company has the undivided sup
port of the land board in the deal.
The Journal editor reported Mondays
meeting for the Statesman. The States
man altered the report in at least two
particulars so as to make it state ex-
actly the opposite of what was really
sent to the Statesman. The first error
in the Statesman article is the state
ment that at this meeting a new or
ganization of farmers was formed"
The second error was the closing para
graph explaining why the land board
was absent and stating that the set
before that the land board would not
be present
The report as sent to the Statesman
said that the Farmers Protective Lea
que had been organized some two years
ago to supply a medium through when
the water users could reach the land
board and courts if necessary. The
report stated that the land board was
absent because it had a yellow streak
in it and got cold feet on the PROPOSE.
ton.
AS to the notice by the land board
of its inability to meet at Shoshone
Monday as it had promised to do hav-
ing been given out several days be-
fore the meeting the facts are that the
notice was received in Shoshone late
Friday morning. At that time there
had been printed several hundred pos
ters which had been widely distributed,
large advertisement of the meeting
was in the forms of the Journal and
on the press at the time the message
was received, too late to get the notice |
of postponement before it's readers.
But here is the report, verbatim, |
which was telephoned to the Statesman |
Monday night about ten o'clock. |
Please read it and compare it with the |
published report in the Statesman.
Shoshone, Idaho. Dec 10.-Six hu,.-
lah
cation project in Gooding and Lincoln
counties met here today on invitation
from the State Land Board to discuss
problems connected with the duty of
water unler this system. The water
users came to the meeting but the
land board developed a yellow streak
and refused to come pleading indispo-
sition and enui. The meeting proceed
ed to business. however. in spite of the
failure of the land board to fulfill its
promises. F. r. Gooding was selected
chairman. On 4 taking the chairMr.
Gooding stated that the quest Pms which
the water users had hoped to discuss
today were of such vital Importance
as to involve the water right and thru
it the home of every settler on the
system in that the land board had de-
clared its intention to cut the duty
of water on this tract to two and a
quarter feet per acre. The board was
rigation company to sell water for
117,000 acres when as a matter of fact
it had water for but 10000 acres. The
Idaho Irrigation Company had enter
ed into contracts with the settlers un-
Ter their system calling for five e-eighths
of an inch per acre, or the equivalent
II fve and three tenths acre feet per
reason. and now IN order to permit the
to reap n larger return the
and board was assuming authority to
,ut the amount to two and a quarter
eet per season. Were this action per
nitted to be carried out 1t would prac-
Icaify cut the value out of every acre OF
cal estate under the system. since no
nan could farm the land with that
mount OF water.
Realizing that the only way ia which
large body OF interested individuals
orld handle the complex problems In
o}yed ip the relations OF the water US
n, the Idaho Irrigation Company and .
he state land board was through the
.galarly constituted officers OF an or "
these water users formed
le Farmers Protective League some
70 years ago for that purpose. This
ague employed John Bailey as its
,gineer and Bissel and Helman as its
.torneys. At the meeting today John
adley reported as engineer that he
Id investigated the possibilities of the
-oject and had used every available
ct obtainable from the state engineer