The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-01-09

take it over. This is one of the as
sets of the state that has been turned |
into a liability, but the faith of the |
state is pledged through it's ownership |
and the state should perform its duty |
in connection Herewith in so far as
it is financially able to do so.
Carey Acts
There has been a great deal of crit
icism relative to Carey act projects
that have not fulfilled the fullest ex
pectations of the state, the settlers and
the bondholders This is not true alone
of Idaho, but of every state where
Carey acts have been undertaken. Ida
no has the largest number Of Carey act
projects, covering the greatest area Of
any state in the Union.
Following the act of congress known
as the Carey act law, great impetus
was given to the reclamation of arid
lands. Capital rushed in to finance
various projects. People came from
all over the country induced by the
most liberal terms to take up lands
under the irrigation systems. Every
body expected to prosper and mako
money, but naturally many failed to
realize their expectations.
ing what little accurate information
existed when all of this took place, we
can see that failure in some instances
was inevitable. Were it not that after
all the chief assets of the state are in
volved, we might leave those concerns
to work out their own salvation.
The settler came upon these tracts
under promise made by the promoter,
by the company which succeeded the
promoter and by the bondholders' COM
mittee which succeeded the company,
and which is now operating some of
! these projects, and that settler is now
living upon these lands unable to 1t
| away and in some instances unable 70
stay any longer We are not confront
ed by theory, but by conditions that
have actually to be met. The company
came to exercise a function-to re-
| claim the arid lands and to construct
| dams and ditches and it obligated it.
self to the settlers and the state ID
perform that function The company
overestimated the precipitation and
the annual run-Off from said precipi
tation was miscalculated, as was the
capacity of reservoirs, the evaporation
under our climatic conditions and the
water loss in transmission and they
sold more land than they could pos
sibly irrigate. Even on some of the
projects where the water duty is the
highest in the United States, irrigation
works were constructed with great
deal of waste. Bonds were issued to
represent this waste, as well as the
real benefits through the construction
of the work. The settlers was led to
believe that the lands he filed on
would have water for irrigation pur-
poses, but he has failed to receive it,
and is now confronted with mainte-
nance charges and water right charges
which he c2nnot meet, while the com
pany is without money to complete
and operate the system, and disap
pointment has taken the place of hope
In all Carey act contracts there is a
clause stipulating that the purchaser
shall receive a certain number of acre
feet of water per acre, or its proper
tionate part thereof This has been
on of the great mistakes in the draw
ing up of Carey act contracts, and it is
the one that has caused most of the
trouble. The company claims the
right to deliver a proportionate part
of water in dry seasons, but demands
full payment and full maintenance
charges under such adverse conditions
The land board has sometimes given
the company privileges which are not
in accord with good business methods
and now the state is confronted will
these projects unfinished and in IN
unsatisfactory condition.
I believe a law should be passed
doing away with the requirement for
anfrVn1 tn mako fino1 nrnnf hn-
fore the lands are actually reclaimed
and water is furnished sufficient t.
raise fair crops, and that no patent
should be requested from the govern
ment and none delivered to the set.
tier until the company has fulfilled it,
obligations. The company should be
compelled to separate the water rights
sold from the lands and the right l.
the use of water should be property
right that can be transferred at will o!
the purchaser under reasonable re-
strictions. so that he may be able &c
acquire or sell his water right and
recoup himself for some of the losses
sustained and the cost of water rights
on these projects should be reduced
to such a price as will enable tho
settler to live upon the lands and
support himself and family
The company entered these projects
for the reclamation of the lands with q
4 view to making money out of the un.
dertaking. 1t was simply a CONNER
cial transaction. and if the company
over-rated its assets and turned same
into a liability, it is to be regretted
but it is no ones fault but its own.
The land board has repeatedly asked
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II lContinnnd OIL, Paoa