Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1917-01-13

2 TO get away and in some instances
: unable to stay any longer. We ars
not confronted by theory, but by con
dltions that have actually to be met
The company came to exercise a
tunctlon-to reclaim the arid lands
and to construct dams and bitches
, and it obi gated Itself to the settlers
and the state to perform that func.
ton. The company oYerestimated
the precipitation and the annual run
off from said precp tation was mis-
calculated, as was the capacity of
reservoirs, the evaporation under our
cAmatic conditions and the water
loss in transmission, and they sold
more land than they could possibly
irrigate Even on some of the pro-
Jects where the water duty is the
highest in the Unit d States, irriga-
ton works were constructed with a
great deal of waste. Bonds were
issued to represe MT waste, as well
as the real benefits through the con-
structlOn of the work. The settler
was led to believe that the lands he
| filed on would hay water for irriga-
tiOn purposes, but he has failed to
| receive it, and now confronted with
mainte nance charges and water right
charges which he cannot meet, while
the company is without money 10
complete and operate the system and
.sappointment has taken The place
of hope.
In all Carey act contracts, there is |
a clause st,pulating that the pur-
chaser shall receive a certain number
Of acre feet of water per acre, or its
proport oIate part thereof. This has
been one of the great mistakes in
the drawing up of Carey act con-
tracts, and it is the one that has
caused most of the trouble. The com
pany claims the right to deliver a
proportionate part of the water in
dry seasons but demand full payment
and full maintenance charges under
such adverse conditions. The land
board has sometimes given the COM
pany privileges which are not in ac-
cord with good business methods, and
now the state is confronted with
these projects unf nished and in an
unsatisfactory condition.
| believe a law should be passed dos
ing away with the requirement for an
entryman to make final proof before
the lands are actually reclaimed and
water is furnished sufficient to raise
fair crops and that no patent should +
be reQues ed from the government
and none delivered to the settler until
III company has fulfilled it's obliga-
ions. The company should be com 6
)elled to separate the water rights Y
sold from the lands and the right to
he use of water should be aproperty \
light that can be transferred at will !
# the purchaser under reasonable re- G
trictions, so that he may be able to t
Lcquire or sell his water right and re- u
Cup himself for some of the losses
ustaned and the cost of water rights O.
n these projects should be reduced D
ettler to live upon the lands and sup Z
ort himself and family.
The company entered these projects G.
Or the reclamation Of the lands with p
view to making money out of the p
Undertaking. 1t was simply a com. II
lercial transaction, and if the COM s,
any over-rated its assets and turned h
anne into a liability, it is to be re- 81
ltll6uJ UuI IL - no Oue lduII DuL -
S own.
The and board has repeat dly asked tc
lese companies to make some prac- in
cal demons ration of their willing "
ess to make amends for their mis-. p'
Lkes, but so far nothing has been
| believe the time has
rived for the state to ex rt it's sov- h5
'ignity and owne rship, not IN the "
nds but in the water and this legis- o.,
ture should make a positive decla- co