Graham guardian., 1917-04-20
SUITS BROUGHT
TO FORECL0SE
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at least for several years to come.
1t is my opinion also that there
is no good defense to Mrs. Han
chett's suit. 1t is probable that
the water supply attached to the
Isaac P. Robinson tract would be
sufficient for the town for many
years to come. 1t is also possible
that Mr.. Robinson by acceptance
of interest and other associated
facts may have waived his right
to foyeclose at this time.
Il am the general manager of
the Water and Light Company,
but am not an officer of the Ari-
zona-Boston Smelling and Re-
duction Company, and cannot
say with certainty what the lat
ter company will do; but consid-
ering its intimate relations with
the Water and Light Company.
the probability is that we will
let the fol eclosure proceedings
in the Mrs. Hanchett case go on
and relieve ourselves of the heavy
indebtedness attached thereto.
We shall certainly do all that we
can to protect the water supply
of the town and will make our
best defense to Mr.. Robinson's
fol eclosure suit. If we do not
prevail in this, we still have a
probable right TO the water sup
ply we have been using on the
well-established principle that
the use of water holds the right
to use water. If we fail in this,
the Water and Light Company
will start condemnation proceed
ings to condemn one-half of the
water attached to the Isaac P.
Robinson tract for the use of the
town. In this we can certainly
prevail, as no court would ever
take away from the town its
water supply to be used for
ranching purposes. By condemn
ing one-half of the water supply,
it would still leave considerable
water supply for the ranch land,
and it has been noticeable for
several years that the water sup
ply, if carefully preserved, would
be adequate for both.
Before | came to Stafford, the
bitches in the mountains were in
bad repair and a great deal of
water was being lost from the
pipe line. | have sent a good
gang of men to the mountains to
repair the bitches from time to
time and have used my best eff
forts to put the pipe ':He in good
shape. If the bitches were put
in their best possible condition
and the pipe line we'll kept up,
and the supply not wasted in
town, there would be an abund-
ance of water for all, so that the
condemnation / proceedings d.
rected towards the supply not
absolutely needed by the ranch
lands, might not be so very ex-
pensive.
There is the additional fact
that the pipe line takes out the
water high up in the Frye Can
yon and hence does not waste so
much as open bitches, and that
the ranch, by doing likewise,
could increase it's supply two or
three times over, as the open
bitches, by evaporation, leakage
and breakage, wastes much
water. There is also the fact that
at times a great deal of the water
that comes to the ranch has been
allowed, prior to the time | came
here, to 60 by and be lost in the
arroyoS between the ranch and
Thatcher. Regardless of this
fact, enough water has in some
seasons run by to go all the way,
in open bitches, to Thatcher and
produce crops in or near that
place.
1--WE feel that if everything is
done that can be done, the water
supply of Stafford need not be
disturbed.
1--WE have done all that we
could during the last year to put
the financial affairs of the Water
and Light Company in as good
condition as so short a period of
time would permit. We have
paid off nearly all the bills for
labor, machinery and supplies
that were due when l came to
Stafford. Have paid cash for our
labor promptly at the end of
each week and have been able to
meet our bills for supplies when
statements were rendered at the
end of the month. We have pur-
sued vigorously the collection of
accounts due us and shall do all
we can to put ourselves in posi-
ton to meet whatever financial
demand may fall upon us in the
solution of the water supply
problem. "
W. X. Dial is attorney for