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

80 that when the land comes into pc
I session of the citizens, the power fol
1 pumping shall not be a burden toe
! heavy 10 bear.
o | believe a law ought to be enact
( ed requiring that before any OF these
t lands may be thrown open for settle
ment, the public utilities commission
1 should first approve the power con-
, tract so that when the lands are
} taken over, the settlers may receive
the benefit OF the wisdom and ex-
, perience OF that body.
STATE LANDS UNDER lRRIGA.
TON DISTRICTS.
Under section 2439 OF the revised
codes of the state, the sta.e board
Y OF land comm ssioners IS empowered
to enter into contract with private
irrigation systems under which the
state owns lands for the purpose of
paying maintenance charges as well
as the amount of construction charge
which may be assessed against the
lands. This section ought to be re-
PEAKED The lands herein referred to
were given to the state of Idaho by
the national government for specific
purposes and were not intended to
be used and sold all at one time, but
We're supposed 10 be distributed over
term of years as homeseekers de-
sired them. The state is simply a
trustee for these lands 10 be used for
the designated purpose.
These irrigation districts have be- n
organized and in some instances mis-
takes have been made, as they are
Likely to occur in all new enterprises.
a'he maintenance charges have grown
to be exhorbtant and the state has no
voice in the management thereof, nor
can it vote at a meeting OF the board
I'll umcCtOho, uOl 10 tue uOdlu VI VI
rectors amenable to the state in any
way for anything, and in many in
stances the maintenance charges are
made sufficiently high so that the
state bears large burden of the
district
When these lands are sold they are
sold on 40 years time and che money
paid for their reclamation does not
return in full until the laps of that
period, and it is then practically i'm
possible to divide the proceeds so that
the general fund OF the state may be
reimbursed, and while it may be un-
dertaken, it Lis not feasible. The pay
ment of these assessments has to be
made out of the general tund and
has to be raised by direct tax levy ON
all the property of the state
In borrowing money for extraordi-
nary purposes, the s ate aims 10 shift
the burden to posterity when the in
crease values and increased popuIa-
ton will make the buld n lighter, but
in this instance this policy is reverse
The present generation is taxed and
Durdened so that the coming genera
tons may reap the reward of the
abors Of the present one to an ex-
EN- that in my opinion is wrong
rom every standpoint.
These appropriations to municipal
irrigation projects have been the
means of building up political machines
n the districts in which the lands
ire located, with intense rivalry BIZ
'nnially to get the candidates pledged
or large appropriations and quite
lobby is maintained at
he sessions of the legislature to in
luence the members in the same di-
ection.
The sovereign power OF the state
y this law is made secondary to
rivate organization, and, as a SOW
reign state, is made amenable to the
ules and regulations of a few of tn
2l.ts:te q. d. tuLl when h
laA@seLle nl OF rAese various d.s,rlcts (
not conducted on business lines
nd the maintenance charges are too
Lrge the state is bound to suffer
'ss.
By this law the state board Is given
lthority to exercise the functions of
e legislature in making appropria-
ons binding upon the Legislature be-
re its members are even elected
18th such a law on the statute books
Iere is no way to determine the
.cessary appropriations to be made
ou year to year by the Legislature.
is wrong to tax the man who
lilds his own irrigation works and
.ys for it himself and also to ask /
IN to pay for the irrigation works of