Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1917-09-15
SETTLERS WANT THE
CONTRACT ENFORCED
Continued from page u

as to rules governing the management
or disposition
Up to the present time there hav,
been no rules devised or made, ant
when the company are approached
on the subject their answer is, buy
the system from Senator Brady and
you can make whatever rules you
want and distribute the water tC
lsuit yourselves, and that If the sys-
tenn is not bought by January list
1918, the ranchers will have their
lands foreclosed on, unless in addi-
ton to the $3.50 per acre mainte-
nance, six per cent interest on the
$500 per acre water right, which
hey are already paying they also pay
one-tenth of the original cost of the
water
AS result of there being no rules
or regulations governing the distri-
button of the water, the company
have distributed it according to their
own sweet will. AS a result of there
being no rules or regulations govern
| ing the management of the water,
| the company have installed lock
| headgates on some of their patrons
bitches, refusing to place them on
others, maintained loose rock checks
in certain places in bitches, (see en-
gineer's report) allowed the bitches
to wash and cut and banks to cave
in, (see engineers report) and have
run the system at random, making
the maintenance charge more than
double what 1t would be on a system
with reasonable rules and regulations
made and devised for its management.
Had there been rules made and
devised for the disposition of the
water, the company undoubtedly
would not be allowed to rent water
at $3.50 per acre to parties not
having contracts while parties hay
ing contracts were short of water
and were paying $3.50 per acre main
tenance and $50 per year per acre
interest.
Again, had the rules and rgula-
lions been made as per paragraph ",
there would have been measuring de-
vices prior to this spring, (see engi-
neer's report, and the water users
would have known before this, (the
close of the sixth irrigation season
under the present company manage
ment, or mis-management) that the
two acre feet per acre, as provided
in the contract Is absolutely insult
ficient to irrigate their lands sue
,essfully.
There are many, many other hard
ships that the water users have suf-
fered from the same causes, in fact
so many that many of them are about
bankrupt.
Wherefore, we ask your Honorable
Body to declare the contracts, be-
tween the settlers and the company
and approved by the State, void as
TO the two acre feet of water.
That you refuse to permit any more
contracts in that amount
That the State distribute the
water to the users through properly |
placed measuring devices until it |
can be definitely ascertained the |
amount of water actually needed to |
be used under a system operated |
under rules and regulations as CON
templated by paragraph w, and that |
then that amount of water per acre
be the amount the company be re-
CURED to deliver on the different |
tracts
That the company be ordered to |
make rules and regulations that, |
when complied with, will put the |
distribution works in the shape con-
templated by the State Engineers
report of May 3rd, 1917, and that
said rules further provide that the |
company install and maintain weed |
catchers at needed points in their
distributing canals that the weeds
may be collected and removed at
convenient places and not allowed to
float down long laterals causing them
to break, thereby wasting quantities
of valuable water.
And, that your Honorable Body go
on record as finding that the ap-
proved contract contemplated the
user having sufficient water to prop
erly irrigate his land for five years.
before having to make payment on
the principal; That the Board will
not allow the states water to be
by any private corpora
ton to the extent of allowing the
corporation, in addition to collecting
and interest, to collect
the principal ALSO before the system
is completed so as to furnish suff-