The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-01-29
WATERS
MAKING TROUBLE
CANADIANS PLAN IRRIGATION
ENTERPRISES MENACING
MONTANA FARMERS
Old Question as to Whether Canada
or the United States Controls the
Waters of st. Mary's and Milk
Rivers Revived by Activities North
of the Boundary.

The dispute with the Canadians
over the division of the waters of st.
Mary's and Milk rivers is again at an
acute stage and efforts are being
made to arouse the bodies interested
in irrigation in the settlement of the
controversy.
It will be remembered hat the
government project takes the waters
that run into st. Mary's river and
divert them into Milk river up in Gla-
cier park. st. Mary's flows north in
to Canada and empties into the Arc
tic ocean. The Canadians have a
number of irrigation projects that
take water out of st. Mary's after it
crosses the line.
Rises in Montana
The Milk river rises in the United
States, flows north into Canada and
makes a long loop back into the Uni
ted States north of Havre. Along the
Milk river also the Canadians have
large irrigation projects and are
planning more. The Canadian Pa
cific railroad is particularly interest
ed in a very large project. There
arose a dispute between Canada and
In6 OulIOu OtaLCO OfO4 IhC dlfLolOh
of the water of the two streams after
the reclamation service began the St.
Mary's project and at one time an all
American canal was proposed to div
ert the water into Milk river without
sending it through the long loop into
Canada. A water treaty was finally
signed, however, to apportion the
flow of the two rivers. An interna-
tional waterways commission was
appointed that had jurisdiction over
the division of the water as we'll as
other international water disputes.
The Canadian Claim
A few a later the Canadians
advanced a claim that the basis of di-
vision of the waters of the two rivers
should be the flow at the mouths of
the streams. 1t had been the under
standing before that the division was
to be of the flow of the water at the
boundary line. 1t happens that di-
vision at the mouth does not make
much difference as to st. Mary's
river but does make a lot of differ
ence as to the Milk river. If the Can
adams were allowed their agreed
percentage of the flow of Milk river
on the basis of the volume at the
mouth of the stream, they would get
practically all of the natural flow at
the boundary line.
The threat that the commission in
dividing the waters might allow the
Canadian claim, was a serious men
ace to the farmers in the Milk river
valley. A hearing was held at st.
Paul on the matter and the Canadian
Pacific brought over a large array
of witnesses and attorneys in addi-
ton to the Canadian official repres-
entatives. The American representa-
ton was not very large but they pre-
scented much testimony and argu-
ment. w. B. Sands represented the
Montana ranchers and the state and
the reclamation service had repres-
entatives. The commission took the
matter under advisement and later
a hearing was held at Detroit at
which Senator Walsh presented the
American case.
Lansing Withdrew Case
No decision was ever rendered and
Secretary Lansing subsequently with
drew the case from the consideration
of the commission. In the mean,
while two of the old American COM
mission have died and there are two
commissioners who have not
heard the case.
Recently Secretary Lansing has
been persuaded that the case is one
over which the commission has juris-
diction. Accordingly it is desired to
get the case up for a decision. The
are starting some big
new projects which take water from
the Milk and st. Mary's rivers, and if
allowed to develop the use of the dis
puted waters of the two rivers long
enough, will be in a better position
to claim a larger share of the waters.
1t is of the utmost Importance to the
owners of water rights not only on
Milk river, but also on the streams
emptying into Milk river that an
early decision be obtained on the dis
pute before any more claims for wa
ter can be developed in Canada, and
in order that the water right owners
may know just how much of a flow
of water they may be sure of.