The Record-courier. [volume] (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1904-current, 1922-12-22
Opposition Voiced to
the Storage Project

Valley storage Reservoir proposed to
be constructed by the Carson Valley
irrigation District?
II is intended to bond the district
for 800, 100000. Do the people realize
what that means? II simply means
that all lands within the district are
In effect mortgaged for that amount.
But. say advocates of the scheme,
holders OF priority rights will have
no assessment to pay. and the ex-
pense will fall upon lands yet TO be
cultivated 1t is confidently asserted
that advocates of the scheme are
wrong In their claims. and these are
my reasons:
All the uncultivated land without
water right in the district is
not worth $l0O.000.0O. and II could
not be bonded for that. The land Is
owned by the Dangberg company, by
l.. II. Taylor, by W. F. Dressler. by
]. b. yierra. by few scattered own
ers OF small acreage, and by the
United States. The United States will
not have its land subject to the bond.
in fact 1t is believed that other than
releasing its water right the United
States will have nothing to do with
the project because. as It is said, the
private land holders fixed the price
OF their lands at s65.00 when In 1917
the government would have built
the reservoir II the private land hold
ers had been willing to take $500
land worth s700.00000 | say it Is
not. and that 1t will not be worth any
such figure even when Il has ample
water rights.
II the uncultivated lands are not
worth $7o0.000.oO. can the improved
lands with full water right be com
pelied to pay the deficiency when the
bonds fall due? say that under
the law as II stands the improved
lands with full water rights OF many
years standing can be held not only
for the deficiency when the bonds fall
due but as we'll for the expenses OF
surveys, for overhead expenses, for
water commissioners salaries. and
for the annual Inherent which at s
per cent would be s56.000.O0 year.
The reason | say the improved lands
with full water rights as present
could be so held Is that In 1921, for
the purpose OF the Walker River Pro-
ject, Section % OF the Irrigation Dis !
trict Law which had been In force
since 1915 was amended. In 1915
and until 1923 Section % contained
this clause:
Provided further. that said
elections may authorize the as
sessment OF all lands In the dis
trict based upon benefits by the
irrigation plan or scheme. as
herein provided. and provide for
the payment of such assessments
by annual payments or at such
time as may seem flt, each tract
of land assessed being liable for
its proportion on the benefit and
for no further amount"
Mark this: In 1922 Section 2s was
amended so that II nowhere con-
tains the provision quoted, and do
not flnd that ii Is contained any
where else In the law.
II I am correct In my view OF the
law. then II follows that all the old
improved lands with full water
rights will be liable to the s7O0,ooo
mortgage and the other charges
There does not seem to be any
limit to what the district can do
unless, OF course. the law is uncon-
stitutional. The result is that the
owners OF barren sagebrush lands and
the owners of improved lands when
already are so heavily mortgagen
that they may not be able to pay up
will be the real benefciaries,-and
all at the expense OF landhoiders
with full water rights on lands wnich
are not now encumbered by mort
gage II Ia no secret that the larg-
est landed concern In Douglas county
In mortgaged for s75O,000.O0. Now,
suppose that times become hard, as
they were thirty years ago, In the
days of soup houses and Coxey's
army. | am not an alarmist nor
even a pessimist. but | know as
does ever farmer. and every stock
raiser. that times are tough, that IL
is becoming increasingly difficult 10
nay current expenses, that unless
conditions in Europe as well as IN
America improve farming and stock
raising will become Improbable and
hazardous. How many farmers and
stockraisers have made much more
than expenses during the last two
years? How many OF them have
actually lost money? 1t is no secret
that last fall there was tremendous
exodus OF farmers and stockraisers
from the Twin Fall section OF ldaho'
Why. there were all the way from
twenty-five to a hundred and hfty'
families who left daily over a period