The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1923-08-03
STAND OF co.
is EXPLAINED
This Article Explains How
Certain Idle Rumors Re-
garding the Irrigation
District Started

In view of the attitude of some OF
the land owners on the Oakley pro-
ject which would lead one to believe
that the attempt to make a settle
ment at this time on the Oakley
project is the effort of the Company /;
and also account of the many
groundless rumors current over the
project, it is thought that the fol-
lowing statement relative to the
settlement plan will show that such
plan is not the effort of the Compa-
ny to force a settlement upon the
settlers, but is the outcome of a re-
quest for settlement by the land
owners. The plan of settlement was
approved by the Settlers Associa-
tion committeeman. This statement
should also set at rest many of the
idle rumors now prevalent over the
project.
For the past eight years Oakley
project matters have been given
much publicity through plentiful
anu fdiltQ lt6dl DdltiCo III thC ldd-
he courts. All Oakley land owners
are more or less familiar with these
matters and it will not be necessary
to go into detail about the troubles
of the project.
AS on ali Carey Act projects, the
main trouble has been over the wa
ter supply. The Oakley project was
constructed of sufficient capacity to
care for a project of $4,000 acres
which amount of land was sold at
the time of the opening of the pro-
ject.
In December, 1918, the outstand-
ing acreage was reduced from
$4,000 acres, or water shares, to
26,850 acres or shares which
amount of shares are outstanding at
the present time. OF this 26,850
shares there are 21,057 shares on
patented lands, leaving approx |
mately $500 shares outstanding on
unpatented lands.
OF the patented shares outstand-
ing there are approximately $3.50 |
shares or acres of what is commonly !
known as old patented lands, por-
tion of which holds a paid up water |
right and the balance, of about
s 400 of which have what is known
as a Forty Dollar water right. The
difference between the $3.50 acres
end the 21,057 acres, or 1927 I
acres are what are known as Carey
Act patented lands.
Account of the failure to make
water contract payments on the Car
sy Act lands and the Forty Dollar
lands, it became necessary to file
foreclosure suits. A number of such ,
foreclosure suits were carried ,
through the courts to decree and 1
sale and in one case to deed. An ,
)ther lot will go to sheriff's deed
Turing the month of August and 3
till another lot will be decided I
hortly thereafter. The total +
mount of land involved in these
ases which have gone to sheriffs ,
Iced, or which will shortly go to q
uch deed is over 5000 acres. When :
hese lands go to foreclosure decree
{ means a cash payment, If the q
ands are to be saved to the former h
wenrs, of $1,000 per acre as of n
.pril 1st, 1922, which would mean n
pproximately $500 per acre on n
-pril 1st, 1928. 2
1t became apparent that if some G
hing was not done in the matter p
he parties who had been foreclosed n
'ould not only lose their lands, but n
lso all their improvements, and a
hen the same go to deed, all the u
lrrent years crops.
With this in mind the Settlers G,
ssociation early in the year 1923 /,
let with the Company representa- II
YES and finally agreed upon plan h
settlement which would save the Fl
oldings of those parties whose pla- fs
IS had been forec4osed. II
Such settlement plan included a n,
sduction of the outstanding acres ?,
: shares, to 21, ,057 acres, or to the :
atented area. 1t also included the