White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-09-27
COMPLICATIONS ARISING
IN WATER CASE

IN UnIAU V00h
As a step toward harmony in the
ranks of the Hanford water right
owners in, getting them organized
SO that they might be prepared to
bid in the irrigation properties at
the receivership sale, that meeting
in Hanford last Saturday was pretty
much of a failure. Although notices
of the meeting were sent out gen.
orally to the water right owners, it
was attended, with the exception of
a few who were attracted by curios-
ity, by only those of one faction
and not all of them were present.
G. F. Wooten, who signed the
call, took charge of the meeting
without forlnality and in one of
his Enthusiastically lengthy talks
he tried, very cieverly, to justify an
excuse for the meeting, after which
he gave his personal. ideas of the
nature Of the corporation that should
be organized and the water right
owners present, with the exception
of four voted their approval.
T. A. Spratlen was also present,
and made speech in which he
told the assembled audience and
the cock-eyed world in general what
he thought of nearly every one. par
ticularly those who do not agree
with him.
M. B. Haynes Of Seattle also at
tended and gave the meeting his
blessing.
Conceived under such circum-
stances, the proposed cop ration
has little chance of amounting to
very nuch. In the first place, to
accomplish what it should it would
need as stockholders all, or nearly
all, Of the water right owners. Even
then its task Of organization, financ-
ing, operation and rehabilitation of
the irrigation system and the power
and pumping plants, would be diff
ficult one, occurring exceptional bust
ness judgment and management to
make it success. Such talent is
not apparent among those who are
promoting it. ss
AS it stands now, it is exceedingly
doubtful if the owners of more than
fifty per cent of the water right land
could be induced to jeopardize their
right and lien on Priest Rapids by
becoming stockholders in the pro-
posed corporst Jon. The Circuit Court
decision, in effect, gave the water
right owners everything but the legal
title and right OF possession of the
irrigation properties and the only
thing the proposed corporation
could acquire at the receivership sale
would be the legal title. The old
Hanford Irrigation & Power COM
pany and its Successors, the Com
sunisr Dztch conapazy and the Black
Rock Power & Irrigation company,
found this title something Of white
elephant and it might very easily be-
come such an animal for the organic
alton that it is now proposed to
form.
If a corporation could be formed
in which all of the water rigrt own
ers had a voice and in which they
had confidence, with provisions for
an equitable division in the manage
ment, it might be desirable step to
take, for if they were all stockhold-
ers, and the corporation made the
purchase at the receivership sale, the
legal effect would be the merging of
interests, and the corporation could
then lease or sell, whichever seemed
desirable, the water right lien on
Priest Rapids to the power company,
providing, Of course, that it is still
in mood to make a deal.
But with such a corporation as
is now being proposed, having the
approval and confidence OF only
part OF the water right owners, its
future seems frNught with trouble.
Those who surrender their water
rights and with them their lien on
Priest Rapids, for stock in the cor
poration, run the risk of losing
everything; while those who do not
go into the corporation will re-
tain the water rights and liens and
to them the new corporation would
simply be stepping into the shoes
of the old company with the chance
of bringing suits for damages against
the corporation for any breach Of
their contracts or deeds. In addition
they would have the protection pro-
vided in the Circuit Court decision
that the maintenance charge on all
of the land must remain the same
whether or not the owners were
stockholders in the corporation.
Whatever the object Of those whs
promoted the meeting last Saturday
they succeeded in reestablishint
the old undesirable discord
The whole situation at this tim
seems somewhat complicated, and i
{ may or may not be significant tina
some Of the water right owners ar
making arrangements to dig we'll
and others are considering sirnila
plans, as an insurance against tn
possibility that the ditch might no
operate next year.