White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-10-25
WATER RIGHT OWNERS
TAKE EXPECTED ACTION

The meeting of Hanford right own
ers held in Liberty hall in White
Bluffs last Friday evening turned out
just as might have been expected.
Those present voted to continue their
organization and their committee and
not to join the corporation that is
being proposed by Wooten and
Spratlen.
D. S. Wilkinson, secretary of their
committee and one of the members of
the Joint six, explained, step by step,
what the committee has done and has
attempted to do since its selection, in
Guiding the attempts at cooperation
with the committee representing the
other group. He read the set OF by
laws of the proposed corporation and
pointed out where they differed in
many respects from the set agreed
upon by. the joint committee, some OF
the clauses being particularly vicious
and dangerous from the water right
owners standpoint Other members OF
the committee substantiated Mr.. Viii
kinson's statements and, in some in
stances, elaborated on them. 3ll
The reason for keeping their organ
ization intact is for the purpose OF
having something as nucleus by
which the situation may. be saved
when the present Wooten-Spratlen
corporation takes its place with the
other failures in everything else they
have so far attempted in the water
case.
Lest we forget, some of these fail
r,res might be listed: their attempt to
upset the Webster decree, their efforts
to have the case tried by the state
board Of public works instead of the
Federal court; their advice to their
followers to- pay the 5000 mainten-
ance fee instead of the 81 per acre
fixed by the Court in the injunction
proceeding; their two futile attempts
to have the receiver dismissed and
the irrigation properties turned over
to them attonce without receivership
sale; and their repeated promises to
exact for their followers, from the
power interests, vast sums of money
running all the. way from $500,000 to
$50, 600, co., All Of these moves turned
out to be colossal blunders and
brought nothing but trouble and ex-
pense to those who listened to their
fairy tales. In addition, and what is
more serious, they have tended to con-
fuse the situation by directing the at
tention Of some of the water right
owners from the necessary construc-
tive steps that must be taken if the
project is to be put on its feet and
made going concern.
Under the conditions that exist to-
day their corporation hasn't a China
mans chance, to use slang phrase,
Of being success. Even if they were
successful in incorporating and Sue
ceeded in i finding: some one foolish
enough tas finance them il, the face q
ts1I az ~ tin sssirc Reconstructed, and
If they made the purchase Of the legal
title to the properties at the receiver
ship sale, their troubles, instead OF be-
ing over, would just begin. They
would have to purchase. the properties
with the obligations placed on them
by the circuit court, that of furnishing
the contract allowance of water for a
maintenance charge, without profit,
spread over the entire $500 acres in the
project, each acre being assessed it's
proportionate share. AS only about
half Of this acreage at best, would be
watered the corporation would have
to make up the deficit. This deficit
would probably run around $4,000
annually and it might reach a con-
siderably larger sum. That was the
part of the decree that was the death
blow to the Consumers Ditch COM
pany and it could very easily be the
same kind Of blow to any other cor
porationS,that attempted it.
Under such circumstances, those
who surrender their water rights and
their lien on Priest Rapids for stock
in the corporation run q grave risk Of
losing everything, while those who
do not sign. up. will retain their water
rights and lien and at the same time
enjoy the protection guaranteed then,
in the circuit court decision.
The corporation idea might solve
the situation if all, or nearly all, of
the water right owners went into it,
but, they can not all be herded into
an organization in the creation OF
which they had no voice, especially
when it involves as much as it does
in this case.