White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-11-15
BONDED INDEBTEDNESS
PROVES HEAVY LOAD

of the Irrigation Institute held in
Yakima the latter part of last week
and in talking to those who attended
the meetings, one gathers that the
principal subject discussed was the
financial difficulties in which many OF
the irrigated districts in the state
find themselves.
The situation was so bad that the
State Chamber Of Commerce few
weeks ago appointed committee to
make an investigation, and after a
preliminary survey this committee
reported that about 10 of the 100
districts in the state were virtually
bankrupt and beyond the possibility
of assistance; that about IL others
might be saved If the proper methods
were applied to their affairs.
Some Of the older districts have
retired much of their bonded indebt-
edness but the newer districts were
not SO fortunate and it is said that in
some of them this indebtedness will
run as high as $4,000 an acre on the
improved land, most of the uniill-
proved land having gone back to the
district for failure to pay assessments.
In these cases, of course, some one
is going to have to take loss but
there is no legal machinery at present
whereby the situation could be re-
lieved and it was proposed at the
institute that efforts be made to nave
the next legislature provide remedy.
With the exception of a half dozen
or less of the very oldest projects IN
the state, this valley is the only one
thar is not carrying bonded indebt-
edness. This is no doubt due In
large measure TO the fact that the
irrigation project here was in htlga-
ton during the time that the other
districts were issuing their bonds for
the Improvement of their projects,
and for that reason was a blessing
in disguise. Most OF the projects are
operating under the irrigation district
law but it did not seem to matter
whether it was a district or cor
poration, the money borrowed was
for a community purpose and the
security was joint liability. Under
a recent amendment to the irrigation
district law bonds may be issued with
a restricted liability but this law was
not in force when the bonds in the
districts in distress were issued.
D. S. Wilkinson, who attended the
meeting on Thursday, said that ne
was sorry that every farmer IN this
valley was not in attendance. If they
had they would have learned how
much better off they were than the
farmers in many Of the other dis
tricts. The project manager Of one OF
the we'll projects in the state, in
making his report, said that the water
users under that project this year
paid a maintenance See of $40 per
acre. Seventy. dslIarS spf this was tor
the replacement Of a seven mile
flume that had buried. ~
Mr.. Wilkinson said he was so I'M
pressed with this managers report
that he made dinner appointment
with him and said that approximately
the following. dialogue took place,
Mr.. Wilkinson asking the questions:
"What is your average rlainten-
ance charge ~ well, it averages
between $36 and $46 per acre. We
never hope to get off for anything
less than $35 per acre" For how
much water! JUST enough to See
BY with. We have tapped the entire
flow Of five streams and this summer
were using a pump to lift water on
some of the lower land" Can you
get by on that maintenance charge
and il SO how do you do it?" Yes
we can get by nicely by planning
carefully. Ours is really an apple
district; we prune properly, thin to
point where we do not produce
over 700 boxes. annually to the acre
and we soup on the commercial
fertilizer. And we raise crop every
wear" h af.s@