Imperial Valley press., 1932-03-15
FARMERS
OPPOSED
TO TOLL
Present Resolutions At
Meeting Of Irrigation
District Board.
FILED BY DIRECTORS
Farm Bureau Offers Plan
To Defer Bond And Get
County Aid.

Representative OF the County
Farm Bureau appeared before the
Imperial Irrigation district board
this morning to present resolutions
passed at a bureau session Saturday
in regard to so cent water charge.
The board filed the resolutions
which asked that bond holders be
requested to postpone or cancel in
terest on bonded Indebtedness and
that the board appeal to the county
board of supervisors for financial
assistance.
E. T. HeWes, chairman of the farm
bureau committee, said it was the
opinion of the bureau that the so
cent water charge was not the So
luton of the present financial prob
lem.
When John l.. Dubois, district
board president and president of
the farm bureau, asked what alter
native plan the committee had to
suggest, Hewes said there was no
definite plan as yet. He also said
they were going to meet with the
board of supervisors soon to see
what could be done. HeWes pledged
the support and assistance of the
farm bureau in solving district
problems and said he was of the
opinion they could be solved through
cooperation.
Charles l.. Childers, chief counsel
for the district, urged Hewes to ex-
plain the theory behind the resolu-
0I c1,
ject would be helpful.
HeweS thereupon explained that
it was suggested that the district
communicate with all bond holders
in spite of the fact that it would be
a gigantic task, and ask them to
cancel or postpone payments. He
said he believed the bondholders
would be willing.
M. j. Dowd, chief engineer, ex-
planned that even if so per cent of
the bondholders would agree. the
other SO per cent could come in at
any time and demand their pay
ment from what money was on
hand. -
So Bondholders Scattered
Our bondholders are scattered
through all parts of this country
and even in foreign countries" said
Dowd, "and it would be impossible
to get them to agree to cancel or
postpone unless the district was
bankrupt which it is not. If 10
bondholders would refuse the re-
quest to wait, they would spoil the
plan of obtaining 100 per cent CO.
operation. We might just as well ad-
NIT that it would be impossible to
get in touch with all our bond
holders because it would be-"
HeWes then said perhaps "the
board could not understand the in
ability of the common people to
pay"
Director Mark Rose then said
every man on the district board
was common farmer just the same
as the members of the farm bureau
committee and understood the prob
lens of the individual farmer.
Il do not agree that there is not
enough money in the valley to pay
its way out Of the present trouble
said the director, II can remember
and several of you can remember
when conditions there were much
worse than they are today. The
cities and towns of Imperial Valley
are here, the ranches are here, the
are here, the soil
is here and the water
is in the river for us. We will pay
and we will not go into further debt
to save the situation. We will get
out"
He then was asked if it would be
possible for the water charge to be
applied to the next installment of
Continued On Page 81