Medford mail tribune., December 19, 1916, Page 5, Image 5

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LEGAL PROCEEDINGS TO FORM AN
IRRIGATION DISTRICT
FIRST Election of directors.
SECOND aDirectors investigate supply of water, cost, and all details.
"" Directors cannot spend more than $1.00 per acre under any cir
cumstances, and for this investigation should not expend more than
10c per acre.
. b Directors formulate plan of general irrigation system and submit
same to State Engineer for his approval.
State Engineer makes investigation and advises directors on supply
of water, cost arid construction.
THIRD
FOURTH
Directors prepare itemized statement of plan to secure irrigation,
cost, and all details, submit same to land owners.
FIFTH INAL ELE CT ION -land owners vote to accept or reject.
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THE GIST OF THE WHOLE MATTER
Without Irrigation, the growing of fruit as an Industry on any large scale
Is Impossible In the Rogue River valley. It Is not contended, but that apples
and pears, and good ones, can he grown hero without Irrigation, but not
in quantities, nor at a cost to make the business, year In and year out, a profit
able one. . Other fruit growing sections with Irrigation produce on the average
moro than twice as many apples und pears per acre as we with less labor
of cultivation, and consequently produce them very much more cheaply. The
fruit producer without water here, Is In exactly the same position as the
manufacturer who, without adopting improved machinery and methods of
production, attempts to compete with other manufacturers who do.
Without irrigation, intensive cultivation of the soil is Impossible in the
Rogue River valley. It is not contended that sugar beets, for Instance, can
not be grown in this valley without irrigation, but not In sufficient quantities,
not with sufficient certainty, nor at a low enough cost on the average to make
the Industry a profitable one.
Without Irrigation, the growing of clover Is Impossible. Only a small por
tion of our land will successfully grow alfalfa, and the production of alfalfa
even on such lands as will grow it, Is Increased fifty to one hundred per cent by
irrigation.
The ony farming that can be carried on successfully in this valley without
Irrigation is grain growing aud stock raising. For this type of farming the
prices of our unirrigated land here are still on an average twice as high as thoy
will yield returns on. Tho City nf Mcdford is at least twice as large a city as
can be permanently supiiorted by Its surrounding farming territory devoted to
this kind of farming.
These are plain, unvarnished facts. Irrigation is ahsolutey essential to
the prosperity of this valley. Without irrigation, a very large percentage of
the people now here must seek a living elsewhere.
The Irrigation of this valley anl especially the irrigation of the Bcctiun cov.
ered by the proposed irrigation district is impossible on any other plan than
the district plan. This Is true, because the cost of getting water to It Is so
heavy that the burden, If placed upon only a snmll portion of the land, la too
great to be oorne.
It will cost substantially the same to construct an Irrigation system to
Irrigate 10,000 acres of land scattered through the district as It will to con
struct a system to irrigate all the lands In the district. It Is a physical Impos
sibility to build an Irrigation system for 10.000 acres of land scattered
through the proposed irrigation district at a cost of less than $75.00 per acre
and It would be absolutely Impossible on the contract plan to secure contracts
covering 10,000 acres at this price.
Kor the district affected, It is either the district plan or no irrigation.
The district plan of irrigation is the only Just aud equitable plan. Au Irriga
tion system built along the lines of the proposed High-Line System would
constitute a direct and positive advantage to every acre of land In the district
whether the water was used upon It or not. The very fact that Irrigation
was available would directly and substantially Increase Its selling value. More
over, the irrigating of 10,000 acres of land within the proposod district would
so raise the water table and so Incrcaso the sob-Irrigation as to affect In a
marked degree the producing power of every acre of land In the district,
whether It directly used the water or not. It has been the oxprlence of
numerous ranchers in this valley that fluids and especially orchards, located
adjacent to lands which are Irrigated derive a great deal of additional mois
ture from such adjacent irrigation. If us much an 10,000 acres of the land
In the section covered by the proposed irrigation district were irrigated, this
effect In a few years would probably be so marked as to make Irrigation on
the remaining lauds unnecessary for many kinds of farming. The result
would bo to give the whole district a greatly needed advantage and to throw
the whole burden upon a small portion of the laud. This Is unjust and un
fair, and in the present situation is !mosslhlc.
The district Irrigation plan Is the only plan which places It In tho
power of tho land owuers to safeguard their Interests and to be sure that they
are getting the value of the money they spend. " - ' '
If the Irrigation district carries at the coming election, a board of di
rectors, composed of landholders in the district, will bo elected, who will have
the power to employ the necessary engineers and experts to Investigate the
water supply, to prepare the necessary pluns and specifications for a pernin-
nent and adequate Irrigation system and to determine what such a Hystem
should cost and what a fair price for It would be. These are matters which
could never be properly looked after by land owners, buying their irrigation
on the contract plan. The result of attempts to Irrigate on a large scale by
private corporations nn the contract plan In the Pacific Northwest baa always
been either that the corporation failed or that the land owners were de
frauded. The men Mil ml the Rokmc Ulver Vnlley Canal Company do not pro
lose to have either of these things hapjien In the present Instance.
If the mon who have been nominated for the Directorships In the pro
posed Irrigation district are not the best men who could be chosen, the land
owners have It in their power to nominate other men for the positions by fil
ing a petition signed by ten land owners of tho Division. It was necessary
that the land owners behind the movement U organise the District should
nominate someone, because the lair expressly directs that the notice of elec
tion shall contain the names of men to be voted on for the verlous offices aud
until someone was nominated there would be no one for the County Court
to designate In its notice of election.
As stated above, the powers of the Bnnrd of Directors are merely to pro
cure the exports necessary for a complete and thorough Investigation and to
reort their findings first to the state engineer for his approval and then to the
land owners of the District. They are authorized to Incur the expense neces
sary for this purpose, which, at most, should b but a few cents per acre. They
have no right to Incur any other obligation whatever. Before any contract
can be let or any bonds of tho District Issuod, thoy must submit the resulU of
all their Investigations to the land owners, and put the matter up for anotheT
election.
There Is only ono possible Justification for any opposition to the proposed
Irrigation District, and that is that no Irrigation system for this section la
wonted. The method proposed Is tho right way; It Is the Just way and II
Is the only way. 1
The Issue to bo doclded Is the moat Important one that has boon placed
before tho peoplo of this community In years. An Irrigation District moans
Uie increased production In this section, which will InHuro the coming of rail
roads, tho bringing Into the community of tho monoy ne'ccHsary to meet our
obligations and to make Medrord aud the surrounding country prosperous. Tho
dofeat of the District means more years of depression, hard times, mortgago
foreclosures, falling prices of land, and dwindling population.
The question before the people at thla time is simply this: Is the com
munity controlled by unprogTesslve reactionaries, who are satisfied to have
the country farmed as it was when Medford as a town of 2,500 people was
largo enough to supply tho demands of the surrounding country, or Is the
country controlled by progressive, forward-looking mon, who want to make
this region, the frnltful wealth-producing section that Jt can bo made with
Irrigation. i -"
In order thut there can bo no possible question as to tho safety of the
land owners In entering upon this project the Rogue River, Valley Canal Com
pany hereby offers, In case the district is organized, to enter Into a contract
guaranteeing to furnish thirty thnusnnd ncre feet of water to the District to
cover its twenty thousand acres of land, nnd offers to give the District a
good and sufficient guaranty properly secured that It will reduco Its price
pro rata In case It Is not able to furnish the full amount of water. Tho Com
pany also courts the most searching Investigation as to the reasonableness of
the price It Is offering Hnd as to Its ability to carry out Its contract.
It also offers to take the bonds of the District at par, although It Is a no
torious fact that securities of this kind ultnost always sell In tho market at a
considerable discount.
The proposition Is so fair, the Interests of the community nro so perfectly
protected that thore Is no possible reason for rejecting It, except the ono
reason that the land owners In tho District do not want Irrigation.
.- Mr. Welch, who Is flnnuclug this company, would long ng.i have aban
doned this enterprise bad It not been that he has never been assoclalod with
any enterprise which proved a falluro, and Is unwilling to bo put In that
position now If It can possibly be avoided. This community has nppareatly
not yet awoke to its good fortune In having available a man of the ability of
Mr. Welch to help It get the ono thing which It Imperatively needs to In
sure Its prosperity.
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