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Show j , Control Over Strawberry Is Moot Problem ! ! Reservoir Built On Private ! Land; Water Users Are Future Owners. The question raised by J. Arthur Mecham, state fish and game commissioner, com-missioner, concerning the ownership owner-ship of the fishing rights in Strawberry Straw-berry reservoir is of prime importance import-ance not only in Utah but in the rest of the west, Judge George P. Parker, attorney general declared recently, while discussing the problem prob-lem with the Strawberry Valley Waterusers association and Commissioner Com-missioner Mecham. Unique Problem. f Judge Parker declared that his opinion might have a bearing upon all future reclamation projects and that it might even have to undergo the fire of debate on the floors of congress and for that reason he was going to be sure that his opinion, opin-ion, whatever it might be, would stand the acid test. The so called Strawberry question ques-tion is unique, Judge Parker declares. de-clares. Hitherto in reclamation projects the right of the state to control fishing has never been questioned. The projects have been built wholly or in part on public land. "But in Strawberry, we have a different condition," Judge Parker Park-er says. "Here we have a reservoir built upon what is now- or will be private land. When congress, authorized au-thorized the Strawberry valley project pro-ject in 1910 the reclamation service purchased 56,000 acres of land from the Indians at $1.25 an acre. This cost was charged against the project pro-ject and the land was to become the property of the waterusers when title to the project passed to them. Claim Fishing Rights "The waterusers now claim, as I understand it from the letter writ- that fishing rights remain with the state. It might be wise to urge such a clause in all succeeding contracts con-tracts between the reclamation bureau and the waterusers Just what will be best or how far this question, wUl go we can not tell until ,ve get all our data arranged. "But at any rate we believe that this opinion will be widely read and will be considered not only by this state but by other states Mr. Mecham has raised a big question and we want to be sure we do not leave any point uncovered." ten to me by Mr. Mecham, full ownership. own-ership. of the fishing privileges on the reservoir and while they are willing to enter into an agreement with the state on the fishing rights the state must understand and admit ad-mit that these rights are on the sufferance suf-ferance of the waterusers association associa-tion and not allowed because the -state-hes-any- claim on the fishing, j "There are many complicated legal points involved which I do not care to discuss before issuing the formal opinion. The fact that the Strawberry ' people filed on the water for irrigation purposes and not for the propagation of fish may have some bearing. That is one of the points my men are running down, "The disquieting feature of this question is that if the Strawberry people are right then Echo, Hyrum, Deer Creek, Gooseberry and other proposed or actual projects are apt to become private fish ponds unless the state or the federal government take some action to preserve these rights to the public "It might be deemed wise to avoid such controversies, that the reclamation recla-mation law be a rinded to specify |