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Show DO YOU OWN YOUR . IRRIGATION WATER? Irrigation Lawyer Talks On Vested Water Rights The determination of vested water rights was discussed by President Presi-dent Mathonihah Thomas, recently elected president of the newly formed Utah Irrigation and Drainage Congress Con-gress before that body at its annual convention, just held at the Utah Agricultural Ag-ricultural College. The pioneers established es-tablished three things in their settlement settle-ment of the water question in Utah, said Mr. Thomas. They established the ideas of the state ownership of water, state control of water. And insisted on the beneficial and economic eco-nomic use of water. All rational Irrigation Ir-rigation .legislation must be based upon these three principles, and we must come back to them before we can expect any permanent solution of the water question in Utah. The farmer cannot own a certain amount of water in an irrigation ditch, said Mr. Thomas. Not until that water is actually being applied on his land docs he own it. The farmer farm-er really owns the use of the water, rather than a specified amount of water. He is entitled to only so much water as is necessary to grow successfully success-fully the particular kind of crops he is raising on the particular kind of land he owns. The use of any more water is a criminal waste. The important im-portant question is, "How much use have you made of your water?" The hity of water must be determined in Utah at great expense, possibly by a complete survey of all kinds of soil in the State and the varying amounts of water they need. The average irrigation company in Utah today is not efficiently organized stated Mr. Thomas Business principles princi-ples applied to canal management, and proper co-operation on the part f the farmery will do much to clear the way for a solution of irrigation problems here. |