i8 
Bulletin 67. 
the owners of different ditches to enter into such an arrange¬ 
ment at times of scarcity. He is familiar with conditions in the 
whole district, and can see what ditches can be best helped by 
such an arrangement with justice to all. 
Human nature is such that men can be induced to do things 
by good tact and by persuasion of an official in charge, to which 
they will not submit under arbitrary exercise of power. It is 
perhaps unnecessary to state, to enable a water commissioner to 
accomplish the best results in the exercise of discretion and the 
use of persuasion, he must have the confidence of the ditch owners 
of his district as an official who is wholly disinterested and im¬ 
partial, who is not seeking to aid any particular ditch to the dis¬ 
advantage of another, but who is conscientiously striving to at¬ 
tain the best result for all the ditches in his district. To attain 
this confidence, he should have no favorites or pets, he should 
always show his readiness to respect the rights of senior appro- 
priators; he should be vigilant in protecting the stream and all 
its sloughs and tributaries from invasions of persons who are 
wrongfully taking water therefrom. When owners of ditches 
with early appropriations have full confidence in a water com¬ 
missioner, when they know that he has supplied them and is 
ever ready to supply when they really need it with all the water 
to which they are entitled, they will be much more ready at times 
when they are not in such urgent need to forego some of their 
claimed rights at his suggestion for the benefit of others whose 
crops are suffering. Under such circumstances the senior ap- 
propriators will readily acquiesce in suggestions made by water 
commissioners, believing that they will obtain a full equivalent 
for any concession they may temporarily make. 
Another power or duty required of water commissioners 
worthy of some comment, is that mentioned in the fifth and ninth 
sections of the act of 1887 (Secs. 2451, 2455, M. A. S.) The last 
named sections call for reports to be made by the water com¬ 
missioners to the superintendent of irrigation as often as required 
by him. It is to be observed that these reports are to contain 
not only the special matters mentioned in the statute, but also 
further information when called for or suggested by the super¬ 
intendent of irrigation. A water commissioner has more direct 
and immediate knowledge of the conditions in his own district 
than does the superintendent of irrigation. Without abusing 
his power and in full compliance with the spirit of the statute, 
it is proper and desirable that water commissioners shall make 
frequent reports, and as the result of their experience make fre¬ 
quent suggestions to the superintendent of irrigation so that 
that official can study the whole problem in his whole division 
and make suggestions to other water commissioners helpful to 
bring about the best results of husbandry. 
