AZ vs. CA:19 California Exhibits, Vol. XIX; Nos. 4000-4044

page 14

[14] State of California, ) ) ss. County of Los Angeles. ) I, Mills E. Fletcher, being first duly sworn, on oath depose and say: That I am the identical person who made desert land application serial 010684 for NE% Sec. 25, T. 7 S., R. 22 E., S.B.M., said application having been allowed May 27, 1912; That I made said entry for my own use and benefit, intending in good faith to proceed with the ultimate reclamation of said land; but, for reasons hereinafter stated and through no fault of my own, it will be impossible for me to submit proof of the cultivation and reclamation of said land within four years from entry, as required by the desert land laws; That since making said entry I have expended thereon, in clearing of the land and the construction of fences, a sum in excess of five hundred dollars, as is more fully set out in my annual proofs now on file in your office; That, at the time of making said entry for said land, the Palo Verde Mutual Water Company was engaged in the construction of its irrigation system which, when completed, will furnish water to said land; That I am the owner of eighty shares of stock in said company and am conversant with its workings and policies; that said company has expended approximately one million dollars in the construction of its system and now has completed about one hundred and fifty miles of canals and laterals; that said company is a mutual company and the funds to meet its expenses in the construction of its svstem has been raised bv assessments made on its mem-