Lindsey v. Pasco Power & Water Co.
Opinion of the Court
The question in this case is whether the intervener is entitled to judgment against the Pasco Power & Water Company (the transfer to its successor, the Burbank Power & Water Company, being subject to that contingency) for three certain items of charge, to wit: $4,822.67, the alleged balance due on two certain loans alleged to have been made by the intervener to a certain corporation called the Continental Construction Company; $2,250, alleged to have been due by that company to the intervener for nine months’ salary at $250 a month for his personal services; and $2,-
The record shows that in or about the year 1904 the intervener and one Frame entered, into a schemé for the purpose of appropriating a portion of the waters of Snake river, and applying them to the irrigation of arid land in the vicinity of its junction with the Columbia river. It was an extensive scheme, and would necessarily require a large amount of money to carry it out successfully, very little of which either of the promoters appears to have had.
The first thing that seems to have been done in pursuance of the project was the procurement of an individual named- Terry to file a. notice of appropriation of the desired waters, shortly after which Terry conveyed whatever right accrued to him under such notice of appropriation to Frame. The next thing that appears to have been done was the incorporation of the construction company mentioned, the capital stock of which was fixed at $1,500,000, divided into 15,— 000 shares of the par value of $100 each, one share of which was issued to Frame, one to James P. Stapleton, the attorney who prepared the organization papers, and one to E. S. Jackson, none of whom paid any money for his stock. The remaining 14,997 shares were subscribed for by the intervener, Lindsey, who paid no money therefor, but, by agreement between Frame and himself,, the right to the water secured by the appropriation, whatever it was, was to be conveyed to the construction company by Frame in payment for the stock issued to them. The next step in the proceeding, and as a part of the scheme, was the incorporation of the Snake River Irrigation Company and the procurement by Frame of certain contracts with certain locators of certain desert lands to which, in part, it was proposed to supply the appropriated waters. The irrigation company also entered into a contract with the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, under which certain of its lands covered thereby were contracted to be sold by Frame for the irrigation company and similarly supplied, and the moneys received under such contracts were paid in by him to it, which moneys seem to have been the only funds ever put into the enterprise by Frame. The record shows that Lindsey did, however, advance to the construction company $5,500 in two sums, both of which were paid by him into a bank in Portland, Or., to its credit, $649.19 of which, however, he subsequently drew out for his own use, charging himself therewith on the books of the company. As an inducement to Lindsey to make those loans and as part consideration therefor, there were issued to him 450 shares of the stock of the irrigation company.
The record shows, and it is undisputed, that both the construction company and the irrigation company became insolvent and wholly unable to carry on the undertaking; the indebtedness being estimated at about $50,000. In that condition of affairs, at a meeting of the directors of the irrigation company, it was proposed to levy an assessment on the stock. The good faith of that proposal is questioned in the evidence, as well as in the brief of the appellant; but that matter is unimportant here. The motion to levy such assessment for the purpose of paying the debts was rejected, and instead the proposition that had theretofore been made by one Parry to take over the entire property of both companies, in consideration of the payment by the vendee of all of the valid indebtedness of both companies, was adopted and carried into effect; the conveyance, by Parry’s direction, being made to the appellant Pasco Power & Water Company, which he was instrumental in bringing into existence, and which, according to the record, subsequently paid all of the indebtedness of both companies, except the claim of the appellant, Lindsey.
A conclusive answer to the contention is that the levy of the assessment was upon the stock, which, under the law (if the assessment was valid), was bound for it, and which,.as has been said was undertaken to be sold by the company in payment of the assessment. Manifestly, the assessment imposed no personal liability upon Lindsey; and therefore he was under no personal obligation to pay it. It is therefore unnecessary to consider the claim made by the appellant that the evidence shows that the assessment, as well as the sale of his stock in the construction company, was not only unauthorized, but
There remains to consider only the stock held by the appellant, Lindsey, in the irrigation company, to wit, 450 shares.
To the first objection it is sufficient to say that it appears from the evidence that it was issued to him as a part consideration for the money he loaned to the construction company; and it is not for the appellees to question the sufficiency of the consideration.
The answer to the suggestion that the stock was without any value is that the appellee Pasco Power & Water Company, according to the evidence, agreed to pay, and did pay, about $50,000 for the property in which the irrigation company was at least a part owner; and the evidence further shows that a portion of the stock of the irrigation company was actually sold to Parry for $6.25 per share — its par value being $100. We think this fact, no contradiction of which we find in the record, sufficient to warrant.the allowance of a like sum per share to the appellant for his 450 shares.
It results from what has been said that the judgment dismissing the action must be and is reversed, and the cause remanded to the court below, with directions to render judgment for the appellant as -hereinabove indicated.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- LINDSEY v. PASCO POWER & WATER CO.
- Status
- Published