The record-union., 1899-12-03

this Winter-juSt as soon as arrange
ments can be made to do it, The
Auditing Board to the Commissioner Of
Public Works has held several consul
tations on the matter and realize: the
necessity for instant action, both with
regard to repairs and to permanent
The Auditing Board
will meet here early this week and
steps will be Immediately taken to
make necessary repairs and to prepare
for new work along the lines indicated
by the engineers of the Commissioners.
1.-The work." concluded Mr.. Ryan,
"will be done, and the question of sail
airy will, if necessary, be settled after
wards. The improvements are neces-
sary and will be made, and should the
! Supreme Court rule against us we will
depend on the next Legislature to pay
| for. it,
| GOVERNOR GAGE WAS URGED TO
/ J. 0. Coleman, Secretary of the Sac
| ramento Chamber of Commerce,
which has ever taken an active inter-
est in river Improvement, in answer to
/ questions respecting the appointment
of Mr. Ryan, the necessity of continu-
ing the work Of river Improvements,
and the efforts of the Chamber: of Com
merce to have the Governor appoint a
| Commissioner, said:
Eyes. the Sacramento Chamber of
/ Commerce has been in close touch with
all work of Improvements on the rivers
since it's organization, and particularly
so since the creation of the Auditing
Board to the Commissioner of Public
Works, which might be properly said
permanent or systematic improve
ments, not alone by the State but by
/ the Federal Government.
! when it was found that work would
be discontinued owing to the jumbling
| in legislation of last winter, consdera-
| ton, was given to that matter by a
special committee appointed for that
| purpose composed Of A. J. Breuner,
/ Grove L. Johnson, r. T. Devlin, T. B.
Hail. O. w. Erlewine and President
Miller of the Chamber. The Committee
took the position that the Governor
had the right to appoint a Commits
! sioner of Public Works and so declared
! themselves to the Governor, and at
the same time called his attention to
i the urgent necessity for certain repairs
necessary for the preservation Of the
| wier and jetties. Later the Governor
| inspected the river and he was free to
express his appreciation of the impor-
| lance of that work, and that it should
! be kept in good condition.
! II consider that the Governor has
acted because he realizes the necessity
1 of certain work being done and for the
4 reason that he is satisfied that he had
! the right under the law to appoint.
81 want to say that the fact that
| the State had discontinued work on
the Sacramento and San Joaquin
Rivers threatened to result in greater
disaster to the rivers and the State
/ than would appear to the casual read
err. One can but appreciate this fact
when he considers that no we'll defined
plan for improving the Sacramento
River had been adopted by the Ma
tional Government until about eighteen
months ago, and after the creation Of
| the State Auditing Board
| Congressman DeVries recently came
here to ascertain if it was not possible
| to have work resumed by the State,
! saying that the fact of the State hav-
, ing appropriated 100000 for river
/ improvements was his most powerful
! argument with the Committee on
! Rivers and Harbors of Congress, and
that with that he finally succeeded in
! getting a rehearing and finally a lib
eral appropriation for that portion of
| the Sacramento River from Sacramento
| City to the Bay"
| In view of the fact that the United
| States Government Engineers will send
in their report and recommendations
for the Upper Sacramento River dur
| ing the session Of Congress about to
assemble, it will be difficult, Mr.. De
| Vries said, for our delegation in Con-
gress to impress their fellow mem ers
with the necessity for appropria tons
while our State Board is inactive and
with money in the treasury.
"The appointment of Mr.. Ryan,
Mr.. Coleman concluded, will, think,
be perfectly satisfactory to all persons
who are interested in the improve
ment of our rivers. His long residence
in the Sacramento River Valley and
his official experience in the Legisla-
ture and elsewhere have made him
familiar with the condition of the river,
and the fact that he has asked for a
meeting of the Auditing Board on
Tuesday next shows that he wishes to
make the needed repairs to the river
as soon as possible.
'The fact that residents of Yolo and
other counties have called on us week
| ly for the past months in reference to
the prospects of resumption of work by
the State shows their deep concern in
the matter. The. Boards of Supervisors
of several of the river counties have
adopted resolutions petitioning the
State officials to act.''
IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK.
Robert T. Devlin, attorney for the
Anti-Debris Association, who has taken
a prominent part in matters relating to
river Improvement, said last night that
he was very glad to know the Governor
had appointed Commissioner
1.-The work performed under the juris-
diction of the Commissioner of Public
Works and the Auditing Board" said
Mr.. Deviln, has been of immense ad
vantage to this section of the State,
and it would be a serious blow to have
it discontinued. The plans of the Fed
eral engineers for the improvement of
the Sacramento River and it's tribu-
taries were based upon the idea that
the State of California had made a SIM
liar appropriation which could be util-
lied for river improvement, and the
aggregate of both appropriations would
place the river in a remarkably fine
condition.
Two years ago in the river and har-
Dor bill that Congress passed a clause