The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1907-01-16
EXTRA MESSAGE
URGES CONGRESS TO CURB COLO
RADIO RIVER OUTBREAK.
MAY TAKE TWO MILLIONS
President Recommends That the Rec
lamation Service Undertake an IT.
risation Project in the Imperial Val
Iey-WouId Aid Southern Pacific.

TI9dtiOn TTOJcCt III huC bHPS' 'o' az
iey-WouId Aid Southern Pacific.
Washington-The President Satur-
day sent to Congress message urging
some action toward remedying the sit
uation caused by the break in the Colo
RADIO river four miles below the inter
national boundary line in Mexico, and
which threatens the property interests
in the Imperial valley of California.
The Presidents message contains a
long review of the situation and says
that prompt action must be taken,
otherwise conditions will become so
extreme as to be impracticable of rem
edy. Probably with an expenditure OF
81 100000, he says, the river can be
restored to its former channel and held
there indefinitely.
The President says that at the pres
ent there appears to be only one agent
equal to the task of controlling the
river, namely. the Southern Pacific.
He recommends that the reclama-
ton service be authorized to at once
begin the construction OF an lrriga-
ton project under the terms of the ir-
rigation act for the lands in the 1mper-
ial valley and the lower Colorado val
ley.
The President is severe in his ar
raignment of the California Develop
ment Company for taking mp an enter
prise of this magnitude without ade
quate capital and for diverting moneys
received from sale of lands to other
purposes than the securing of water
supply or the Improvement OF the
lands.
An engineer of the reclamation SER
vice expresses great surprise at the
Presidents action and says the devel-
hn
cific are doing great work in curbinS
the river overflow.
In his message the president says:
"If the river is not put back and
permanently maintained in its natural
bed, the progressive back-cutting In
| the course of one or two years Will ex-
tend up stream to Yuma. as before
stated, and finally to the Laguna dam.
now being built by the government.
thus wiping out millions of dollars OF
| property belonging to the government
and to citizens Continuing further
| 1t will deprive all the valley lands
along the Colorado river of the posi-.
bility of obtaining a new supply OF
water by gravity canals.
"'The great Yuma bridge will go out
and approximately 100000 acres OF
land as fertile as the Nile valley will
be left in a desert condition. what
! this means may be understood wheh
| we remember that the entire produc-
| ing area of Southern California is
| about 250, GOO acres. A most conserva-
tive estimate after full development
must place the gross product from this
land at not less than 500 per acre per
| year. and every ten acres OF which VIII
| support a family when under intense
| cultivation. If the break in the Colo
| RADIO is not permanently controlled the
| financial loss to the United States VIII
| be great. The entire irrigable areas
which will be either submerged or de-
| prived of water in the Imperial valley
| and along the Colorado river is capable
| of adding to the permanent population
| of Arizona and California at least $780,
| 900 people and probably 5OO,0OV.
Much of the land will be worth from
$500 to $500 per acre to individual
owners or a total of from $3.50 900, 900
to $500 100000.
But one practicable course is now
open for consideration.
THE Southern Pacific must continue
its work to close the break and restore
the river to its proper channel. The
The United States can then take
charge, making the protective work
permanent and providing for their
maintenance.
ut is not believed that free gift
of this money should be made, as by
its investment the stability of property
of great value will be secured and the
increase in land values throughout the
Imperial valley will be sufficient to jus
tify the provision that this money
should be returned to the govern
ment"