Imperial Valley press., 1910-11-12
BACK ID OLD CHANNEL GOES RUNAWAY RIVER President Taft Directs Engin- eers to Control the
 Colorado
The Southern Pacific Agrees to Aid The Government, Even Though The l Old Bill For Closing Break Has Not yEeen Paid. Washington Shows h. V terest In Imperial Valley.

Coincident with adjustment of the local difficulty that threatened to cause another water shortage, comes news from Washington that President Taft has given directions to proceed with protective work on the river substantially as suggested to him last summer by Receiver Holabird and Allen Kelly Engineer Ockerson be- gan his investigations and surveys last July, immediately following the conference at Beverly between the President and the valley representa- tives, and returned to Washington last month with his report and recom- mendations.
 MT. Ockerson and Asst Attorney General Oscar Lawler made personal Investigations in the valley and dis covered that it is actually inhabited by some 10000 people, mostly farmers, and that the occupants of 250000 acres { of reclaimed desert are not dummies for land grabbing corporations, as Washington officialdom had been per Asuaded MT. Lawler perceived that 3the statement made to the President, that the settlers could not raise money to pay for controlling the Colorado in Mexico because the ignorance, arro- gance and negligence of the Interior Department prevented them from get ting earned title to their land, was correct, and nothing more was heard of the amazing proposition that the settlers should reimburse to the gov ernment the million dollars appropri- ated by Congress to the Presidents use for controlling the alleged navi gable river in foreign territory.
 Matters were finally arranged at a conference in which Asst. Attorney General Oscar Lawler, Civil Engineer J. A. Ockerson and others took part. The President asked what was the attitude of the Colorado Land Com pany and was assured by Lawler that Gen. Otis, the president of the con- pany, had expressed a wish that what ever was for the best interests of the whole Imperial Valley should be done Aregardless of his own personal inter est The President expressed much satisfaction at this statement and said that he should like to have it fully understood
 President Taft met with two serious obstacles in trying to plan cure for the river troubles. First, there was Mexico, which owns the territory on which the work must be done. The President instructed the State Depart ment to have a conference with the Mexican Ambassador, and as a result the President felt warranted i'll as suming that the matter would be ar ranged satisfactorily with the govern ment of Mexico. Another difficulty occurred with the Southern Pacific Railroad. The officials in California had shown little desire to assist in the work. The government was entirely at the mercy of the railroad for equip ment and transportation, but the rates named were deemed excessive, es- peeially as a piece of railroad must be constructed by the government to &tyry materials to the site of the pro Xosed works. President Taft sent Ilawler to see President Lovett of the Southern Pacific and as a result Lovett and Max Evarts attorney for the company went to Washington and on seeing the President, agreed to give all equipment and transportation as we'll as gravel and rock on the most advantageous terms. ~
 In view of the failure of Congress to repay the company for work previously done in the sape localities to stop a very disastrous break in the bank of the river, which work was done at the urgent request of Col Roosevelt, then President. this action by Lovett is considered magnanimous.
 The plan for the work, devised by ockerson and approved by the Presi- dent, contemplates the construction of a/levee along the river banks for a distance of twenty-five miles for the control of flood water This is to be all i'm Mexico Second will be the