Imperial Valley press., 1910-08-20
ASSISTANT GTY.GEN OSCAR LAWLER DISCUSSES PROPOSED
 PROTECTIVE WORK ON COLORADO RIVER
Personal Observation Corrects His Msconcepton of Con- ditions in the Valley, and He Promises Personal And in Expedting Patents. to Land.
 Gathering Facts for the
 President

the presidents of water companies that their books show from eighty to ninety per cent of water stock placed upon land occupied and farmed by the owners.
 Continuing, MT. Lawler said the I President desires the hearty co-ope- ration of all interests affected by the proposed work on the river and thinks it would be. advisable that all should contribute to payment of the cost. The c. D. Co.,. ought to pay share, as the work will be of direct benefit to the company, but the tangle of litigation in which the company is in yolved might make it difficult to so arrange the matter. If the appropri- ation of million should prove to be insufficient to complete the work, a serious problem would be presented for the consideration of the people of the valley. The permanent main tenance of a levee along the river | would have to be considered, and probably the expense would fall upon the water-users of the valley. The difficulty of securing appropriations from Congress was great in all cases, and it would be greater than usual in the matter of maintaining property on foreign soil. The Colorado river being navigable only on paper, it had not the support in the matter of ap- propirations for improvement that the Mississippi has. The appropriation made by Congress for meeting the existing emergency, MT. Lawler de- clared to be contribution to local need and not national matter, as no national public interests were men aced, and it would be exceedingly difficult to secure further aid.
 | Tt has been left entirely to the ] President" said MT. Lawler, ito de- termine what shall be done with the money placed in his hands, and my business is to gather the information and the facts that he requires to en- able him to come to conclusion. If protective works are provided by the government, it will be up to you to see that the protection is perpetu- ated. United action ,is all i'm portant."
 1 MT. Lawler has asked the water companies for all the information they can give him and will be glad to receive information from other sourc- es concerning the extent of reclama- tion, the progress and the production of the valley, He desires that facts be presented in writing and concisely and sent to him at Los Angeles.
 Directors of water companies and others asked a few questions, some of which MT. Lawler said could be answered only by the State Depart ment after consultation with Mexico He frankly admitted the inconsistent cy of maintaining the fiction of navi- gability of the Colorado and refusing to make appropriations for control of the stream, but explained that the alleged navigability was a treaty pro- vision. Eventually, he believed, usage and common consent would make the river solely a source of supply for irrigation in both countries.
 Questions of land titles in the val ley were brought up, and MT. Lawler said he realized the importance to the settlers of getting their patents speed fly and would do everything he could to expedite settlement of title ques- tions in the Land Office. He invited all settlers having patents pending and encountering difficulties or delay to write to him at Washington, and he promised to give prompt personal attention to their cases
 After the meeting. Mir Lawlcr made an automobile trip through the Mes quite Lake district and the East side back to Calexico, and on Friday he returned to Los Angeles.