The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-02-09

Arizona. The money was expended
and the protective works erected. bu
the disturbances in Mexico so delayed
the work and the floods in the Colora.
do river were so extensive that par,
OF the works have been carried away.
and the need for further action and ex
penditure OF money exists. | do not
make n definite recommendation at
present, for the reason that the plan to
be adopted for the bettcrment OF con
ditions near the mouth Of the ColOraG
river proves to be so dependent on
free and full agreement between the
government of Mexico and the govern.
nent of the United States as to join
expenditure and joint use that It is un-
wise to move until we can obtain so-.V
agreement with that government which
will enable us to submit to congress q
larger plan better adapted to the cXi.
gencies presented than the one adopt-
ed. 1t is essential that we act promp:-
ly, and through the state departmCn,
the matter is being pressed upon the
attention of the Mexican government.
Meantime a report Of the engineer IN
charge. together with a subsequent re.
port upon his work by body of cy-
perts appointed by the secretary of the
interior. together with an offer by the
Southern Pacific railroad to do the
work at certain price with a guaran-
ty for n year, and a comment upon
this offer by Brigadier General Mar
shall, late chief OF engineers, United
States army, and now consulting en-
gineer of the reclamation service, are
all herewith transmitted.
Water Power Sites.
In previous communications to con
gress have pointed out two methods
by which the water power sites on
nonnavigable streams may be con
Lroled as between the state and the
national government. 1t has seemed
wise that the control should be con
| centrated in one government or the
other as the active participant in Sll-
pervising its use by private enterprise
In most cases where the government
owns what are called water power
sites along nonnavigable streams,
]
which the power in the stream Cannot
be used, we have a situation as t.
/ ownership that may be described GS
| follows: The federal government has
! land without which the power in the
stream cannot be transmitted into cleo
| tricity and applied at distance, while
/ it is claimed that the state under the
] lD NV nf tnf. ~ t, in -
| Of our western states controls the use
/ of the water and gives the beneficial
/ use to the first and continuous user.
In order to secure proper care by the
state governments over these source;
of power it has been proposed that the
government shall deed the water pow
er site to the state on condition that
the site and all the plant upon it shall
revert to the government unless tie
state parts with the site only by Il
lease. the terms of which it enforceS
and which requires a revaluation of
the rental every ten years, the full
term to last not more than fifty years
A failure of the state to make and en-
force such leases would enable the
:
to recover the power sites and all
plants that might be erected thereon
] and this power of penalizing those who
succeed to the control would furnish n
motive to compel the observance of the
policy of the government.
The secretary of the interior has sug
geSted another method by which the
81 no 4
rectly by the government to those who
exercise a public franchise under pro
visions imposing a rental for the wa
ter power to create a fund to be eI
pended by the general government fOl
the improvement of the stream and the
benefit of the local community where
the power site is. and permitting the
state to regulate the rates at which
the converted power is sold. The lat
ter method suggested by the secretary
is a more direct method for federal
control. and in view of the probable
union and systematic organization anG
welding together of the power derived
from water within a radius Of 800 o.
400 miles, | think it better that III,
i power VI NOllllbl SIOulu Icllldlu III lLlt
national government than that it
should be turned over to the states
Under such a system the federal gov
ernment would have such direct super
vision OF the whole matter that any
honest administration could easily pre-
vent the abuses which monopoly ot
absolute ownership in private person,
or companies would make possible.
Bureau of National Parks.
l earnestly recommend the establish
ment of a bureau OF national parks
Such legislation is essential to the prop
er management Of those wOndrous
manifestations Of nature, so startling
and so beautiful that every one recoG
nizes the obligations of the governmen
to preserve them for the edification anC
recreation of the people. The Yellow
stone park, the Yosemite, the Gran,
canyon Of the Colorado, the Glacie
National park and the Mount Rainie
National park and others furnish ap
DFObrinta instances In only one cas-,