Imperial Valley press., 1916-05-03

The authority given to Mr.. Rock
wood to make survey for canal by
way of Laguna dam is useless and
oXtravagant waste of money in so far
as it would embody report upon the
feasibility of an al-American route.
Mr.. lockwood is already committed
On that subject The board of direc-
tors is committed on it, and, more
than all else, NJ W. Conkling is COM
mitted. For some reason, to which he,
the board of directors and the engi
neer of the district make every other
interest of the district subservient, is
their firm and fixed determination to
conduct all of the waters which flow
into this valley through the Republic
of Mexico. 1t is a foregone conclu
sion that any report made by Mr.. Rock
wood will condemn an all-American
route and approve as feasible only one
through Mexico.
Now it is a matter of vital impor-
tance to every citizen of this valley to
know definitely and once for all if it
is feasible and possible to construct
canal through the sandhills upon
American soil. This issue should over
shadow every other, national and To-
CAL in the mind of every citizen OF
this valley, and inasmuch as it will be
| impossible to obtain. in the present
frame of mind of the directors and Of
ficials of the district a bona fide and
convincing report upon that subject,
it is hereby suggested that if the dis
trict is to eXpend money upon such a
survey that it will he the part OF wis
/ dom to have the survey made by an
engineer unbiased by the political lean
ings of the board and unprejudiced by
his own previous statements and re-
ports on the subject. 1t is suggested
that the War Department or the Rec
'amation Service be requested to de-
zach an engineer to make that survey,
even if it involves an additional ex-
! pense.
/ The superior advantages of an all
American route are incalcula bic, and
between that and a canal through Mex
leo there is no comparison, even if
the initial cost be much greater for
the American route. Suppose that a
canal through Mexico can be construct
60 to convey into the Imperial Valley
5000 cubic feet of water per second
sufficient to irrigate the lands in the
imperial Valley-and that that canal
can be constructed at a cost of $3,-
100000. Under the present contract
ard the contract urder which it would
necessarily have to be constructed, does
that mean that the Imperial Irrigation
District, at an expenditure of So ,00O,-
600, has constructed a canal to carry
sufficient water to irrigate the lands
/ Ci the district? 1t does not. 1t means
that the Imperial Irrigation District
has constructed a canal sufficient to
llrlgate one-half of the lands of the
valley, and that the district has con-
Structed for the lands lying in Mexico
a canal system at no cost to those
lands, sufficient to irrigate an amount
Ct land equal to the area in the I'M
perial Irrigation District. In order
TO construct a canal system through
Mexico sufficient to irrigate the val
ley and provide for its future needs,
the district must build a canal sys-
tenn Of twice the capacity needed to
irrigate the district lands, and that
system, after BEING constructed, would
always be subject to the first de
niands Of the lands in Mexico. During
temporary shortage Of water the
Mexican lands would be watered full
", while the district lands went dry.
Further than that, so long as that sys-
tenn existed it would be subject to the
grating control of the most mercen-
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