Imperial Valley press., 1918-12-17
DISCUSSION
On ALL-AMER.
REPORT
EXPECTEDSAT.
Report of Engineers Will
Be Chief Point for Con-
sideratiOn at Next Meet
of Project Supporters.


When the newly formed Water Us
ers' Protective League meets next
Saturday morning at the Tulane the
atre to ratify the preliminary organ-
ization, the principal discussion will
center around the All-American ca
nal report, published first in yester-
days Press.
AS this organization membership
is composed solely of All-American
canal supporters, the action or discus
sion at the meeting will have an i'm
portant bearing on the future policy
with respect to this much-discussed
project.
Resolutions adopted at the first
meeting of the association follow:
Whereas, the long period of un-
certainty in which the farmers of
Imperial Valley have cultivated crops
with no assurance at seed time of
abundance Of water to mature crop
has become unbearable; therefore we,
farmers and other citizens of Impe-
rial Valley, in conference assembled,
do
"Resolve, That the first and i'm
perative requirement of the Valley Is
a program of construction to provide
irrigation works that will be perma-
nent and dependable, and we know of
no plan of procedure that promises
relief except the building of canal
wholly on American soil from La
guam dam to the Valley, in accord
ance witwh the contract which Secre-
tary of the Interior Franklin K.
Lane and the officers of the Imper-
ial Irrigation District have already
signed and which awaits ratification.
In working out this program, it is
further
"Resolved, That the first necessary
step in the ratification of the con-
tract, which should receive the most
earnest support of every citizen of
the Valley. whether the canal is even
tually to be built by the District it
self or by the government; and be it
further
"Resolved, That while we recognize
the necessity of doing makeshift work
in Mexico pending the building of the
American canal. the time has come
for heartbreaking extravaganza to
end, and to apply, common business
economy and business methods to the
affairs of the Irrigation District.
"Resolved, What while we believe
in the development of the resources
of our Valley and our country to the
maximum, we are not antagOnistic
to the development of land, in the
Colorado River delta in Mexico, but
we believe the Mexican and American
systems should be completely di-
vorced, that the American lands
should have the first claim on water
that falls in our country and that
Mexican lands should only be served
when they have borne the csot of
construction of the impounding, di-
version and distribution works to be
used by them.
"Resolved, THAT we believe in the
unity of Imperial Valley as an irri-
cation project and would enlarge the
scope Of our works to the utmost con-
sistent with the protection Of water
rights already established.
"Resolved, That the control of the
Colorado river should not devolve on
the people of this Valley, but the
burden should be assumed. by the two
governments having jurisdiction, and
every effort should be made to in
duce those governments to relieve us
of the burdensome necessity that at
present exists.
"Resolved, That we favor the uni
fication of all irrigation works on the
| Colorado river under a broad plan
that will promote the welfare of the
| 10 Ay,ooo,rnIf.Gc
"Resolved, That we call on the
Board of Directors of the Irrigation
District to at once submit to the
voters the question Of ratifying the
contract between the District and the
| government; and
"Whereas. for about two years last
past, the Imperial Irrigation District
has been operating under the man.
agement of a chief engineer and a
board of consulting engineers, result
ing in the expenditure of vast sums
of money; and
"Whereas, for a portion of said
period the method of employing the
general manager was attempted, but
because of conflict of authority be-
tween said general manager and the
chief engineer, it was deemed advis-
able to dispense with the services OF
the general manager and place the
chief engineer in complete control
and
"Whereas, it appears to have beer
demonstrated that this course was 8
mistake; now. therefore, be it
"Resolved, That it is the sense OF
this meeting that the Board of Di.
rectors of the Imperial Irrigation