The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1918-03-12
STATE ENGINEER .A.
FRENCH WOULD ASK
GOVERNMENT HELP
For Comprehensive Plan to Dcvel.
OPP West as Future Home for
Repatriated Soldiers, Conven-
ton of Arid States Possible.

thc city today. almost direct fsnm
Washington. Tie spcut some time M the
national capital recently, IN the inter.
est of the Rio rGundc valley drninnpc
problem.
\ttcr repeated experiences with cab.
met officials aud bureau heads. aud
the consideration ut various ueW phuscs
oi domestic policy. brought about by
the cNIgcnyics of the present great war.
: French has returned to New Mexico
! with advanced. IL somewhat changed
views ut the procedure necessary To
mako permanent progress along right
iurs ~ the mnttrr of the drainage of
the Rio Graudc valley. and al other
lag irrigation and reclamation projects
"a Ncw Mexico aud the rutirc west.
The plan now formulating viii take
comprehensive coguizancc uf the inter.
dependence and mutual relations of all
the states in the arid region west Of the
one huudrcdth parallel of west longi
tude. The state engineer had read ~.
cry word of the plans set forth hy city
Engineer Hutchinson in yesterday :
Herald, and commended highly the 10.
cNl effort, but also recognized the
apathy at prominent citizens who ought
w. W RNNANA W. AhlNf WIN w lNt WNNT
important enterprises that can knock 90
the city : door.
After Fifteen years study of ,nudi.
iious IN New McN.co and the west. Eu.
giuccr French has finally rccast his opiu.
ION as To- the correct method % prucc.
duir, Ia order 90 finally reach the de-.
sired go"l ot adequate drainage and
reclamation, for this and other states in
the west, south and southwest.
Il IS his opinion that local pcoul,
have not given these matters sufficient
consideration to properly inform them.
selves ot the immense scope aud future
importance of drainage problems in tho
Rio Grundc valley aud clscw here IN the
state.
For instance. ne cites thpt the guam.
tity of water which annually flows down
the Rio GIunde is II wal factor. Thu,
must be conserved, SO that II will rem.
der Il maximum service IN the reclaim
ton work; aud 10 prevent. a. well. cN.
ccsslNr irrigation. which Is not only in.
! furious 10 crops, but will finally so wu.
tcrlug the land that IL brrpmc, pructic
ally worthless,
Up in the edge of Colorado the Nnu
Luis valley, r%crcutly considered am IDEAL
area for alfalfa and potatoes. has be.
come wnterloggcl. from excessive irri.
cation and must be- drained. ~ calum.
ity will come ~ those farmers. There
are 100000 ucrcs ut this land up there.
In the Rio Grnudy valley. largely trib-
utary % Albuquerque, there ARE posi-
bly, @5O.00n acres which may Toe made
: productive bv drainage aud u comprc.
hcnsiNc system of irrigation. IN the
vicinity of Roswell and az other south.
cru points they urc. OF course. concerned
about the economic use OF this water.
so 40 10 enable them 10 rely upon their
annual supply. This may partially Illus
trutc the idea of mutual intcrdcpcnd
encc and q common interest.
After fifteen wears Of observation az
close personal range, and IN view of con.
ditions brought about BY the war. and
after various conferences with Wash.
ington officials on his last trip. he has
rcrHsi his former views ON this matter.
The problem is a ynst one II has local
phases IN every state west of the Mis-.
sour river. II has expanded 81 now.
that " becomes o national problem.
some method must be- adopted, big
enough and comprehensive enough. to
PUT the west IN line with it, grrnt ag
riculturnl possibilities So ~ 20 offer
some relief to our returned and re-. pn
triatcd soldier, when the war ends, The
old homestead law was n vent and re-.
lief 10 our returned soldiers NJ the close
az the civil war, hut they wcrr a nero
handful compared To- the number who
viii need uu opportunity aud an open
door of hope when this unprecedented
world conflict comes finally ~ au end.
The great west ~ the natural. and
about the ouly place for ~ least half of
our returned soldiers ~ begin civil life
anew. so the idea has grown until ~.
hyinls NJ Washington are sitting up aud
taking notice. II Is ~ once an cruuom.
ic and patriotic move. Something must
bc done. II should be- lone right. Moth
ing Is ever permanently settled until IL
IL settled right.
To Call a Convention.
state Engineer French mud.stly adj.
mittrd that II is true b. has already
asked Governor Lindsey To- cull q ron
v%rutiou oi representatives cot al the
states for The immediate future. Hc has
rut vet learned whether ,hr governor
has made up his mind 20 do .u. ~ this
meeting these great problems would be
discussed hy uformul speakers. and o.
plut might evolve which later would
take the form ut % hin iu congress.
looking 60 @ final. permanent solution.
There ls already o. robust sentiment
throughout m, west that the federal
government ought Goo rrliuguish al fed
"rnl lands aud the Public domain 60 th,
respective ARID states. \ set price for
these lands, which might vary With their
location and dcsirahility, could br faxed.