The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1919-03-17
HAGERMAN SAYS IT'S TIME TO
ACT UNITEDLY IF DRAINAGE OF
RIO GRANDE VALLEY is TO WIN
Member of Rio Crande Drainage Commission
Points Out That Reclamation Service Has No
Elaborate Plans for Spending Money in New
Mexico and That If We Want This Valley Drain
ed We Must Get Our Forces Together and Go
After II.

mcnt ava. n u quite possible that
more than a million Of the hundred
million dollars whcr u h n~pprupnnf-
ed might be apportioned 20 New
Mexico NJ tho people OF The state ARE
prepared % shot the federal author
titles hat the objects contemplated
hy the hifi ran he more quickly and
efficiently accomplished thcrc than
elsewhere. hut other states are al
niratlonn and the states will get the
benefit Who are tho best pee
pared 70 demonstrate how the gov
ernment can set quick results.
The governments first r0uaidsrn-
lion IN New Mexico lr the protection
% ifs firhta w. tho no Grande waters
IN connection with the Elephant
Butte project NJ ! was reminded ~
Mr. Walter. IND in order 10 asret-
tain TIE ~ conditions In thi. re-
arcrt and. in order 10 iry 20 deter
mine ~ possible. iuaf how far the
government would be Justified. In tho
future. IN aidinn drainage projects
above the Elephant Butte dem. tho
reclamation service w. nov carrying
,on. under the churre 81 NJ Conrkin.
one Of ~ engineers. 70 comprehensive
reconnaissance Of tho whole valley
from Colorado south. The idea Ia %
ny 10 find out 10 what extent waters
taken OF of the uVer ln new irriEu.
ZION projects properly drained. or Boz
old ~ Stems reconstructed under ado
quhte dralnaec arrangements Woulf
FIND their way back 10 the uyrr aud
into mo Elephant nutte reservoir
whether iu other words, and to what
extent tho government would hr lua-
ufcd. w ease ~ vas called upon 20
40 80. In emhnrkinr on extensive op.
erafions in cooperation with the state
between Hti naiiin aud 90 gnrciui
y said To- NJ Walter that tho water
rights existing in the river before Tho
government project was i-nnuFuratei
could not enter into such ronsideru-
ton hat tho idea he conveyed 20 mo
IN rcrard 10 them was that they are
- illN defined. ~ uncertain. no con
tinr.nt upon floods etc. in many
cases hat " h. hard 20 idcnufy them.
o. u were.
1t nppsars pretty certain TO M,
that. even VI mo hlli does pass. tho
reclamation service. under n. will
probably direct ~ first energies tog
arts the completion Of thc drainage
works under the ELEPHANT Butte sys-
ten, that o. towarda protecting aud
h~uttrfsuing up That federal project
They have already. aa ! gathered.
spent there about g5nn.U on Cor oNpcci
90 spend that muchl and unless tho
people On othrr diatrlcts tsuch 40 The
AlhuqueTquoed iHurft erc thorough,
prepared 20 present o. fairly complete
ana practicable pfnn of operation an.
der the district drainage law O. dof-
initr and business Ike program. free
from kirkorH knockers tltls Comun-
cntlons o. all The rest OF Do. ! think
"a quite likely that Ntw Meslco'H
ahuTe ~ benefit undrr the soldier
settlement plan might be- confined tn
the district Under thr Elephant Uuffe
project W. nll know that ul these
reclamation projects. irrigation aud
drainage projects both. under govern
mont direction arc pretty expensive
and that one 90 two million dullufa bel
pretty quickly eaten up.
y think thors fore. that th0rn who
lake time hN D. forolock and prepare
now 90 show tho government why
some particular district of the upper
valley should o. entitled to the first
aid under tho proposed hili. are The
oncs who are likely % Ent tho nfsi
henrinF and tho first consideration.
There II % ruing 90 be- enough mon.
eN 10 take are Of everybody, mi Oh
! think t1nt the government will de.
eide hat there VIII be enough water