Imperial Valley press., 1920-01-08
NEW SECTION
DEALS WITH
MEXICAN
LANDS
Drastic Provisions Inserted
at Request of Secretary
Lansing; Board to Meet
This Afternoon to Con-
slider Amended Bill.

The district board late this af.
t.fnOOn approved the new section
asserted i'm the bill yesterday by the
state department. A telegram to
this effect viii! be wired Washing
ton.
With the approval Of the state
department, something which has
not been had before, House ResOlu-
tiOn No. .553, the new number for
! the kettner Bill, was today before
the house Of representatives for
consideration.
Included in the bill as it is now is a
new section, Section 16 which deals
with the Mexican lands situation and
which was inserted at the request of
the state department. The section con-
tains many drastic clauses and it was
said this morning could suit the Valley
no better if it had been written by a
Valley man himself Mexican lands
are given no legal right to any water
in the Colorado and the section author
ICES the secretary merely to dispose of
any surplus which may accumulate to
them after several provisions have been
complied with.
The Valley committee took the atti-
tude that they would rather include
the provision in the bill and await APP
proval of their action from the Valley
than have the provision come up on the
floor in the form of an amendment to
be inserted later.
The drawing up of the section follow
ed several conferences with members
of the state department
Section 16 is as follows.
SEC. Is. For irrigation of lands in
the republic of Mexico the secretary of
the interiod is hereby authorized and
empowered to dispose of any waters
which are or may become available
under the terms of this act and not
now or in the future necessary for ir-
rigation lands lying within the United
States on such terms as said secretary
may prescribe without incurring any OBJ
legation for delivery on any specific
quantity of water at any future time.
conditioned upon the right being given
to the United States or it's citizens TO
maintain protective levees in Mexico
Jointly with the government of Mexico
or property owners therein, and in the
event any stored water shall be so dis
posed OF there shall be paid to the
government of the United States upon
such terms and in such installments as
the said secretary may prescribe such
proportion of the cost of the works
provided by this act and such other
sums as the secretary of the interior
after public hearing at which all in
terested parties may appear and be
heard, may determine to be fair and
and reasonable and the monies so re-
ceived shall be credited respectively to
the districts and other legal organiza.
tfons contributing to the cost OF the
works herein provided for in the proper.
tions to be determined by said secre-
tary."
Another new section which is expect
ed to meet the approval of the Yuma
people and secure their support for
the bill is section 49, which has been
added.
This section provides that all money
paid by the district for the right to con-
meet with Iaguna Dam, 81 800 900 be
pro-rated on the lands in Yuma valley,
thus making the cost that much less 10
the ranchers. This was agreeable to the
committee and will meet with no op-
position in the Valley and at the same
time will secure the support OF Yuma,
it is believed.
Secretary Mclver at the irrigation
district received several telegrarns this
morning from the committee all OF
which dealt with the different provis,
ions.
A number of minor provisions have
been made In various sections of the
bill and these were all wired 10 the dis.
trict