Paragould soliphone. (Paragould, Ark.) 1918-1950, 1921-06-08
SENATOR REED
READY TO AID
LAND SALVAGE
Missourian Writes A. Bertig
Regarding Recent Poplar
Bluff Meeting Govern
ment Report Necessary.
(From Tuesdays Daily Press)

(ErOm Tuesdays DAILY IreSS)
A. Bertig, who recently attended
a meeting of land owners and promi-
nent citizens at Poplar Bluff who
are interested in securing federal
aid for he overtlowed section OF
Northeastern Arkansas. involving
the st. Francis basin, has just re-
ceived letter from Senator James
A. Reed OF Missouri, stating that.
in his opinion, nothing further can
be done toward bringing the project
TO Il mead until a report now beiag
compiled by government engineers
with referncc to the St F'ran liz
river has been filed with the war
department. The Senator says that
he is cooperating with Senators
Caraway and Robinson of Arkansas
in the undertaking, and that I've is
earnestly striving to secure the aid
OF other government agencies He
is keenly alive to the needs OF The
landowners, and feels that because
of the fact that the Mississippi river
is the ultimate drainage 70" sur
plus waters OF about twenty nighi
states that the government should
shoulder Il large part of the expenses
for giving the protection required.
Mr.. Bertig was very much impressed
with Senator Reeds earnestness and
his direct, straightforward methods,
and feels that the land owners of
did ally in the Missouri Senator
In connection with Senator Reeds
letter to Mr.. Bertig. il might also
be mentioned that Attorney Virgil
Malkay of Knnett has been in cor
respondence with Henry Ford at
Detroit, relative to a plan the manu-
featuring wizard has in mind for
taking care of the Mississippi flood
doing things after other people have
said they can't be done. and he
emphacized this characteristic by
Harvesting the Rouge river in Mich
igan for distance of 23 miles, after
two of the largest engineering firms
in the world had failed adverse re-
ports with him. Mr.. MaKay, in
writing Mr. Bcrtig relative to the
Ford theory. enclosed the following
clipping
Ford Thinking of Harvesting the
Mississippi and Its Tributaries.
In an article of May 29th i'm the
Post Dispatch, an interview with
Henry Ford of Detroit, Mich, he
takes the position that the Missis-
sippi river and its tributaries can
be harnessed, and made useful
He takes as illustration that the
river Rouge, stream twentythreo
miles long, that runs through a
holding of eleven hundred acres that
he owns in Wayne county, Mich,
at Detroit He built nine DAMS
and installed Il turbine at each dam
He spcn $1.000,000 in this enter
prise which he says is an invest
ment that pays more than gold
mine Of the same value.
''lIe works from twenty to two
hundred men in each plant in a
manufacturing industry. He be-
licves il the Mississippi and it's
tributaries can be formed into we'll
behaved streams, that the thousands
OF acres reclaimed from inundation
would contribute in products an in
calculable addition to the wealth of
the Mississippi valley. He believes
that If the thousands of acres of
sWamps could be made to shed their
water that further great wealth
could be piled mp in the valley. He
believes if The Mississippi and its
tributaries could he transformed
from an uncertain, irresponsible
stream with inniimerable shifting
bars into fixed channel of even
depth that boats would navigate
more freely, and would carry forth
to the world products now impound-
ed on valley farms because of pro-
hibitive transportation costs.
''Ile believes that dams will res
form the Mississippi and its tribu-
taries as they did the Rouge.
"He believes that the further
dams are extended mp the tribu-
taries, and the tributaries of the
tributaries, the more absolute the
river will he in control. He believes
that as on the Rouge, hydro-elcc-
trio plants are installed beside these
DANES, that cheap water power
would be distributed over the valley
so evenly that the drift of popula.
tion toward the cities, now the seats
OF industry. would be checked
"TIe believes that this latter is
most desired of all the benefits, and