The Lamar register., 1921-07-13
RECLAMATION WORK
BEING PLANNED
County Commissioners, State and Gov.
ernmeni Officials Join in Meet
ing to Discuss Means of Re-
pairing Flood Damage.


was held at Pueblo last Saturday to
discuss with state and government of
ficials and engineers matters growing
out of the flood conditions in the val
ley. Chairman H. F. Decker and Com
missioner Ray McGrath represented
Prowers county.
Senator Phirps, who has been visit
ing the valley To acquaint himself with
flood conditions, was present and ad
dressed the meeting pledging his
HEARTY support in getting government
aid for plans of reclamation work that
may be deemed best by the engineers
ard interested citizens.
Engineer A. +. Morgan of Dayton.
Ohio, who had charge of reconstruc
ton work after the great floods that
almost destroyed that city and sur
rounding territory few years ago,
has been accompanying Senator Phipps
in some of his visits and also gave the
meeting the benefit cf his observation
and experience. He says that Pueblo's
situation can be made safe in various
ways, but he especially advocates a
vast retention reservoir with widen
ing Of the bed of the river. The res
ervoir can also be utilized for 4 re-
clamation project and the impounded
water thus used for beneficial purpos-
es.
| Probably the matter most import
ant to our people if that of repairing
the damage TO the bitches and dams
without forcing a heavy assessment
against the water right holders in this
time of stringency in the money mar
ket. The following taken from the
Pueblo Sear Journal will be of special
interest therefore:
"Miles G. Saunders, member of the
committee named to confer with of
f;cials of the Federal Farm Loan
Bank with a view of obtaining aid
from that source. in his address to
TIE county commissioners. told of
what had been done and read from
letters from the head of the bank,
outlining a plan through which re
lief the bank is ready to extend can
be obtained
Briefly the plan is for the presi-
dent of the Arkansas Valley Ditch As
sociation TO call meeting Of the
heads of Ill irrigation projects on the
Arkansas river in Colorado. President
Lasater of the Wichita Farm Loan
Bank of this district will attend the
meeting. The irrigation companies
must brine to the meeting accurate
data on the losses they have suffered
and the money they will want to bor-
row to repair the damages.
President Lasater will be ready to
finance an appreciable portion of the
total needed and possibly all of it.
! The money will come as loan to the
irrigation projects at low rate Of in
terest. In this way the farmers will
be aided as the irrigation companies
will not have TO levy at this time
heavy assessment to pay for their re-
pairs. The speaker also explained
that the large financial support from
the Farm Loan bank will relieve the
need of local banks from financing
this portion of flood reconstruction
and will release money to the banks
for other uses.
Saunders explained that the matter
of financially aiding individual farm
ers who had suffered flood losses was
found to be impracticable for the
Farm Loan bank. He urged the coun-
ty commissioners to take up with the
ditch companies the Importance of
being represented at the meeting
which will be called at an early date,
TO be announced by the president of
the association. He quoted from let
ters from the bank officials to the eff
feet that it would be better for the
ditch companies to act in a concerted
manner in the matter rather than for
each company to take separately its
request for loan"
/ Engineer Blauvelt and others con-
nected with the highway commission
addressed the meeting on the means
of repairing the damage to the bridges
and roads and promised the fullest aid