The Coconino sun., 1922-04-14
GREED WILL PUT OFF
 COLORADO RIVER PRO- !. JECT MANY YEARS

After trip made through the southwest, made to preside at Colo- rado river project hearings, Secretary of Commerce Hoover has returned to Washington with no tangible pro- gram. He could not frame one that would give satisfaction. No one can. He listened to great deal of selfish talk and scanned proposals neither he nor any other fair-minded man could entertain.
 Southern California wants to gain rights to all power it ever will need, just because it would mean unlimited development of that section of the country; Nevada is anxious to get everything possible, for it needs lots more than any other state in the union; New Mexico, while not very clamorous, would like to have more from the Canyons resources than any other state; Arizona, with all of the Canyon within its boundaries and the great river flowing by it's side for many weary miles, feels it should have first consideration; while Colo rado, whose land cannot be benefited by Canyon reservoirs unless water is made to run uphill, wants 60 per cent of everything that can be wrung out of tn, big river, just be- cause the melting snows of that states mountains help swell the vol ume of the unharressed stream. Per- haps it is the most hopeless maze of disagreement a clutter of states ever presented to the nation.
 Of all the claims, Colorado's seems the most unreasonable. Even if the snows of it's hills do feed the river and supply 60 per cent of its water the ground is not well taken. It might be just as fair for the areas which give the snow to Colorado to demand the major portion of benefits, and that would put the ownership of rights within reach of states to the north and Canada. It will be remem- bered that, when the Elephant Butte project was under consideration, Colo rado was obstructive and selfish, and tried to prevent the construction of the dam in Southern New Mexico be- cause the Rio Grande was fed by its watersheds.
 However, commissions and boards and various organizations, will not de- termine the construction of the Can yon projects nor the distribution of the benefits. The authority rests with congress, and, from the slow manner in which the less important Muscle Shoals property has been handled, one may assume congress will not reach a conclusion very soon. The bulk of congressional membership is from the eastern states, and those members will hesitate before appropriating the large sums necessary for the proper development of the Colorado's vast re- sources.
 Just why there is such widespread sentiment in the southwest for the government to carry the Canyon pro- jects to completion is not clear, unless those favoring such a course have not taken into consideration the long de- lay it means. The Southern Califor- mia Edison company has estimated it will cost close to $800,000,000 to car ry forward the plans it has made to develop the river in the Grand Can yon. At present, and probably for a decade, it will be very difficult to get congress to even think of setting aside that amount for improvements in the west.
 The surest and quickest way to ob- tain results appears to be to let pri- vate capital harness the river The people would be protected, for the fed a,o1 anI tofn onfc 1rn,,Il ra quire safeguards. The public would lose nothing under such an arrange ment, and there is no doubt that pri- vate capital, if enough could be pro- cured, would bring to a realization the cherished dream much sooner than the government will do it. - Prescott Courier.
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