American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1922-04-07
RESERVOIR MUST
Be BUILT NOW DR.
BE FORGOTTEN
FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY FL
NANCE PROJECT WHILE GOV
ERNMENT is WILLING WILL
LEAVE PROBLEM TO NEXT GEN
GRAFTON SAYS FLENNER.
PRODUCTIVE INVESTMENT
Foundation Work Progressing Rapidly
But, Necessary Details Require
Time-Must Prove Our Organizing
Ability or Gait


Ability or Gait
Pocatello Idaho, April 4.-The re-
gular meeting of the Pocatello Cham
Der of Commerce was given over to
the American Falls project with the
largest attendance in months.
Guy Flenner, Managing Director of
the Idaho Reclamation Association,
which is putting on the campaign to
finance the great undertaking present
ed a review of the conditions that had
led the government to cease activities
at American Falls, AMI that had deter
mined dt to abandon the mammouth
storage enterprise unless the compan-
les and districts that had contracted to
pay their share on participation
basis made good, or substitute acre
footage were contracted for and paid
for
Everything Stalled.
These canal companies and dis
tricts found they could not pay the
amounts they had agreed to out of
their pockets" said Mr.. F1enner
'They found they could not sell canal
securities and get the money that way
The whole thing was stalled until this
PApAA lOA a W lIuduC6 lu6
whole thing, was devised.
eff we can put this across the Amer
ican Falls project will be completed.
If we cannot the project will be aban-
doned and ii will not be revived dur
ing the lives of men and women of the
middle generation of today.
Easy for IL to Leave.
I'VE have made it easy for the gov
ernment to get out; other places such
as the Colorado river project are maxi
ing 1t easy for it to come in"
Mr.. Flenner said objections to bond
ing were rapidly vanishing as 1t be-
came known that this was not luxury
bond but a productive Investment
something that would create new
wealth and help take care of taxes and
the old accumulation of bills.
He expressed confidence that the
farmers of Snake River valley would
help themselves, the valley, and all
south Idaho by organizing this dis
trict and putting the great storage pro-
ject over.
Anyway" he added, at is up to
them in the final analysis"
Foundation Work.
The speaker told of the satisfactory
progress of the campaign, which had
been necessarily slow and laborious,
involving field work, office work, pub
licity in most every form, engineering
etc. Everything had to be started from
the grass roots, he stated. There was
no foundation previously laid as to
this particular problem.
He said 1t was expected the petition,
containing a description of every in
dividual piece of property in the pro-
posed district, would be ready for cir
culation this week.
Laws Delays.
After ii has been signed up and filed
the laws delays would intervene, and
he did not expect the first election, to
decide whether or not the district
would be formed, would be held until
some time In June. II the district is
formed, subsequent election would
be held on the question of bonds.
Meantime, if the people show an inter
est and good faith the government
would give us reasonable time, but IL
we show lack of concern the project
would be lost to us so soon as the
government sensed our indifference.
Independent Districts.
The speaker explained that some of
the contracting territory was repre-
sented by irrigation districts already
organized and in the cases of some
companies the desire had been express
sed to organize as such and finance
themselves.
"We have no choice" the speaker
went on, and our only hope is that
any organizing independently do so in
harmony with the progress OF the
greater development so they will not
be shut out by the limitations the
government must necessarily impose.
We also want such districts to be
sure they can finance themselves. We
want every section in that needs this
water, and they can get in any old way
that will satisfy the government as to
payments. That positively must be
done.
Some companies that have contem-
plated organizing independent dis
trfcts have abandond the plan and de-
cided to join the big district in the in
terest of time, assurance as to finan-
cling, and economy.
Separate organization is duplica-
tion of effort. Those joining In the
big district are put to no expense for
engineering, preparation OF petitions,
which contain separate descriptions of
each piece of property to be included
10 pages of the ordinary newspaper in
fine type, so far), preparation Of maps,
and legal services. This is taken care
of out of funds provided by county ap-
preparations. That expense will be
paid first and the rest Of the campaign
will await further assistance.
Moreover, the big district is, and
of necessity must continue to be, pure
ly financing district, having nothing
to do with the operation of systems.
(Continued on page a