The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-03
LEVIATHAN POLICIES
 ASSAILED BY FLETCHER
Declares Contract Granted To Gibbs
 Brothers Was "Crime"

Leviathan at the government pier at
 Hobolten, would prevent profitable
 government operation of the liner. He l asserted that the course followed by
 the board clearly indicated that it has no desire to make government l operation success.
 Shipping board officials said the | appointment of Gibbs Brothers as supervisory agents" extends only for the first two trips of the liner As explained by board officials the United States Lines continue IS op- orators of the liner except for this brief period. The board wanted the benefit of the experience of the Gibbs firm, 1t was asserted. since there is no official either of the board, the Emergency Fleet corpo- ration. or the operating company, who has had such experience with any vessel near the size of the Leviathan. Gibbs Brothers, officials declared, was for years active in such super visory capacity for the International Mercantile Marines biggest ships.
 homes and of the freest opportunity for the establishment of the families possessing independent means of livelihood. It is recognized that the very different conditions of the plains and mountain areas compel many notifications of the policies | that have served so well in other parts of the country. These modifi- cations are being wrought out grad ually, with a view to promoting here that wide diversification of indus tries and occupations which Is in- vited by your variety of resources, and which Is the ideal state of a mod ern society. It is not desirable that the west should fall into the hands of bonanza corporations seeking to exploit it for the profit of stock holders who live somewhere else. But on the other hand, it is worth while to emphasize that many of the most valued resources of the west are of such character, and their develop ment must be on such a scale, that they can only be made available un- der concentrated management and by the use of capital in large units. We must enforce measures which will give capital and management attrac- tive returns, but which will always keep in sight the primary purpose of dealing out justice, even-handed op- portunity and an absolutely fair in- terest In the product of human in- hustry, effort and intelligence. o O 0
 Speaks Of Water Power.
 T spoke moment ago of the fact that as a rule the utilization of na- lures resources commonly results in their increase rather than their dimi- | mutton. That is peculiarly true of one especially valuable resource of your mountain west: mean your water
 The flow of a great river that runs away to the sea without being utilized for power or for irrigation is wasted forever. To prevent it's de- velopment is not to save 1t for the benefit of a distant future. If it Is to be of service tomorrow, 1t must be harnessed today.
 Our whole view of the relation of water to western development has changed much in the last generation. l Only a few years since these waters l were looked upon as potentially use ful merely for irregulation and agri- culture. We entered upon a great program of irrigation enterprise in that era when we had as yet but a vague notion about the dual purpose that yourN water resources ought to serve. But now we know that the same water can in most cases be util- ized both for power and irrigation. Thus the great power development will mark the sites of industrial cen- ters, adjacent to which will grow up rich areas of intensive agricultural production. The industrial popula- tions will provide markets, without impossible transportation expendi- ture, for the products of the soil and In turn the people on the soil will afford markets for the products Ol
 Transportation Cheapened.
 Transportation will be Increased and cheapened through electrifica- ton of the railways, and in the light of what we now know about all aspects of this subject, we may con fidently look forward to a genera tion in which these young and vigor- ous commonwealths of the west will boast as great population as the entire population numbers today capable of living fo- the greater part within itself. representing the widest variety of occupations and interests, and having it's problem of transportation largely solved for it because it will be so nearly self sufficient and self-contained.
 Tt is doubtful If there is in the world such region of varied op- portunities and universal wealth as tfis mountain empire of yours. Your country presents it's invitation and It's opportunity to whoever is capable being; to science, to industry, to the masters of metallurgy, of the electrical arts, of agriculture.
 Western people have had reasons to complain that there is not always sympathetic or understanding at titude In some other parts of the country toward the irrigation devel- opment that the west must have. You people of the inland empire might well remind your critics that during the uncounted centuries, when the greatest civilizations had their seat on the Euphrates and the Nile, they were nurtured by an agri- culture which depended on irr1ga- tion; on conserving and utilizing the waters of d few great streams. Our irrigation program is after all only proposal to repeat on the scale of modern engineering operations the works by which primitive man learned to subjugate the earth and make it serve the needs of devel oping social order.
 No Slavery To Re shown.
 Not once. but hundred times over, will we produce here in the plains and mountains and valleys of cur west the wealth and productiv- ity which enabled the Pharoahs to build monuments for the wonder of all times. But the monuments to our achievement will bear inscriptions telling, not of the slavery and suf- ferinG of generations which gave their lives to perpetuate the glory of a tyrant. Our inscriptions will tell Of great, free states made up of contented, cultured and Christian homes.
 T am sure you are interested in what the Federal government can do to help solve the problems on which your future so largely depends. As we have gone onward in reclama ton, there has been impatience that We could not proceed faster. There have been disappointments in the progress of work involving intricate and diversified engineering and hesi. tant financing, but 1 have been hcartcned by the convincing eVi- l