Imperial Valley press., 1924-11-28

pcctcu tHau measure Whlch seeks
to extend the municipal ownershi,
of power at the expense of private
power corporations, the letter argues
that the tendency in this country
is towards public ownership of pub
lie utilities, and it is nos to be eX
| pected that the president or any
other public authority will .gnore
. this demand and turn over one of
J the creates natural resources in
this country to private interests
without so arranging it that the
public organizations will at least
have an eveR chance.
Mr.. Fawcctt states that we can
get this project quickly the letter
goes on ''if we eliminate from our
Legislative program the reclama
tion feature Involved in the Ali
American Canal, but like all such
communications he gives US no
reason for such an assumption. No
reason has ever been called to the
attention of the. Irrigation District
that would tend to support such a
theory. The indications are, from
the evidence that has been pres mt
ed, that to eliminate this feature
is to completely kill the whole meas
ure, which we believe is the de-
sire of some CT the objeetors to the
bill. -
"You STATE tie letter concludes,
that the power provisions written
into the bill are socialistic to a
marked degree. We simply call your
attention to the wording of the
Federal Water Power Act of 19l8.
This bill follows almost the ;denti-
cal wording of the water power
act. The water power aus gives
preference rights to states and
| municipalities. This bill does the
same 'thing and that is all that can
be said of. There is Just one dis
tinction, under the Water Power
Act the grantee of permit would
be required to build his own storage
dam and al other facilities. This
has the effect to eliminate states
and municipalities. Now that the
government proposes to build the
dam it simply gives states and
private power companies in the first
instance, and the same preference
right that is granted under the
Federal Water Power Act.
Pow: Companies Object
''Of course the power companies
object to any Municipality interfer-
ing with their complete monopoly
of this gre&.est Of all public utili@
ties-eleetric power The only OBJ
lection we have heard to this fea
tare of the bill is from the private
power companies from which source
such objection is naturally to be
expected. The people of Imperial
Valley may not be directly interest
cd, bu. what we are attempting to
do is to get the United States gov
ernment to undertake this great
development and here is one of the
greatest natural resources in the
west which they have to deal with
and we do not believe that the
congress is going to deliberately
turn that over to one or more priv
ate corporations to obtain monopoly
on the one great remaining source \
of power for the development of the
of the southwest The 4
great majority of the people are
not going to expend money for the
benefit of a limited private inter
est. If the bill were amended so
ms to eliminate the states and muni-
cipalities undoubtedly it would i'm
mediately meet with a storm of
real opposition which would have |
the effect to promptly kill the bill. ,
"The board of directors of the !
district has not and does not be-
Iievc that it is within their power |
to formulate policy to bind this |
district 10 the buiiG:ng of the ALI !
American Canal without proper !
vote of thc people authorizing same.
"'The district has Offered to re- i
that provision be writ
-cn into the bill that will require j
/, majority of the property owners
% consent IN writing TO the build-
np of an All-American Canal be-
'ore the same can be authorized,
md we believe this to be eminent
Y fair and ample protection to the
assessment payers. To place it ON
|, matter of valuation is to place
he franchise upon basis of wealth
which is. entirely undemocratie and
IN. American in the first place, and
it is unfair to the prop
rty owners when il is recalled that
ONE Of the largest property own
rs IN the district are at the same
ime much more largely interested
n Mexico. They could afford to
-ote against their best interests
nd against the interests Of their