Imperial Valley press., 1925-03-20

! claim by Mexico that its continued
use in that country should be re-
cognized by treaty. Where water
i is once used on land, il is almost
impossible to take it away.
! Cites Dr.. Mead
The All-Amcrican canal will apply
a substantial amount of the con
iscrvod and augmented flow Of the
lrjvcr to the irrigation Of lands in
! the United States. As to the bal
auec OF the increased flow, it will
place the United States in I Stra,e-
! gle position to SO control its use
i that it viii not be applied in McNi-
co in : manner which may or is
likely in future years 10 prove pre-
] .iudical TO full development in this
( country.
/ Or. Elwood Mead, head Of the [.
! s. Reclamation Service, when tes-
;ifyiug in favor of the Boulder
t Canyon project before the Senate
/ Committee ON January % of this
wear, expressed the situation very
clearly : follows;
"'What l mean to say IS that If
We build this regulating structure
(Bouldcr DAM this reservoir. and
do not provide an All-Ameriean ca
nal. we are offering a direct
incentive TO development south of
the border, and we are building up
there, on the basis Of that develop
ment and our acquiesance in it
benefits that Mexico can rightly
claim they get through the opera
ton of the (present) canal
To speak of "Mexico acquiring
rights or advantages in the Colorado
is somewhat misleading. The lands
in Mexico to which these rights
would attach are not owned by the
Mexican government or by Mexican
citizens. They are owned almost
entirely by American capitalists
(eithcr directly or through stock
ownership in 4 Mexican corporation)
mostly residents of Southern Cali.
fornia, and powerful in the business
and political life of this section.
Their holdings below the border
comprise some 100000 acres of land,
but less than 100000 acres of which
are now irrigated. If the 100000
unirrigated acres can acquire
right TO use the conserved flow of
the Colorado. they will become cX-
tremely valuable Storage dams at
Boulder CANYON or elsewhere, but
with the All-American canal elimi-
mated viii tend surely towards this
end.
Il IS from this source that most
Of the opposition TO an All-Ameri-
can canal comes. Naturally the eX-
pressed grounds Of opposition are
seldom the real grounds.
Wig the ranchers in Imperial
Valley desire an AlI-American ca
nal is a loag storv-too long 10 full
II recount in this limited space. L
involves the deep rooted feeling
that existing conditions favor de-
velopment in Mexico n the expense
of development in the United States
and that Mexican lands 10 not bear
their proper and just share Of the
cost Of the canal and protection
works maintained bv the Irrigation
District. This IS aggravated by
countless difficulties necessarily
present in operating extensive
work in foreign country. insecuri-
" Of water supply. cutoms diff
lul:ies, difficulties in exchange, ab-
sence Of sanitary control OF the sole
source Of water. and 4 whole cata-
logue OF petty and veXatious exac-
tions The ranchers want to be free
of Mexico and to get an assured
water supply. and are willing to
nay what j: costs.
To Eliminate Silt
The Boulder CANYON project will
relieve them OF an annual burden
Of SI.500000 for caring for silt