The border vidette., 1925-08-22

the Colorado River Compact the
four upper basin states and Cal
ifornia achieve wealth, economic
security and the assurance OIL
the continuation of these bene
fits in perpetuity.
| What of Arizona and Nevada.
the remaining two states in the
basin? We are told, quoting
ex Governor Boyle, that Nevada
can possibly utilize 10000 horse
power from the Colorado River
at this time; that they may
eventually utalize 100000 horse
power and that they may irri
gate not to exceed $4,000 acres
of land, Mr.. Weymouth and Mr..
Davis. former chief engineers of
the United States Bureau of Re
clamation state 5000 and 1000
respectively.
You ask about Arizona? What
does she want from the Colorado
River? I say to you, gentle
men, frankly, that at this time
all that we ask for, if the eco
ncmic laws are to be set aside
and a treaty negotiated, is that
Arizona receive protection of her
rights including her future de
velopment. If you ask me spe
officially what we want, I reply
to you frankly, without any
apology. that we do not know
because we have not sufficient
data available to determine what
it is practicable to develop.
Arizona is in the position, If
the present water laws remain
undisturbed and unimpaired, of
asking nothing. We are fully
satisfied with the present laws
as interpreted by the United
States Supreme Court. We are
fully able, under present laws,
to protect our interests from all
of the other six states in the
basin and from Mexico. We do
not fear development in Califor.
MIA on in the upper basin if the
law, of priorities based upon
appropriation for beneficial use,
remains in full effect. But if
that law is to be disturbed. mod
fled or set aside, we have i'm
mediate cause for alarm. The
proposal to set the law aside
does not come from US.
We had not been particularly
interested in the immediate de
velopment of the Colorado River
up to the time the compact was
discussed. 1t is only 13 years
ago since we obtained statehood.
We have been developing our
resources within the interior of
this state. We think we have
made tremendous strides since
1912, considering our small pop
ulation and taxable wealth; in
that our percentage of increase
in population exceeded that of
any other state in tn Union dur.
ing that period. We were salts.
fed to permit the Colorado River
| to remain a potential asset until
we were ready to utilize the
same.
I have said to you that we
did not know in detail what Ari.
IONA wants from the Colorado
River. We do not know because
we have very few facts. Under
the Kincaid Act, passed by Con.
gress, the United States spent
over So, 100000 in the vicinity OF
| Boulder Canyon and practically
none elsewhere on the River.
There is some testimony that
the Imperial Valley Irrigation
District has spent half a million
dollars in connection with the
proposed Boulder Canyon pro
iect and we have no information
as to how much money South
ern California municipalities ano
the State of Nevada and Other
interests have spent in this con
nection. The lack of informa
ton and data in regard to any
other portion of the river, Other
than the Boulder Canyon, is
very succinctly stated by Col
William Kelley, Chief Engines
of the United States Fedora
Power Commission, as follows:
THE need for more facts i:
the rather astounding conclu
sion one must reach from study
of the data at hand. While
hundreds of thousands of dol
lars have been expended on in
tensive investigation at Boulder
. and Black Canyon, the various
dam sites between Boulder an6
Diamond Creek are INFESTED. a.