Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1925-01-18
WATER LAWS
WILL STAND.
SAYS SPEARS
Valley Delegates Believe
They Have Succeeded
in Forestalling Trou-
blesome Changes
Especial to The Herald.)


AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. l7.-There is
little likelihood that any effort will be
made to change the irrigation and irri-
CATION district laws under which tile
canal systems of the Lower Rio Grande
Valley are being operated.
Instead. the North and West Texas in
terests which called the statewide con-
ference here to consider new irrigation
legislation, have virtually decided to
center efforts on new legislation 10 fit
their Individual needs, and will not
seek to interfere In any way with the
present statutes.
This decision on the part of the con-
ference, attended by delegates from all
sections Of the state, and including both
levee and irrigation men, came after
the Lower Rio Grande Valleys attitude
on new legislation was laid before II by
Judge Samuel Spears and Frank Robert
son OF San Benlto. and u. w. Glasseock
Of MeAllen, the Valley committee nam-
ed at San Bento earlier In The week
TO attend the Austin conference.
J .dge Glasseoek pointed out the dif-
ficultes that would be met with by the
wa en- districts II new legislation As
adopted, principal among these being
the fact that bond buyers are now, after
many years, familiar with The laws af-
fscting water Improvement district Sc
curities. Should the laws be changed
he said, the process Of education would
have to be started all over again. He
said that the Valley finds The present
laws adequate to the situation.
AZ. tA.a ,.F tba na,,furoppo had TIA
origin largely In Tarrant county, where
il vas desired to undertake certain
levee and drainage work, together with
irrigation. A situation regarding the
laws was encountered which threatened
to in erfere with the plans. This re-
suited in the attempt 10 bring about
legislation that would fit the Tarrant
county (Fort WORTH situation, the pro-
moters believing that other parts of the
state would be similarly benefited.
There was no thought on the part of
anyone to try to put over anything,
Judge Spears said after the Friday
conferences. "All interests, including
the irrigation levee and drainage
people, have been working in complete
harmony to overcome obstacles in some
parts of the state that are already cared
for in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. We
are quite confident that the thing will
be worked out satisfactory to all con-
cerned, and without any interference
with the existing statutes"
In preliminary conferences Friday
molning at the Stephen. F. Austin no.
tel, delegates to the conference adopted
a resolution urging the incoming state
administration to not combine the state
reclamation department and the board
OF water engineers. Differences in the
purposes of the two departments were
pointed out, and it was argued that 1T
would be highly detrimental to the re-
clamation and irrigation interests OF
the state to combine them.
In another resolution. the incoming
administration is asked 10 reappolnt
the council of engineers, consisting OF
l3 engineers scattered over the state.
This council, it was brought out, has
been gathering important information,
and its work was considered of immense
value.
Among others present at the confer
ences were d. F. Strickland of Mission,
Judge Gaines of San Antonio, and John
A. Mobley of Matagorda county.