Imperial Valley press., 1926-08-13
HEAD OF NEVADA
UNIVERSITY URGES
PASSAGE OF BILL
President Clark Declares
Delays Are Dangerous
TO Imperial Valley

One Of the staunc.Iest aGvocates
for immediate action on the Cola
rado river legislation, is DR.. Walter
Clark, president Of the University
Of Nevada, who is in this city for
q few days, visiting his brother-in-
law, Warren Curricr, vice president
Of the Imperial Valley Hardware
company.
DR.. Clark is thoroughly familiar
with the valleys greatest problem,
and declared this morning that from
the standpoint Of flood protection
only, there. should not be ave mn
utes of hesitancy about passing the
Swing-Johnson bill.
ON my opinion, said DR.. Clark,
the fact that this great valley,
the home of $1,000 American citi-
zcns, with 100000 acres under a
high state of cultivation, and
thousands of more acres waiting TO
be developed, is exposed to the
danger of flood from the Colorado,
is the primary reason why politi-
clans and business interests should
stop their machinations and get this
bill through without delay.
"Power development, water con
servation, irrigation, even, are sub
ordinate to the need of adequate
flood protection. We in Nevada
know Il great deal more about the
needs of Imperial Valley and the
intrigue that is holding up legisla-
ton than many Californans believe
we do.
'Our senators, Pittman and Cd
die, have told the people here that
they are heartily in favor of the
Swing johnson bill, and they
meant every word of it. The peo-
pie Of Nevada are for you to- the
doctor declared, "and while we
will benefit by this great develop
ment work, as red-blooded Amer
lean citizens we are first of all
concerned with the fact that your
valley here is likely to be made the
plaything of a wild river.
Levees Inadequate
"Iour levee systems, no matter
how good they may be, are bound
TO be inadequate. There was a ter
rible example in 19O5-06 of what
the mad river can do and this should
have been sufficient lesson for
those who are hindering passage of
the bill. If the river should break
through again, the damage done 20
years ago would pale into insignifi-
cance, and it would be generations
before the valley would recover,
providing it could ever recover. 1t
would mean Il slow course of evap-
oration, before the flood waters
waters could be removed.'
DR.. Clark was keenly enthusiastic
about the development of the south
west, when the great constructive
work that is bound to come event
| ually is Il reality. 1t was only the
DELAYS that vexed him.
Asked about his university, his
enthusiasm waxed. almost as strong
| as it did when he was discussing
| the Colorado river.
"While our institution might be
considered insignificant, he said
compared to some of the great
seats of learning i'll California, we
| have Il registration that shows one
person Il student in our university
out of every l25 white inhabitants
| in the state. If the University of
California had an enrolment in the
same proportion, there would be
close to $4,000 undergraduates al
! Berkeley.
"We have kept our various de
partments all in one place, Reno
and have courses in engineering, law
economies, and the usual curriculum
of any university. A university edu-
cation is open to all Nevadans with
out charge. 1t is the only institu-
ton of higher learning in the state,
and we are proud of it.
Only one shot the doctor took at
California. and that was to remind
his interviewer that Nevada's fam
Gus foot ball eleven invaded Califor-
MIA II few years ago and gave the
boys at Berkeley the thrill of their
lives by holding them to no-score
game.
cit was great game said Pres
ident Clark, "and the breaks were
with California. We nearly had
them twice, and they never had us
in danger at all. Some day we will
lick them, and then our cup of JOY