The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-02-25

Bu Times SDcciat
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 25.-This
is a bedtime story with a moral like
that in the rhyme
Up northeast Of Mt. Shasta, whore
oregon and California Join, lies the
klamath Basin, a land OF water and
waterpower.
Twenty years ago came Uncle
Sans reclamation engineers with a
great vision and n plan. Two OF
four great lakes were TO be drained,
100000 acres were to be reclaimed;
water-power was to be harnessed to
help enrich the project and 1000
lucky Americans were to be invited
in as settlers. II was 10 be the
prize among tho Government
twenty-eight reclamation projects in
the West--a rural Eden. And It
might have been.
One Power Plant
Draining the Upper klamath
Lake is a dashing stream OF great
power, the Link River. on this
stream was little power house,
owned 10y the Moore Brothers OF
Klamath Falls, ore. The Govern.
ment bought up at considerable OK
pense all the water and power rights
In the Basin, but, strangely, II left
this power plant In private hands.
From this little plant a great
power company has grown. Tho
Moore brothers sold out to the Cali.
fornia-Oregon Power Company, and
this latter has grown from nothing
into a fat corporation OF San Fran
cisco capitalists. claiming assets Of
S15,000,000. II has fed entirely on
power that was intended for tho
Klamath Basin reclamation project.
Step by step this company, aided by
local politicians, reclamation Of.
hcials and the Interior Department.
has acquired power rights TO tho
entire Basin.
The story Of the alienation NJ
power from the Klamath project Is
all set down I'm n pathetic complaint
filed by the settlers asking Congress
to investigate. Today the power
company holds concessions for which
it paid tho Government $3.50 900, over
the violent protest OF tho farmers
and these concessions are worth at
the wholesale price Of electricity
some $4,000. 900 n year,
Face Ruin
And the settlers7 The project has
dwindled to $4,000 acres Deprived OF
the power that would have put them
on easy street as It has the farmers
of Salt River Valley. Arizona, the
klamath settlers are facing economic
ruin. The project Is S250.O00 de-
linquent to the Government. There
arp only 545 discouraged and des-
pdrate farmers left. and these are
bearing water charges OF as high as
500 an acre in place Of the $50
promised.
Out of slxty-three exsoldiers settled
on the sand-blown alkall bottom OF
Tule Lake. drained by the Govern.
ment, thirty are left, fighting worse
odds than they met in France.
The project is rightly called "The
Valley of Blasted Hopes"
The power company. over whose
turbines I'm Klamath canyon today
flows the wealth in electric energy
that might have been the farmers
Is not yet quite satisfied. II has
been found that Tule Lake. drained
for ex-soldiers' farmlands, would
serve the company better as a res.
ervoir TO regulate the stream-row OF
the river. a move il on by nature.
lovers and sportsmen 10 refill Tule
Lake and mako ~ n refuge for wild
bird life. The farmers say the
power company has contributed
$4,000 TO the Audubon society's cam.
paign 10 have the Government re.
flood the lake.
When this is done tho smile on the
face Of the tiger will doubtless
broaden into satisfied grin.