The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1927-05-13
Manufacturing Interests
Clash With Farmers Over
Colorado Water RIGHTS
By DAISY LEE, Federated Press

By DAISY LEE, Federated Press
Phoenix, Ariz.-(F. P.-With ref
erence to the development of the
Colorado river Arizona finds the
cards stacked against her. Since the
defeat of the Swing-J Johnson bill in
congress, its supporters have loudly
denounced the power trust, which
does not want the government enter
ing into competition with private in
dustry in the development and sale
of power. They attempt to leave the
impression that Arizona is a tool of
the power trust because Arizona also
opposed the Swing-Johnson bill and
the building of the Boulder CANYON
dam.
But Arizona is fighting for her
life. She is fighting against a COM
pact that would force her to draw
from her storage reservoirs back of
the Roosevelt and Coolidge dams suf-
ficient water in times of drought to
make up the portion to be allotted TO
Mexico. She is fighting for water
to moisten her vast arid territories.
and is not greatly concerned whether
the government enters the power
business.
Arizona principal objection to the
Swing-J ohnson bill is that the dam
would be approximately 700 feet
above sea level while the land in Ari-
IONA which could be irrigated from
the Colorado river is 1000 feet or
more above sea level. Instead Of a
possible 100000 acres of land avail
able for irrigation from a dam built
higher up the river, only about 10000
acres could be irrigated from the
Boulder Canyon project.
There are many other dam sites
! in Arizona that would give Califor-
MIA flood protection and give Arizona
resources a chance, while building of
the first dam at Boulder CANYON
would preclude any other project. But
California will hear of nothing but
the Boulder Canyon project.
The latest gesture in the process
of putting over the Swing-J ohnsor
bill and the Boulder Canyon dam is
the appointment by secretary of the
interior Hubert Work of a commits.
sion "for the purpose of studying the
Colorado river development situation
and reporting to the next session oil
congress-" This is a handpickeC
commission favoring California anC
the Boulder project.
Works commission includes u. S
Sen. Chas. w. Waterman of Colorado
noted chiefly for his advocacy of tn,
Swing ohnson bill; James r. Gar
field who conserved western resour
ces for the benefit of eastern state,
when he was a cabinet member; Gov
Frank c. Emerson of Wyoming
who signed the Colorado River com
pact for his state, as did James c
Scrugham, also a commissioner
while he gas governor Of Nevada
and William G. Duron, professor a
Stanford University, California.
Sen. Hiram Johnson and Req
Swing of California, authors of tn
bill, will accompany and advise tn
commission.
DR.. Elwood Mead, chief of the rec
lamation service, who will explain
Works plans for river development
was formerly director of reclamation
for California.
Secretary Work, himself Colorad
man, after approving other plan
which would have included dams hig
enough up the river for irrigation G
Arizona's desert areas, has swung or
er to the Boulder Canyon plan unde
pressure from the president, secrt
tary Hoover, the California Interest
S and other sources.
1t is a carefully arranged plan
advance CALIFORNIA; pet schemes fC
| river development and to leave Ar
iona entirely out of the picture. Ar
iona must fight. The cards are stack
ed heavily against her.