Evening star., 1927-11-14
NATIONAL FLOODS
CONTROL IS URGED
Plan Submitted to House
Committee by American
Farm Bureau.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
A plan of food control applying to
all rivers of the nation was presented
today to the House flood control com.
mittee by the -.merican Farm Bureau
Federation, through it's Washington
representative, Chester II. Gray.
He said the farmers of the country
favored the Federal Government TAX.
ing full charge Of the national flood
control problem.
Mr.. Gray followed Representative
Leavitt. Republican. Montana, as a
witness before the committee which
commenced it's second week of hear.
ings today Mr.. Leavitt proposed the
establishment of reservoirs on Montana
rivers which form the headwaters of
the Missouri River one of the
Mississippis principal tributaries.
Outlines Plan.
The principal features of the Farm
Bureaus flood plan were outlined by
Mr.. Gray as:
II. Levees must be strengthened,
straichtened and made higher as the
first line Of defense.
.'2. Diversion channels or spillways
must be provided for in( the lower
reaches of the Mississippi River
IS. Parallel channels are recon-
mended 10 be secured by constructing
drainage bitches so that the principal
carving capacity Of the river VIII oe
increased.
-. Surveys of tributary streams 20
ascertain how navigation, power DE-
yelopment and flood control can be all
secured in one effort.
"5 The construction of reservoirs
at points on tributary streams ascer'
tained by the surveys.
"6. Reforestation."
Cost of Reservoirs.
Mr.. Leavitt said the cost of the
reservoirs should be apportioned be.
tween the Federal Government and
the States. the Federal Treasury
paving on the basis OF flood control
and the States for the agricultural
benefits accruing to them.
He outlined number of dam sites
on the Missouri and its tributaries IN
the Chain of Lakes section of Mon.
tana, including the Big Horn. Yel-
Iowstone. Milk and Gallatin rivers.
There are many reservoir sites and
dams already established on those
streams which could be utilized in
flood control of the Missouri" he
added.
This is a longtime enterprise
which we are engaged upon" Mr.
Gray told the committee, land 1t is
we'll that we have definite knowledge
before proceeding to the lavish ex.
penditure Of money. Congress should
not be asked to expend hundreds OF
millions Of dollars for flood control
until the Army Engineers have. by
exhaustive surveys. ascertained now
the money can best be spent. II
seems inadvisa BILE. too. that a new
Federal Commission should be set ur
to attend to food control affairs. Pres
ent existing Federal agencies seem tc
have the technical knowledge as well
as the ability properly to eXpend what
ever appropriations are provided b..
Congress-"
A National Issue.
"Flood control is a national issue
not only on the Mississippi River, but
on other rivers which are interstate
in character" he continued. ENC
longer can we expect the farmers and
the communities on our great rivers
to bear the burden of controlling
waters which flow down upon them
from great areas beyond their res
pective States.
'The physical carrying capacity oi
some OF our great rivers like the
Mississippi must be made larger by
building levees stronger and higher
and straighter than have been true ir
the past. and by, in some cases
dredging parallel drainage bitches
which will. in times Of flood, give
much more rapid progress of tht
water from the flooded areas"
The Farm Bureau Federation pro
poses three reservoir sites, including
on the upper Arkansas River ir
Kansas. the Devils Lake region In
North Dakota and Cove Creek in
Tennessee.