Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-19
PRESIDENT WANTS ACTION.
Does Not Favor Government Opera.
ton of Project.
ny DAVID IAWRENCE

President Coolidge hopes that >onn.
klnd or legislation to construct RouIda,
Dam Will be passed at this session 81
congress. but this does not mean thai
ne taVors the Swing-Johnsun bill o,
1 Chdt ne thlnkS II NECESSARY for the
Government to go into the elect,i...
power business.
The President feels that the dan,
should be erected 50 as To stop floods
ana AID In irrigation and supul,-
water TO southern California Tho
power phases OF the matter arc how
ever, a complex problem. ON ,vhicn Tho.
| Fresidents position has not deyiataI
from that which he has expressed in,
ms several messages to Congrase .
Inc status of the Boulder Dam bni
Is tnat the rules committee has NOT
yet Iurh1shed a rule whereby CON
| SHERATON shall be given TO If The
committee meets tomorrow. Even ~
the Dill should pass the House az
| Representatives, men like. Senator
Ashurst or Arizona predict that n
never would get through the Senate
because of the complexity of the moi.
rem ana the many conflicting interests
which 1t involves.
Government Ownership Crux
The largest question is whether the
/ element of flood control and jrrfra.
tlon ana the supplying OF water IA
| southern california can be divorced
from the broad principle Of Govern
ment ownership which relates to tho
use of the water power for the genera
| tIon or electricity. The advocates OF
private ownership show every in
| cilnatlon to fight the bill on the
ground that 1t means more Govern,
ineht entry into private business. o.
this point the sympathies of President
CooIidge are with the private owner
snip school. He did not favor Govern
Ineht ownership of railways and he
mas consistently advocated that the
Government get out of the shipping
business. If, however. the dam is con
structed. then it is not unlikely that
the President would favor some use
being made of the power and il is
possible that he would favor a plan
which would permit private MES
10 make arrangements for the use OF
the power.
President Traces Progress.
Should the bill reach the Senate it
is expected that an effort would be
made to attach amendments which,
would insure Government separation
from the power business. though men
like Senator Norris of Nebraska would
under the circumstances favor Gov.
eminent operation.
The Government has already OK.
pended, said Mr.. Coolidge in n mes
sage to Congress, large sums on.
scientific research and engineering in.
vestigation in promotion of this Colo.
RADIO River project. The actual prog.
ress has been retarded for many years
by differences among the seven States
in the basin over their relative water
rights and among different groups as
to method. In an attempt to settle
the primary difficulty of the water
rights, Congress authorized 1.-THE Colo,
RADIO River Commission. which agreed
November %, 1922. upon an interstate
compact to settle these rights. SUBJ
ject to the ratification of the STATE
Legislatures and Congress. All seve /
States except Arizona at one time
ratified. the Arizona Legislature MAX
ing certain reservations, which failed
to meet the approval of the governor
Major Principles Agreed.
subsequently an attempt was made
to establish the compact on six
State basis. but in this case California
imposed reservations. There appears
to be no division upon the major
principles OF the compact. but diff
Guilty in separating contentious as to
methods of development from the DIS
cussion of it. 1t is imperative that
food control be undertaken for Cali
fornia and Arizona, preparation made
for irrigation. for power, and for
domestic water. Some or all of these
questions are combined in every pro-
posed development. TIE Federal Gov
eminent is interested in some of these
phases. State governments and mum
cipalities and irrigation districts in
others, and private corporations in
still others
1t is unlikely that any law VIII be
passed at this session of Congress.
but the purpose of its advocates is
to move the controversy further along
toward ultimate solution.
(Copyright. 1927