Las Vegas age. [volume] (Las Vegas, Nev.) 1905-1947, 1927-03-26
SECRET ACTION OF
SECRETARY WORK IS
RESENTED BY ODDIE
Nevada Senator Demands
Retirement of Secretary;
SAYS work AnragonlstIc to
Nevada.
lReuo Evening Gazette.)


Tetary WOrk, Tor naval site
competitive with the Hawthorne
site IN Nevada, has led to an
open 5Te4K between Senator Cd
dIe ana Secretary Work, and the
demand by Oddle that Wrok be
retired as secretary of the in
terror.
Work action, Oddie says, was
taken without consultation with
HIM or with the naval authorities,
and was not known by them until
after the order was issued. The
Withdrawal in California was
made February 10 but did not
become public until today when
it was officially announced in a
four-line notice in the general
land office monthly bulletin.
Senator Oddie declares that
Secretary Work has been the
author OF a series of official acts
Uhat have been detrimental to the
interests of Nevada and the West,
and that he should be retired
from the cabinet.
"In contrast to the general pub
licity which was given to the
withdrawal of land at Hawthorne,
New, as a site for the proposed
ammunition depot, no information
whatever was given to the public
relative to this withdrawal in
California until it became public
through the four-line notice in the
bulletin today" said Senator Cd,
die this morning.
''This is another action of
Hubert Work IN line with his an
tagonistic attitude toward Ne
vada,' continued the senator. 'I
feel strongly that we ought to
have a change in the secretary
ship of the interior department.
His action in reserving the
California tract is in effect
double crossing the navy, con-
gress and Nevada. The navy did
not ask that this land be reserv-
ed for this purpose. It's admirals
opposed the California tract in
the last session before the con-
knew nothing of the California
reservation until it had been
made
"The navy will stick to the Ne
vada site, but this action of Work
will make it more difficult to
have the Hawthorne location
adopted"
Senator Oddie declares that the
withdrawal Of land in California
as a possible site for the ammuni-
ton depot was made at the re-
quest of Congressman Engle-
bright, who blocked action in the
lower house at the last session
of congress on the bill which Sc
lected Hawthorne as the site
for the depot. The measure des-
ignating the Hawthorne site
passed the senate but was de-
feated in the house owing to the
opposition of Englebright, who
took advantage of the legislative
jam in the closing hours of the
session to prevent consideration
of the measure.
Englebright had proposed in a
bill that the ammunition depot be
located in Secret Valley, Cali
fornia, but his selection did not
meet with the approval of naval
authorities who recommended the
Hawthorne site.
Senator Oddie conferred with
Secretary of the Navy Wilbur and
with Admiral Gregory today, and
after the meeting with these Off
toward the Nevada site has not
been changed by the action Of
Work.
"They assured me that they be-
heve that the depot should be on
the Nevada site which has been
recommended by naval authori-
ties, said the Nevada senator.
"The bill to establish the depot
will come up Immediately after
the opening of the next session
of congress - December" con-
tinued Oddie, 81 secured passage
of tine Nevada site authorization
in the senate at the last session
in spite of the opposition of Cali
fornia and will make every effort
to accomplish the same in the
next session"
Secretary Works Statement
OAKLAND, Mar. '24.-Secretary
of the Interior Hubert Work
made an ACRIMONIOUS reply last
night to Senator Oddie of Ne
vada, who told President Coolidge
yesterday that the country would
be better off" if Work retired.
With reference to Senator Od-
dies verbal attack in connection
with the withdrawal of 100000
acres in Secret Valley, California,
Secretary Work said:
Senator Oddie is greatly mis-
informed and is not to be taken
seriously. l notice that Senator
Oddie accuses me of having with
drawn 100000 acres in Secret
Valley for a naval ammunition
depot after the senate approved
bill establishing the depot at
Hawthorne, New.
"This charge is simply ridicul-
Gus. / have already established
the ammunition depot at Haw-
tborne. Nevada, and only the
other day was taken to task by
Secretary of the Navy Wilbur for
having done so.
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