Douglas daily dispatch., 1928-03-18
DOUGLAS MAKES
CONTINUED from Page Orie)

structure authorized under this act
but is not directed against sound
economic development of the Colorado
river"
The Arizona representative charged
that the Boulder canyon dam would
substitute greater flood menace for
a lesser one, ''in creating the pos
Sibility of a flood 400 feet high in an
effort to prevent one ten feet high"
Elaborating on this charge, he con-
tended that the expenditure of
$125, 100000, which the measure would
authorize, exceeds the total value Of
the property to be protected from
floods, and that the annual interest
period is larger than the amount that
would be required to protect Imperial
valley by leveeS.
Mr. Douglas estimated that dam
for flood control purposes could be
built for $15,000,0O0.
He argued that the project was not
for the purpose of irrigation saying
the Boulder dam would provide so
times as much water as is needed for
irrigation in the Imperial and Coach
hella valleys.
An all-American canal, if built, he
contended, would supply water for
privately owned lands.
The distance of the proposed dam
from Imperial valley, he argued, also
precludes possibility that structure
would aid in desilting. Elaborating on
the power contention, he said
There can be no other object for
the construction of dam the size of
Boulder canyon dam with a storage
capacity of 18 million acre feet il
excess of the storage for flood con-
troll, irrigation and for desilting than
the development of power. In excess
of the amount actually required to ac-
compliSh flood control and storage for
irrigation may be justified only on the
ground that such an expenditure will
result in the development of the larg
est power project in the history of in
duStry"
Concluding that the measure was
designed to supply power to southern
California, Douglas said:
"The power feature has been in
corporated in the bill as a result of
the activities of municipal power
groups in southern California. Those
are the groups which have been the
driving force behind the legislation in
its present form, those are the groups
which have been constantly present at
hearings before committee in whose
charge this bill has been placed, those
are the groups which organized the
Boulder canyon dam association, those
are the groups that have advanced
moneys to that association for lobby
ing purposes"
"There can be no national objection
to the development of municipal pow
er trusts" he added, provided the
municipalities develop such trusts
through the expenditure of their own
money or the use of their own credit
and through assuming the hazards and
bearing the losses, but there can be
raised every objection to the estab-
lishment of municipal power trusts
through the use of federal credit and
the imposition on the general taXpay-
erS of all hazards and losses"
The Arizona representative argued
that the revenues from power sales
would not be sufficient to meet the eX :
penses of operation.
Touching upon the controversial
Colorado river compact, Douglas de-
cIared that measures would transcend
the constitution in that it provides for
legislation by six states and the fed
eral government for seventh state,
antagonistic to such legislation