Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-06

An early beginning of the actual
work on the great Boulder Dam project
Is believed by many observers to be in
sight now that President Hoover has
proclaimed the signing OF the compact
by six of the seven interested States in
the Colorado River Basin. Arizona
stands out in opposition and there is
much sympathetic speculation in some
quarters over the possibility of court
proceedings by that State in q ANAL eff
fort to block the project.
The difficulty" as pointed out by the
Newark Evening News, is the belief OF
Arizona, in which Utah and wyoming
have at times agreed, that California
will obtain an undue share OF bene-
fits and that Arizona will actually be
deprived Of some of her rights in the
river. Since the great dam, which Is to
create the largest artificial lake In the
world, will sGsnd near the junction OF
the State lines of Arizona, Nevada and
California, Arizona is one of the States
which will be most affected for good or
Ill. 1t is TO be hoped, since the dam
means much TO her sister States, and
especially TO CALIFORNIA; Imperial VAL
ley problem, 1t will turn out to be good
for all" The Spokane Spokesman-Re Re-
view remarks that seven -eighths of the
potential horsepower is in Arizona" and
that "the principal immediate bene-
dciary will be California"
Arizona is on the wrong side of the
Colorado River at the controversial
point" the Fort Worth Record-Tele-
gram says. 1T should have the right
to the water Of the Colorado River for
the hundred miles or more of its way
through the State, and it is entitled to
half Of that which makes the dividing
line between Arizona and California. It
Is not getting either. Therefore, it is
most Stubbornly recalcitrsnt on the
subject. Texas offers condo
lences 10 Arizona. We, too, have felt
the oppressor's heel. There
probably never will be o holder piece of
congressional lobbying than the Boulder
Dam project. Stay IN there, Arizona!
There's always the Supreme Court"
The Oakland Tribune offers the opin-
ion on this subject: IF Arizona is to
carry out its announced intention it
Will attack the validity of the compact
on constitutional grounds, alleging other
States and nations have no right to al.
locate waters to which it is entitled.
Informal and unbiased opinion on the
point is that, while Arizona NAV make
a showing, it is not likely to succeed in
hating construction of q dam which
would serve so wide an area and use
waters originating In so many States"
The project from the outset" in the
opinion OF the New York Sun. has
been sustained by so many false repre-
sensations, has involved so many frauds
upon the public, that 1t never should
have been approved by Congress. The
efforts Of Arizona to obtain relief
through the courts will therefore be
watched with sympathetic interest in
many parts OF the Nation" Arizona S
immediate need for the water of the
river is relatively small" the Spring.
field Union argues. but it has held
in Congress, and presumably may hold
in court, that it is not q question of
immediate but of ultimate needs which
might DO sacrificed by the judicial
sanction OF the project as now defined
in law. II the case goes into the courts,
1t will involve many interesting ques-
tions OF the relation of the rights OF
States to power OF the Federal Gov
eminent"
mo distinctly regional commitment
on the part OF the Government has
surpassed this one in Importance for
several decades" says the Indianapolis
News, explaining the mammoth pro-
portions of the undertaking. ut is said
that 100000 acres in the Imperial VAL
ley win be made safe from disastrous
inundatlon. The irrigation possibilities
are tremendous" The News finds in
terest in the fact that "a reservoir is
to have q capacity Of about $4,000, 000
acre &feet OF water"
I'm the announcement that the power
companies are ready to take over all
the power contained in the falling wa
ter that will pass over the Boulder
Dam on the Colorado River" the Santa
Barbara Daily News observes, lis the
final assurance that the power will ul-
timately pay all the cost of the
dam. - The agreement for the
sale OF the power, even though In gen.
eral terms and not yet written into q
binding contract, IS an important ster
in financing the great work. Only .
few more preliminaries are to bs
cleared away to permit dirt to n.y."