White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1930-10-03
More Than 800
Boosters At
Basin Meet
Entire Columbia River
May Be Utilized In
New Development

That the Columbia River is to be
utilized from it's mouth to it's source
for irrigation and power development
as one of three major undertakings
aof the precent national administration,
was one of the most interesting state
ments made at the Columbia Basin
League convention in Yakima last
Saturday.
The other two undertakings were
the flood control and the opening for
navigation of the Mississippi river
rom the gulf if Mexico to the Great
Lakes, and the development of the
Boulder Dam project in Colorado.
Congress has already appropriated
five hundred million dollars for the
Mississippi and has also authorized
Boulded Dam. This leaves only the
Columbia River development, and the
War Department Geological Survey
and other Federal bureaus have had
parties in the field for the past
year gathering all the necessary data
and information for this purpose. The
reports are expected to be completed
within the next year, after which
some definite plan will be formulated
for this development.
The convention attracted between
300 and 400 residents of Eastern
Washington as well as a number
from the Coast interested in the CO.
lurnbia Basin project. Among these
were nearly the entire Washington
congressional delegation, including
Senators Jones and Dill and Con-
gressmen Summers, Hill, Hadley and
Miller. Senator Dill and Congressman
Hill and Hadley spoke during the
afternoon session and Senator Jones
and Congressman Summers at the
banquet in the evening. All of them
pledged their best efforts to have
Congress authorize the project. There
seemed to be more optimistic tone
than ever before among the delegates
and oppc~itics, to the AjTSject,s par
ticulary in the West, seemed to be
disappearing.
Development of this great project
will not encroach upon present day
markets and will add an enormous
amount Of land to the tax rolls OF
Washington, it was pointed out by
Congressman Summers.
The war department, he explained,
has been making a complete survey
of the Columbia river in regard to
power, irrigation and navigation and
will complete the survey in about
another year.
He declared he believed the in
vestigation will show the feasibility
Of the project. If the report is favor
able it will be a good many years,
he explained, before water will ac-
tually be running in the irrigation
bitches.
It is hoped to develop the project
in four. or even greater number of
units, Summers said, and the latest
official published expression by the
Columbia basin league is that the
total development will not be COM
pleted in less than 40 years.
At the rate of increase in popu-
lation, there will be an increase of
5O,OO0,0OO in the population Of the
country during that time, and the
Columbia basin will care for 1000
900 of this increase. Since it will
care for only one-fiftieth of the in
crease over many years time it can
in no way encroach upon markets
of today, Summers explained.
No one is interested in having the
project Immediately, but in order to
have it after awhile, the movement
must be begun now, according to
Summers, who remarked that it has
been estimated that the construc-
ton period would require from eight
to 10 years before any of the land
could be put under water. For the
entire area to be irrigated would re-
quire many years longer it is be-
lieved.
Drouths of this past summer over
such large portions Of the United
States serves to give Pacific North
west a powerful ready-made argument
in favor of irrigation development
DR.. Hugh A. Brown, director of re-
clamation economics, United States
Bureau of Reclamation, has publicly
used this contrast between rain short
age in the East and water sufficiency
of our own irrigated projects by way
of lauding irrigation. Citing the fact
that there was no shortage of moist
ure to grow fine crops in the Yakima
and Wenatchee districts of Washing
ton, DR.. Brown said in United States
Daily: whether it rains or not is
a matter of small moment on these
favoredr areas. Blessed with an ade-
quate water supply, stored behind
massive dams and released as needed.
to meet the demands of the irrigators,
these products of the Governments
beneficent policy of helping men own
farms proceed along the even tenor
of their way, with sympathy for their
less fortunate neighbors, and with
thankfulness for their own impreg-
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