Imperial Valley press., 1931-02-03

Ira Aten Answers Many Misleading
Statements-ShOws How District
Costs Have Been Reduced

the high points of the Imperial Ir
rieation District and the accom-
plishments during the eight year
/ have held office, in order tina
you, the people, who are the own
ers of this big business may b,
better acquainted with the facts
The statements / make may b'
verified by the records of the Dis.
trict and should prove of interest Il
you all. 1t should be remembered
that it is an easy matter, especially
for new candidates seeking public
office, to make all sorts of promise.
and the usual phrases Of efficiency
and economy and business admin.
istration, which are part OF every
platform, mean nothing unless thC
candidate shows that he knows the
work of the office he is seeking
Mere words carry no weight, but
cold facts do.
The Imperial Irrigation District
is the largest organization of its
kind in the world and owns not only
the canal system in the Imperial
Valley. but also the river protective
levees and canal system in Mexico
comprising net work of over 270C
miles in length. The total assets
OF the District amount to over $23,-
100000, the present bonded indebt-
edness is $14,850000, and the total
assessed valuation of the land
Served-not including improvements
is approximately S50,600,00O
1t is a certainty that unless this
big business were administered ef-
ficientI' and economically, it would
not be success and it would not
require years for owners who are
the tax payers OF this Valley, to FIND
1t out since either costs and assess
ments would increase rapidly or
poor service would result.
That our District has one OF the
most difficult flood problems to
handle, is well known. as is also the
fact that we have a silt problem
which is not only more severe than
any other project in the country
but which also is increasing In
magnitude and cost every year. II
you will visualize the entire area
oil the City of FL Centre covered to
a depth of SO feet. you will oe see
ing the amount OF silt which enters
our headgates from the Colorado
River each year and which must be
contended with in the operation OF
the canal system.
Coupled with these problems is
that of the International comph-
cations resulting from the fact that
our water passes through 1877 miles
of canals in Mexico before reach
ing Imperial Valley. The operations
OF the canal system in Mexico are
under the jurisdiction OF govern
mental departments in Mexico City
including the rates charged for wa
ter as well as the regulation of de-
liveries and 1t is only natural that
these departments have little
thought of the welfare of the wa
ter users in Imperial Valley. but
favor those in Mexico, as shown by
the recent arbitrary cut in rates OF
80 per cent on water deliverfed in
Mexico There was no Justification
for this cut nor was consideration
given to the fact that the loss
would have to be paid by our far
mers on this side of the line. Would
you say that the permanent solu-
tion of these major problems SO vi
tally affect every resident of our
Valley was not worth the relative
ly small expenditure which our Dis
trict has made to secure the pas
sage by Congress of the Boulder
Dam-All American Canal legisla-
ton Why the very life of our
Valley has been at stake and the
Directors of this District would have
been guilty Of gross negligence had
they not eXerted every effort pos
sible to secure this legislation.
Boulder Dam construction is un-
der way and we are about to real
ize the All-American Canal, or in
other words. secure all of the bene-
fits for which we have been striving
these many years And yet my lat
est opponent states in his platform
that he is for the Canal IF it proves
feasible. I must ask where he has
been for the last ten years. Does
he not know that the canal has been
surveyed and resurveyed many
times. That it has been investi-
gated and approved as feasible by
the best engineers in the country,
including the 5eibert Board in
which the United States govern
ment has sufficient confidence to
place the responsibility for the fl
nal approval of the plans for Boul-
Ger Dam. Does he not know that
Congress authorized the construc-
ton of the canal after years of
study and that the Reclamation
Bureau is now preparing the con-
tracts which will enable Congress
to make an appropriation TO start
construction. And yet in spite OF
all these facts, he hedges the issue
by questioning its feasibility. Will
he admit he is a Rip Van Winkle
At this moment Attorney Charles
l.. Childers and some of your Direc
tors are in Los Angeles drawing the
best contract possible, for the peo-
pie of the Imperial Valley, with Dr.
Elwood Mead, director of the Recla-
nation Service, and his legal adj
visers, for the building of the ALL
American Canal. If it was not for
this campaign l would also be there.
Now let us examine the accom-
plishments and results of the opera
tions of the District during the
eight years that I have held office,
facts which, as l have said before,
are matters of record and which