Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1933-05-18
ABLE SPEAKERS PRESENT
AT CONSERVANCY MEETING

More than 800 persons Of this To-
cality were present Friday evening
at the Twin City opera house, when
plans were discussed relative to the
establishment of a flood prevention,
conservancy district, in the water
shed of the Muskingum river and
tributaries. Mr.. Frank Coulson
presided, and the speakers were
Robert N Wilkin of New Philadel-
phia, president of the Muskingum-
Tuscarawas Valley Improvement as
sociation; G. A. Book, vice presi-
dent of Dayton-Morgan Engineer
ing company; Atty G. A. Zinn,
attorney for the association, and O..
E. Fink of GAINESVILLE.
The speakers went into detail,
discussing the proposition from ev-
cry viewpoint. The gravity of floods
of the drought of 1881. The con-
servatory would take care of both
that is prevent the big damage from
floods, and also conserve the water
for the summer drought. The pre-
liminary survey was made in this
district, several years ago, through
funds set aside by the legislature.
1t was also brought out that Ohio
has a conservatory law, which has
been tested thoroughly as to it's
constitutionality, which is the same
law under which the DaytonMiami
valley flood control was put into eff
feet
The estimated cost of con-
servancy would be $5O,000,000
which is too great an amount to be
raised in the district, and is only
possible through hooking it up with
the conservatory program of Presi-
dent Roosevelt which calls for an
outlay of about $4,000, 900, 900.
Governor White is favorable to the
action, and representatives have
been in personal touch with Wash
ington officials who are in accord
with the project.
The different speakers went into
detail as to the plans of the various
phases of the proposition, calling at
tention to the public notice which
appears in the paper. This sets
forth the purpose of the conservancy
district. (See the legal notice in
this issue). The speakers made it
plain that no one was trying to put
across a scheme which would not be
practical, or which would be a cost
to the taxpayers. The law, it was
said, protects the citizens from ev-
cry angie The only additional
taxes that could possibly be levied
in carrying out the plan, would be
levy for preliminary work, of three
tenths of mill, and that only for
one year. Connected with the
project would be reforestation, flood
control, and soil erosion.
During the discussion it was
brought out that in Ohio relief to
individuals amounts to better than
36,000,000 per year, and in the
United States it reaches the enor-
nous total of $730,0O0,000, from
which nothing in return is given.
BY hooking the unemployment with
the conseryancy measure, it was said
that there would be big. returns.
The plan of the proposed flood con-
troll has been tested in the Miami
valley, and found practical. 1t calls
for a number of large reservoirs
well toward the headwaters of the
various streams; also reservoirs in
the smaller creeks such as Meigs
creek, Olive Green and Wolf creek,
of this county The reservoirs are
constructed SO that water at an or
dinary stage is discharged through
an opening in the dam, and when a
flood comes only a certain amount
can pass out, the balance being held
back. These reservoirs at all times
would hold certain amount of wa
ter, which is used for water supply
during drought. To put the vast
army of unemployed to work, means
which President Roosevelt is using
his great ability to do. The plan
suggested would not only give work
to unemployed, but would yield big
returns on it's investment
1t is difficult to estimate the dam
age done by floods, but it is stated
that the flood last month in the
Ohio river basin, did damage to the
amount of $100,O00,00O; and the
1913 flood approximately a billion
dollars. To hold back the water of
the Muskingum, would very ma
terially lessen the flood damage at
Marietta.
McConnelsville was cited as an
example as to why we should have
a conservancy district, since it would
be impossible for us to create plan
in ourselves that would protect US
that other communities would be in
the same predicament: but that by
combining, and then being hooked
up with the federal government, it
would be possible. This district
takes in 10 full counties and parts
of IT.
The speakers urged ali counties to
get behind it, in order that it might