Imperial Valley press., 1937-08-31
CANAL GROUP
TO ARBITRATE
DIFFERENCES
Union Agrees to
Mediation on
Demands


threatened water famine in
Imperial Valley was averted
here today as canal workers
agreed to submit wage de-
mands to government arbitration.
Actual agreement to arbitrate
was reached early Tuesday morn
ing after an all night conferences
between officials of the Compania,
Mexican organized company oper-
ating the Imperial Irrigation Dis
trict canal system in Mexico, and
disgruntled union workers.
The peace agreement was ac-
cepted officially in meeting at
the Palacio at l pm. today after
receipt of telegram from Antonio
Villalobos, minister of labor in the
Mexican cabinet, in which he
agreed to act as arbitrator.
Telegram
ViIlalobos, in a long distance
telephone message and a confirm
ing telegram to Acting Governor
Jose Maria Gutierrez, said he
would arrive in Mexicali within .
week by chartered airplane. Cutter
rez, secretary OF state for Bata
California, is acting governor while
Governor Sanchez Taboada is in
Mexico City.
Compania officials and union
spokesmen officially accepted Villa
lobos as mediator in a telegram
drafted at the palacio conference
Tuesday afternoon. Appointment OF
the mediator is subject to confir-
nation by President Lazaro Car
denas, Evan T. Hewes, chairman
of the Imperial Irrigation district
board of directors, said. The con-
firmation is regarded as routine
matter, he explained.
Prompt action ON the part OF
the state departments of the United
States and Mexico is credited
with the calling off of the strike
of 160 workers set for Thursday af-
ternoon. kilograms from heads OF
governing bodies, civic groups. and
private citizens poured out of I'M
perial Valley to Secretary of State
Cordell Hull after the walkout was
called last Thursday. The tele-
grams requested Hull to appeal
to the Mexican state department
to keep water flowing in the canals
to supply 10000 residents in I'm
perial and Mexicali Valleys.
Daily Parleys
Decision to arbitrate was reach
ed after series of daily confer
ences between Hewes, M. ]. Dowd,
chief engineer for the district, and
Walter Bowker, Compania official
j. Barcenas and j. E. Castro, Com
pania attorneys on the one side
and union spokesman on the other
Compania officials met with
farmers and Agrarians Monday ar
the Compania offices and pointed
out what the strike would mean to
the farmers and residents OF the
Mexicali Valley as well as to the
residents and farmers in Imperial
Valley across the border in the
United States.
Continued refusal of the dissent
ers to arbitrate and their prepar-
alton for the strike led Imperial
Irrigation District officials to an
nounce last Friday they would cut
off the water at the lockwood
Heading in the United States In
the event the walkout occurred
This would have been done as a
means of protecting the property
of the district in Mexico and would
have resulted in the cutting off OF
all water from the Colorado river
to the irrigated area in the two
sections. Sheriff Robert w. Ware
declared he was prepared TO pro-
tect district property in the United
States should the need arise.
If the walkout had taken place,
Compania officials said. 1t would
have paralyzed the system on both
sides of the line The water must
be taken care of at all the head
ings in Mexico II 1t Is TO be kept
flowing into the canals for the
United States.
When 1t was believed the strike
had grave possibility OF being
called on the announced date,
p. m. September 2, HeweS urged
all farmers to order water TO pro-