Imperial Valley press., 1937-05-20
GOOD BUSINESS AND
OUR POWER PROJECT

Events have moved swiftly in the Dlan
for developing hydro-electric energy ON
the All American canal. There has been
so much transpired that no one not di-
rectly connected with the project can
be blamed for becoming bit confused.
Bickering over the offer of the private
power company to purchase energy de-
veloped on the canal has injected still
more confusion into the picture.
IT is time 10 take stock Of the situation,
and decide what is best to do. Detached
consideration shows us that. out of the
welter of irrelevant details, the peril
nent facts emerge as these:
l. The people Will vote June l6 to
accept PWA and REA offers totalling
$346000O TO finance construction of a
canal power system. To turn down the
offers would be utterly unthinkable.
2. The Nevada-Californi Electric cor
poration has offered to purchase canal
power from the district at a price which
would give the district $35, 100000 in 40
years, according to the company's esti-
mate The proViSo is that all the money
obtained from the federal government
be used to construct power plants, none
TO duplicate distribution systems.
g. The district has countered with a
request that the power company set a
price at which it would be willing to
sell to the district all Of its holdings in
Imperial Valley.
One thing goes almost without saying.
It would be recklessly, entirely foolish
for Imperial Valley to refuse to accept
the PWA and REA offers. Every resi-
dent of the district should vote for the
contracts on June Is. 1t is an opportuni-
ty that, once spurned, might never come
again. If we turn down now the thing
we have fought 20 years to obtain, we
might never get another chance to ac-
cept it,
Whatever else tranSpires, We cannot
afford to miss the opportunity to get
favorable federal financing for Imperial
Valleys birthright, All American canal
power.
Bickering between the district and the
power company opens up another field
When the power company offer was re-
ceived at district headquarters, officials
there did the commendatory thing They
promised to give it full consideration
and careful study 1t was promise any
business man would have made-and
kept. There is some question about the
way in which the district officials have
proposal.
The proposal was received by the board
and filed. 1t was not referred to the
engineering department. Details TO which
individuals have raised strenuous Objec-
tons have not been called to the atten-
ton OF the power company for clarified
ton. There has been no effort, as far
as We know, at least, to determine if
such objections could be ironed out
O.
This newspaper is about 95 per cent
convinced that the power company offer
is not a good one, that it is unWorkable
and that it cannot be applied here Be-
cause of the five per cent margin of
doubt, we have withheld editorial ap-
prOval or disapproval. We have studied
the proposal carefully and believe it
worth more detailed consideration.
A business man, operating his busi-
ness efficiently, will not reject an offer
merely because he has been unable in
the past to deal with the person who
makes il. He will pass upon the offer
on its merits, not on basis of prejudice.
Public business should be operated just
as efficiently, and just as carefully.
If, as we are inclined to believe, the
power com pany proposal is not feasible,
at least the district should know why.
So should the public.