Imperial Valley press., 1944-02-21

WEST ASSERTS SELF
ON POSTWAR PLANS
One of the heartening moves in connec-
tion with postwar planning is seen in the
western states cutting loose from Wash
ington and starting a determined effort
10 paddle their own canoe" 1t indicates
an awakening long time in coming and
should set the pace for all states and
communities to quit chasing to Washing
ton for funds. Little can be said IN extern
uation of the wild, free-for-all spending
in the last decade by the Federal govern
ment, but it must be said that the contest
o see which state or which activity could
get there fastest and get the most has
aided and abetted waste and spending.
The pitcher went to the fountain once
too often long ago.
But the most wholesome phase of the
vests determination to manage and fin
ance its own postwar planning is that 1t
comes in the nick of time to save the
states from complete subjection to CEN
tralZation 1t will require a long, hard
pull for the various states to get back
the many powers taken from them. The
far western states have set the ball roll
inc. California will vote on taxing Fed
eral holdings, as another step to assert
State rights.
There isn't much left in the way of
taxables inherent to states as Federal
levies have reached out and touched
verything from toothpicks to top luXur-
les In California about the only thing
exempt from Federal tax is the climate,
The postwar planning move in the west
received a powerful incentive at the re-
cent meeting at Carson City, Nevada
where representatives of the states
sounded their demands and views in no
uncertain terms.
1t was a non. partisan meet. High up
members of both major parties attended
and mingled with leaders of industry.
One of the major interests that brought
that meeting about was the amazing man.
elivers of the government to Junk or ship
to Russia the giant steel producing plant
Just completed at Geneva. Utah at a cost
of millions of dollars That plant was
built for the express purpose of starting
little Pittsburgh" in the west: to pro-
Nide the steel needed for shipbuilding on
the west coast and to do away with the
tremendous cost Of shipping raw mater
ials east and the finished product back
to the coast.
1t was not intended that the plant
should be for war output only. 1t was
built on the idea of permanency. The
move to close it developed just as the
huge concern was barely ready for pro-
duction There was general feeling
that its construction was DELAYED to put
off production as long as possible.
Senator McCarran of Nevada was one
of the most outspoken of the delegates
to the Carson City meet. He sumed up
the situation in the west in these words:
DISCRIMINATION against the west has
amounted to this areas being treated as
a colonial institution Commenting di-
rectly on the steel plant he declared: The
heart of the one atOrs of the giant Cen
eva steel plant has Oeen with the indus
try in some other section of the country.
Geneva must be COMPLETED to serve the
west as the west should be served Gov
ernor Carville Of Nevada had this to say:
at must be returned to private industry
as the war is over
." Assemblyman Harvey Z. Hastain, who
attended the Nevada meeting sees success
In the vests determination to secure talr
treatment and was one of the leaders at
that meet in citing the shortsightednesS
OF the government. Said ne:
- "The postwar planners in the east 90
not know the west and the representa-
tives of the eleven western stats banded
themselves together to see that the post
war plans are made by WesternerS VINO
know the west and understand its prob
.5ems and needs =
Complete and wholehearted support OF
the public in these eleven states should
be given at once and continued.