The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-11-02
Who Gets the Billion
Dollar Babies?

E. political Economc) Power presently
whether the whole of people of Missouri valley shall
control and custody of these valuable twins
through creation of MVA whether they shall turn the
infants over to the guardianship seeekng old gentle
man. also Power. His full is Predatory Power
and he obtained
most of the other Power family chdren likewise their play
Back of all the smoke this is the stake
the current political melee boiling toward battle heat
began gather the Senator Murray
MVA BILL patterned after the successful
IVA Act Back Of and written into this MVA bill is great
vision of The vision that of full and
completely developed the entire Missouri river drainage
BASIN about sixth of all the Continental United
complete development of this region
stues largest comprehensive and possibly the most
intricate plan for of authorizing and starting
men of national that has been called
upon to approve.
Full and complete development means final maximum
of all land and water for ALL the people of Mis-
Valley the nation Necessarily this includes the most
that extension of irrigated full control
floods owatt of hydroeectrc energy that
be harnessed adequate navigation channel from the
heart of the region via Mississippi and out to the
Seven Seas It also much in the way of
natural resource development
bowls cured only by cycle
of heavier rainfall Soil erosion still gigantic
problem susceptible to maximum solution only when handled
connection with water development Soil fertility be
doubled by phosphate application and millions of tons of
phosphate rock are available Its processing depends wholly
cheap power. Fish, small and other wild life be
many times when there floods suitable
natural habita planned for and provided in connection
with canals and reservoirs not otherwise The must be
parks Fairgrounds and other recreation areas all
except small percentage of mountainous Changing of
natures waterways be of aid in solution of sewerage
problems will bring others that health such
mosquitoes Health and hygiene all wrapped
and methods of water Ditto for restoration of of
the failing ground water supplies Afforestation and reor
staton be worked sufficiently for complete
plan only connection with all other plans
Thus the connection in part at least down through the
log list of mineral and oil we'll products Complete
unified and mupurpose development must take account
of all of it.
Such is the vision behind the MVA bill The purpose is
this large complicated works of development into
motion and furnish the pattern that will dovetail each unit
of into ntegrated and balanced whole The job will not
Of hot
progress fifty hundred years hence. This all important
simply be performed by two by twenty
government agencies 1t must have nothing less than
Authority type of control
This the vision and purpose MvA advocates and is
written into the bill they support AS yet there specific
blue print plan There be none until some overall agency
is given authority to develop it, Provisions of the MVA bill
accessible purpose all Army Engineers and Rec
amaon Bureau data and plans and similar nforma
ton in other departments perhaps twenty
in number Even such vast fund of information will prob
ably insufficient Field work be required fill in
and reconcile conflicts before the Grand Plan become
reality Two of time granted MVA, the Public Cor
poration to do this and report back to Congress.
All of which does not imply, that construc
ton work must be held delayed Many of the units
planned and ready for construction will become part of
any Grand Plan that developed these may
proceed without interruption Nor there, the BILL any
provision that existing government agencies shall be excluded
performance tasks for which they best fitted
MVA opponents propose to give Missouri Valley,
substitute the socaed Pick Plan and the Sloan Plan The
the ougrowth Of the vsonor lack of vison-of
Army Engineers For century, this agency has been
charged with navigation and flood control work Countless
yet little navigation and almost flood control Prob
ably until 1888 Fort Peck Dam) did the Army
the best control floods is by storage
up where floods begin Likewise stable even flow
navigation channels easily provided by regulation of
river flow through reservoir head gates.
Apparently Army yet upper
There the water that originates
for multiple purposes flood control
CATION irrigation and as silt areser Take look
Peck Dam we'll the whole Pick Plan Little
irrigation grow of either Pick Plan
and took special act of Congress- after
built get power installation there The
Pick Plan that proposes to utilize about wohrds of Missouri
river flow hardly be called multpurpose plan 1t is
essentially Valley navigation and flood control plan
GAS the winds have blown is the tree bent This
apply to Army Engineers in so far complete mupurpose
DEVELOPMENT of Missouri Valley is concerned.
From the stand point of maximum good to greatest
much be said of the Reclamation Bureau
Sloan Plan However it to fall far short any vision
of maximum development and hydroeectric is
the slave that should do work of Both plans together
little of all the other develop
requisite full webalanced and complete perform
of the great task ahead