Montana labor news., 1945-09-06
ORGANIZATION FOR
.MVA SPEEDING UP
ACTION

In the wake OF the wars end, with all
its implications Of the necessity for
speedy action to meet postwar recon
version and employment problems, pro-
ponents of a Missouri Valley Author
ity stepped up their activity to secure
favorable congressional action on the
pending Murray Cochran bills to create
an MVA. Numerous MVA meetings
were scheduled in every M Of the Mis-
souri, Valley states, with Iowa, Kansas
and Nebraska in the forefront in the
first few days after the Japanese sur
render.
The executive board Of the Iowa State
Committee for MVA, in a meeting at
Sioux City, August Is, completed plans
for the organizations drive to secure
175,000 signers to MVA petitions in the
coming months. The state quota was
set at the recent executive meeting of
the Regional Committee for MVA,
which is providing overall direction for
a 100000 signature mass petition cam
paign. John Connolly Jr., Iowa state
representative on the regional organi-
cation, presided at the Sioux City meet
ing.
Jerome Walsh, chairman of the Kan
sas City, Mo, MYA committee, was the
principle speaker at a public session
sponsored by the Northwest Iowa MVA
committee and held in Sioux City in
conjunction with the state committee
executive session.
Raymond K. Tucker, vice chairman
Of the regional committee, will address
a Kansas statewide educational meet
ing to be held at Topeka September
s, it was announced by Floyd E. Black,
Kansas representative on the regional
committee, and Z. K. Dean, president
Of the Kansas Farmers Union. Black
and Dean are in charge Of arrange
ments for the meeting, which will be
open to the public.
In Nebraska, where opponents of an
MVA are solidly entrenched but the
proponents have only become active
since the formation Of the Nebraska
Committee for MVA at the regional
conference in Omaha July o and !, a
series of debates is under way.
Carlyle Hodgkin, editor Of the Ne
braska Union Farmer, representing the
proponents in a debate held under the
auspices of the Lincoln, Nebr, League
of Women Voters, August %, termed
MVA a progressive idea both in the
field OF esource development and in
the art and practice OF government"
In resource development, it replaces
the old piece-meal method with a new
principle OF unity" Hodgkin said. IN
the art and practice Of government, it
represents decentralization Of govern
ment authority into the area Of opera
ton. MVA is a better way Of doing
the things that nearly everybody agrees
need to be done
His opponent was Charles {. Clayton
OF St. Louis, Mo, a ne%wspaperman
closely associated with the Mississippi
Valley Association, spokesman for
navigation interests u%nconcerned with
comprehensive integrated valley devel-
opment.
f. c. Radke, Lincoln attorney who is
chairman OF the Nebraska Committee
for MVA, will debate Everett Winter,
manager OF the Missouri River Division
of the Mississippi Valley Association
August % in a public meeting spon-
sored by the Nebraska City junior
OF Commerce. The Missouri
River Division was set up this spring,
offices in Omaha, exclusively for
purposes of fighting MVA. R. Y. Graft
Of Bancroft, Nebr., another member Of
the Nebraska MVA committee, spoke at
Nebr, August 20.