Montana labor news., 1948-06-10

Ear Nj. network loi tti~ emporium
ity to tell you someti4in1 about the
present status of Nilsson Valley de-
velopment that | thin every west
erner should know. | hayr he.u a
citizen OF Montana siuse territorial
DAYS. Never before ha there been a
condition under which hundreds OF
Our best and most Influential people
supported a program III Will rob our
state of the use of its uiu~t valuable
heritaee-its running water am
sure that thousands 81 political sup
ppriers of the so-cal',i Pick sloan
plan have little realization flai the
Pick Sloan plan is 10Y aiit'y per cent
General Picks plan. Il ..r as water
is concerned.
And. General Picks pla for a great
navisation channel from sioux City
to the mouth of the Missouri WAS not
a new thing when it VI ilnated 10
The public in 1914. As fully disclosed
by . twelve-hundred paa >rmv En-.
gineer official report Row in my Of
flee. this dream of a %nine-foot deep
navieation channel with water enough
to operate it has heen growing and
expanding and gradually approaching
reality since about 1922. perhaps ear
lier. Since 1881 Army Engineers
as is possible. what volume Of water
will be required to maintain and OPP
crate their navigation channel This
is all set forth in detail IN their of
fetal reports.
Since 1881 Army Engineers have
been engaged in planning for a sys
TEN that will provide the necessary
water. Now they have congressional
authorization FOR such a system, An
authorization for construction Of five
gigantic reservoirs alons The main
stream through the two Dakotas.
These will submerge more than eighty
per cent Of Missouri Rivers bottom
land from Montana TO Nebraska -
nearly 500 miles as the river runs.
Thees gigantic reservoirs, together
With Fort Peck. will store nearly four
times the average yearly FLOW Of the
river at the lowest danSite and hurry
under 50 to 200 feet OF water more
land than the Sloan plan even prom
Uses to irrisate in Montana
Little To Go For Power
Less than fifteen per cent Of Thu,
1000. 900 acre feet OF storage being
provided is for flood control Another
fifteen per cent. or less. could be
used for irrigation purposes if snffi
cient water was available. Neither
are these reservoirs and dams partic-
ularly valuable for power production
purposes. since the water HAT passes
them cannot be maintained as Il con
slant year round flow The naviga
ton channel that is to be supplied
will require about six times as much
flow during 2f3 of the year-naviea
ton season-as it does during the
remaining Ia Of Non navigation time
You all know that electric power pro
duced during only oI3 OF the year has
little or no sales value.
We are ali constantly treated tc
great doses of slittering propaganda
about mu~lti-purpose development il
Missouri valley. The sickening fac
remains that General Picks gigantic
frog ponds from Fort Peck to Yank
ton have but n primary purpose
they can be used ful only one primar,
being constructed Tor such a purpose
These reservoirs merely act as gigan
tic tunnels that Viii gather up west
ern water and pom it OF down int
the navigation channel below.
Montana viii Be High and Dry
When the project is completed. vs.
sagebrushcrs up here i'll Montana
Wyoming. and tie VIC Dalotas vii
probably be able 10 sland on the bani
and wave Il last farewell to our pass
ing likelihood Of Development as ii goe.
on down to increase flood crests 70
our ~neiehbors in Nebraska, Kansas
iowa. ana MlSsplli ITeclStly VITA
General Picks plan means in term
of flood control along the Missour
from It's mouth % Yalkton-S4o mile
above-is % to - per cen mon.
water 10 be controlled. This mean
more sand to pump levees |,
build, more pilin4 10 drive-a PEI
petual job for Army Engineers durinl
the years 10 one Six weeks ago
flew along The Missouri from the Mo-,
tana line to st loiis. From air tn
lower river now lpohed like a dirt.
brown snake hela used for d pir
cushion Of piline Pile drivers an
RATS Of poles 9ere about the onl,
river traffic | SAN Time will not pei