Mr. ROSE. By the way, I would like to ask permission to file with. this committee, whether you ever publish them or not, the soil reports if I feel like doing that.

Mr. SMITH of Idaho. I do not think that would be advantageous to the Imperial Valley to file that report and have it circulated around as a public document.

Mr. WELLING. It would not be advantageous to the fellow that made the report, but it would not hurt the valley.

Mr. Rose. It would not hurt the valley, because it is too well known.

Mr. SMITH of Idaho. Intending settlers might read the report and be misinformed.

Mr. DAVIS. I think, Mr. Chairman, it is true that a soil report on the Imperial Valley was once made by one of the departments of the Government, not the department that I was in, but another, and it was made before I knew it was in progress, at all; that had some mistakes in it, but it is not true that all the land that they condemned is good land. There is a lot of land there that is not good land in the Imperial Valley, right around the town of Imperial, which was partly under cultivation when they were examining it, and that land to-day is not under cultivation-or was not the last time I saw it. There is a considerable area besides that, I am told-I don't know where it is, but I am told that there are about 20,000 acres of land in other places where there is alkali rising, and I know the land around Imperial that was in cultivation at that time and is now idle is some of the land that the Holmes report, which has been discussed here, referred to. Probably there are some errors in that report. I don't doubt it at all, but if you are going to condemn all future investigation because somebody has made a mistake, the report that Mr. Rose made on the Imperial Canal condemns all subsequent investigations. He made a report there that it could be built for a very small amount of money, only a fraction of what it would cost to build it. I don't criticize him nor his engineer for that. They did not have much information to base it on, but that doesn't mean that we don't want to know the facts because somebody has made a mistake regarding the facts. It means we must learn those facts. The same thing is true of the soil. The Imperial-Laguna Mesa has not been examined. There hasn't been a soil survey made of that land, and it is totally different in character, as everybody knows. The CHAIRMAN. That contains how large an area?

Mr. DAVIS. I presume it is half a million acres in area; not all irrigable but a good deal of it is. There are probably three or four hundred thousand acres of irrigable land there, but we don't know how much.

The CHAIRMAN. That is irrigable by gravity?

Mr. DAVIS. Yes; but some of it could be pumped on, too.

Mr. WELLING. Gen. Davis, why do you say that it never has been examined? It may, according to that theory, be worthless. Still you come to us representing the Secretary of the Interior, recommending bills to water it all.

Mr. DAVIS. The soil has not been examined; but, as I said in my previous talk, I would like to see legislation go through providing for the all-American canal, because of the urgency of saving the Imperial Valley.

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Mr. HAYDEN. That is, prior to building laterals from the allAmerican canal you would have time to examine the soil and find what was good land?

Mr. DAVIS. If the Kettner bill passes, proposing this entire proposition. I still think that one of the first things we should do under this bill is to make a soil examination, so as to classify the land, and the other things contemplated in this bill should be done then, and our plans could be corrected as we go along. We find that this information is insufficient, and Members of Congress object to buying a pig in a poke, to making an appropriation that has got to be spent on information to be obtained in the future. It will put that legislation in stronger shape to have that information available; it will put the district in stronger shape, if it has to finance itself, to have more information available. You can't get money put as readily on a proposition that is not thoroughly investigated as you can on one that is, if it turns out to be favorable.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, unless some one else wishes to make a further statement, the hour of adjournment has arrived.

Mr. ROSE. I have something more that I want to say. Mr. Davis intimated to this committee that the only lands those people condemned was a little spot around Imperial, on the east side. I want to file that report with this committee. I wish some of you gentlemen would look it over.

Mr. SMITH of Idaho. Bring it in and we will look at it.

Mr. HAYDEN. Mr. Chairman, why not perfect this bill and report it to the House if that is all that can be done?

Mr. BARBOUR. Why not meet in the morning for a few minutes? It is long after 12 o'clock now.

Mr. KIBBEY. I have just one word to say in reply to Mr. Rose's statement, that a telegram was received by me this morning from the Imperial irrigation district, which says:

You will please deny in strongest possible terms the statements made by Rose that the Imperial Valley can or will undertake to build the all-American canal without legislation, or in any wise without definite and certain Government control and assistance guaranteed by appropriate legislation.

That is signed by the Imperial irrigation district.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you want to answer that, Mr. Rose?

Mr. ROSE. The only answer I have to that is that I have seen Imperial Valley do that stunt several times. They ousted the board one time and gave them 15 minutes to get out, and if they want to build this canal the farmers will build it without any regard to the board.

The CHAIRMAN. This will close the hearings, gentlemen, and we are very much obliged to you, and we will now recess until 2.30 o'clock this afternoon.

(Whereupon, at 12.20 o'clock p. m., the committee recessed until 2.30 o'clock p. m. this day.)

COMMITTEE ON IRRIGATION OF ARID LANDS,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Friday, March 5, 1920.

The committee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. M. P. Kinkaid (chairman) presiding.

The CHAIRMAN. Gentlemen, I have called the committee together this morning for the purpose of hearing the draft of the report I have

been instructed to prepare in reporting out from the committee H. R. 12537, being a bill to provide for an examination and report on the condition and possible irrigation development of the Imperial Valley in California.

The report contains all the amendments suggested at our meeting of the 3d instant, and which I will now read.

If there are any omissions, corrections, or further suggestions regarding the report, we will now hear them and dispose of them.

Mr. BARBOUR. I think the report covers the ground thoroughly and should be the unanimous report of the committee.

The CHAIRMAN. I will submit this report to the Congress as the unanimous report of the committee at to-day's session.

[Report to accompany H. R. 12537.]

The Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 12537) providing for an examination and report on the condition and possible irrigation development of the Imperial Valley in California, begs leave to report it back to the House with the following specified amendments, with the recommendation that the amendments be agreed to and as amended that the bill do pass.

The committee recommends the following amendments to the bill, namely: 1. On page 2, line 2, after the word "valley" insert "and adjacent thereto." 2. On page 2, line 4, after the word " supply strike out the period and insert a comma, and thereafter the words "by diversion of water from the Colorado River at Laguna Dam."

3. On page 2, line 5, strike out the word "make."

4. On page 2, line 7, strike out the word "of" at the beginning of the line. 5. On page 2, line 12, after the word "valley" insert "and adjacent thereto." 6. On page 2, line 21, after the words " Imperial Valley" strike out the period and insert "and adjacent lands."

7. On page 2, line 25, after the word "the" and before the word "proportion insert "approximate."

8. On page 3, line 11, after the word " pay "insert"not to exceed."

9. On page 3, line 13, strike out the words "not to exceed."

10. On page 3, line 16, after the word "of " insert "at least."

The bill as finally considered, passed upon, and approved by the committee with its recommendation that it do pass, is as follows:

"[H. R. 12537, Sixty-sixth Congress, second session.]

"[Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic.] "A BILL To provide for an examination and report on the condition and possible irrigation development of the Imperial Valley in California.

"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized and directed to have an examination made of the Imperial Valley in the State of California, with a view of determining the area, location, and general character of the public and privately owned unirrigated lands in said valley which can be irrigated at a reasonable cost, and the character, extent, and cost of an irrigation system, or of the modification, improvement, enlargement, and extension of the present system, adequate and dependable for the irrigation of the present irrigated area in the said valley, and of the public and privately owned lands in said valley and adjacent thereto not now under irrigation, which can be irrigated at a reasonable cost from known sources of water supply, by diversion of water from the Colorado River at Laguna Dam.

"SEC. 2. That the said Secretary shall make report to Congress not later than the 6th day of December, 1920, of the result of his examination, together with his recommendation as to the feasibility, necessity, and advisability of the undertaking, or the participation by the United States, in a plan of irrigation development with a view of placing under irrigation the remaining unirrigated public and privately owned lands in said valley, and adjacent thereto in

connection with the modification, improvement, enlargement, and extension of the present irrigation systems of the said valley.

"SEC. 3. That the said Secretary shall report in detail as to the character and estimated cost of the plan or plans on which he may report, and if the said plan or plans shall include storage, the location, character, and cost of said storage, and the effect on the irrigation development of other sections or localities of the storage recommended and the use of the stored water in the Imperial Valley, and adjacent lands.

SEC. 4. That the said Secretary shall also report as to the extent, if any, to which, in his opinion, the United States should contribute to the cost of carrying out the plan or plans which he may propose; the approximate proportion of the total cost that should be borne by the various irrigation districts or associations or other public or private agencies now organized or which may be organized; and the manner in which their contribution should be made; also to what extent and in what manner the United States should control, operate, or supervise the carrying out of the plan proposed, and what assurances he has been able to secure as to the approval of, participation in, and contribution to the plan or plans proposed by the various contributing agencies.

"SEC. 5. That, for the purpose of enabling the Secretary of the Interior to pay not to exceed one-half of the cost of the examination and report herein provided for, there is hereby authorized to be appropriated not to exceed the sum of $20,000: Provided, That no expenditure shall be made or obligation incurred hereunder by the Secretary of the Interior until provision shall have been made for the payment of at least one-half the cost of the examination and report herein provided for by associations and agencies interested in the irrigation of the lands of the Imperial Valley.'

The bill H. R. 12537 was referred to the Secretary of the Interior for his consideration and report thereon, and on February 25, 1920, Hon. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary, made the following report:

66

"DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Washington, February 25, 1920.

"Hon. M. P. KINKAID,

66

"Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands,

"House of Representatives.

"MY DEAR MR. KINKAID: I have your letter of February 18 transmitting copy of a bill, H. R. 12537, with request for report thereon. The bill is entitled as follows: 'A bill to provide for an examination and report on the condition and possible irrigation development of the Imperial Valley in California.'

"You state that the bill was introduced after a conclusion had been reached that neither the Kettner bill (H. R. 11553) nor anything like it could be passed at this session. The bill proposes to authorize an appropriation not to exceed $20,000 under which no expenditure shall be made or obligation incurred until provision has been made for the payment of one-half the cost of the examination, provided by the bill, by associations and agencies interested in the irrigation of lands in the Imperial Valley.

"On February 16, 1918, I made a contract with the Imperial irrigation district providing for investigations, surveys, and cost estimates of an all-American canal from Laguna Dam, Arizona-California, into Imperial Valley, which contemplated an expenditure of $45,000, of which the Imperial district furnished $30,000. This report has just been printed and I inclose herewith a copy for the committee.

"This report was devoted largely to the engineering features of the proposition. The bill in question will authorize a more general study of the character of the lands and their availability for irrigation, together with a number of other important details regarding the feasibility, necessity, and advisability of the undertaking.

"In view of the conditions regarding the possibility of passing an appropriation for construction of the works as presented by the committee, it seems to me that the best thing which can be done at the present time to advance the interests of this proposition, which I regard as meritorious, would be to appropriate further moneys for the necessary investigations which would be preliminary to construction.

"I therefore suggest favorable action upon the bill.

"Cordially yours,

"FRANKLIN K. LANE, Secretary."

It has been made to appear to your committee by an abundance of evidence that there exists urgent necessity for the relief of the present water users in Imperial Valley, Calif., from the serious obstacles with which they contend in securing water for the irrigation of their farms by the present imperfect system of carrying the water, first, by canal fom the Colorado River in the State of California south across the international boundary line into the Republic of Mexico; thence by an old river bed west in Mexico for 60 miles, whereby physical control by American water users is suspended; thence north across the international boundary line into Imperial Valley, Calif. Imperial Valley water users have been and are obliged to deliver water to Mexican irrigators at nominal prices. It has also been necessary to construct and maintain expensive levees on the Mexican side to safeguard American holdings from being flooded, and additionally to pay exorbitant duties to the Mexican Government for conveying into the Republic the immense amount of American material used in the construction of such levees, as well as for all of the horses and mules and other property taken into Mexico for temporary use.

An acute condition has arisen between the patrons of the canal which supplies Imperial Valley and the water users of the Yuma Reclamation Project in Arizona by reason of the fact that in order to divert water by gravity from the Colorado River into the canal, the Imperial Irrigation District of California has annually, for the several years last past, found it expedient to construct at very great expense, during the period of low water, a temporary diversion dam, or wier, across the river, which to prevent disaster by flooding the Yuma water users, must be annually removed before the high-water period. But it is the opinion of reclamation engineers that the existence at any time of the wier dam imperials the safety of the Yuma' project and property thereon; also the safety of the Laguna Dam, constructed by the Government, on account of the possibility of a sudden rise in the river, resulting in the flooding of the Yuma project and the backing of the water up the river against the dam.

It is contemplated that the solution of the problem is the building of an allAmerican canal, with the route through Mexico entirely abandoned, and surveys by competent engineers make that appear to be feasible.

Your committee is convinced of the great productivity of the soil in Imperial Valley and its exceptional merits as an agricultural proposition, with water properly applied to the planted and growing crops. On the irrigated lands in the Imperial irrigation district, comprising about 430,000 acres, there was realzed last year from the sale of their surplus productions over the local demand and home consumption, about $60,000,000.

According to reliable estimates there remains in the Imperial Valley, irrigable lands not yet provided with water, 250,000 acres owned by the Government, and an equal amount in the hands of private owners, so that with all of the irrigable lands in the valley reclaimed, the area would amount to nearly a million acres.

While your committee is convinced there is a very pressing demand and necessity for relief to be afforded to the present water users in Imperial Valley, it is yet deemed a prudent precaution to require the investigation and report thereon, provided by H. R. 12537, for the better information of the Congress in the premises.

In conclusion your committee unanimously recommend the passage of H. R. 12537, when amended as herein suggested.

Whereupon, at 10.45 a. m., the committee adjourned.