October 7, 1942

(copy)

Mr.

dear

Mr.

Warden.

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON

October 7, 1942

This year, for the first time in its history, the National Reolamation Assooiation is meeting with the Nation at war.

For ten years your organization has been fighting for the development of the

arid

third of our oountry

by wi8eluti1i~atio.n

of the Westts preoious water resources. You have had remarkable sucoess in that fight in which

I rum

proud to

ha~e

been allied with you.

Now , with the needs of the

war

program uppermost in mind,

IIrJ'

message to you

is

to keep up the good fight$ Never before have

-

the West's land and water reeouroes meant so much to the Nation.

Never before has there been greater

need

for

the~r

oonservation and proteotion.

and#

as the requirements of the

war

dictate, for their effioient utilization.

Reolamation already has made great oontributions to the war production program by expansion ofOits output of eleotrio power to turn the

'wheels of war industryo It must continue 'that ~rk

and do more.

As

a greater output of western agrioulture is required in support of an all-out program of food produotion, Reolamation must be ready to assist the West

o

The response in

expanded output

I

realize will be in proportion to the labor and material available for irrigation oonstructiono You are making,

I

know, the most

of

the faoilities now in operation.

Those two production programs

^I

based on power

8.nd

irrigation, go hand in hand in the West. They are vital in war. In peaoe they likewise will serve the Nation. They will stabilize the West, provide employment,

and make

possible

farm

homes for returning service men

and

war industrial workers. Your effort to advance these programs is a service to the Nation.

Sincerely yours,

FRANKLIN

D.

ROOSEVELT.

Hon.

O. S.

'VIu"den,

^I

President, National

Reol~tion

Association, Denver, Colorado.

...

(COPI)

Air

Mail

My

dear

Mr.

Warden:

THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR Washington

October

6, 1942

I

appreciate this opportunity to reaffirm my interest in and concern for the work you of the

~ational

Reolamation Assooiation are

doin~6

The planning and oonstruction of Reolamation projeots in the West are of great national importanoe. The war has given

R~clamation

a

new

opportunity to prove itself;

and

it has not failed.

Your Assooiation can be proud of the part if: has tfi!.ken in assisting Reolamation to adapt itself to

a·progr~

of

,maximum

servioe to the Nation in its hour of peril. You pledged yourselves to do this

in

your No.

1

resolution adopted a year ago in the oon- vention at Phoenix,

and I

congratulate you on

your

adherenoe to that pledge.

A

great deal has been aooomplished in the last year.

'The

Assooiation's cooperation has helped the Government set in motion the largest eleotrio-power progrwm ever blueprinted for consumma- tion in a few years by

any

agency. Within a single year the

Bureau

of Reelwmation has added nearly

500,000

kilowatts or ^hydro-

electrio

oapaoity-~a 50

per cent inorease in its power

.

output--to help transform raw materials into the weapons of war. More must

be

aoeomplishoo. quiokly in order that the needs of the Nation for power may be met.

The West also should be prepared to meet possible food shortages which

~y

threaten the national welfare in this emergenoy. Through the construction program, whioh Commissioner Page has prepared at my direction, the

Bureau

of Reclamation, when provided with funds

and

priorities for materials, oan aooelerate irrigation developments to furnish supplemental water for existing orop lands to inorease their food output, and to bring

new

lands under cultivation.

On top of this

~

work, through

its

ourrent investigations, th6 Bureau of Reolwmation will have a shelf of feasible projeots ready for launohing at the olose of the war to oushion the impaot of our transition to a peaoetime eoonomy. These projeots will provide employment

and

settlement opportunities for demor'ilized servioe men and war industry

w~rkerso

I

wm sure that

you

members of the National Reclamation Assooia- tion

are

behind this program wholeheartedly. Your oounsel

and

guidanoe will be of material aid in its fulfillment.

Hon. O. S. Warden,

Sinoerely yours,

(Sgd.) Harold L. Iokes Seoretary of the Interior.

P.resident, National Reolamation Association,

Denver, Colorado.

A message from the Secretary of Agriculture to the National

Reol~ation Association on the oooasion of its Annual Meeting. October 14-15-16, 1942, at Denver, Colorado

I am sorry not to be able to talk to you personally about our war- time agricultural needso As a Nation, our complacenoy about the adequaoy of our food supply is dangerouso The war has oreated a need for greater agricultural production than has ever faced the country beforeo Our military foroes are expanding rapidlYD our Allies require increased

~ounts of food under Lend-Lease and our civilian population is working harderQ These factors all contribute to inoreased demands on our farm plant ⁰

To win the war we must concentrate all our future efforts on produc- tion, pro~essing and distribution of absolutely essential foods.

We must make some shift in production fram crops of which we now have reserves, such as wheat and cotton, to~other essential crops for which war needs have oreated

an

inoreased demando Of especial importanoe are soy beans, peanuts and flaxseed for oil.

We

shall have to make other shifts

in produotion from crops of low nutritive value to those of high nutritive value ⁰ We need more meat, dairy and poultry products.

Our farmers have made a tremendous produotion effort this year whioh, aided by favorable weather, has brought indioated production of all orops 13 peroent above the former all-time high in 1937. However, we are ex- perienoing a farm labor shortage that more and more will hamper, and we

cannot count on comparable weather another year. We must utilize avail~

a.ble farm labor to the limit.

We want to grow agricultural products as close as possible to points of oonsumption and s~ipment so as to help reduce the transportation burden on our railroad and truck lines.

Agrioultural production in the West is of inoreasing signifioanoe because of the many kinds of crops that are grown on irrigated lands and the possibilities of shi£ts in production to meet specifio needs; ..

because of the kinds of products grown in greatest quantities there, su~

as beef, mutton. wool, dairy and poultry produots, flaxseed, dry field peas and beans, sugar beets, etc., and because reoently-established in- dustrial and military centers there require inoreasing amounts of staple food and feed crops.

Western agriculture has various problems with long-time features that will have to be fitted into the over-all agrioultural pattern of producing the most possible with oonstantly dtminishing manpower and less maohinery •.

. Wise development and productive agricultural use of irrigated lands involve planning even further in advance than farmers ordinarily do, even though all farmers normally have to plan further ahead than most people because their produotive efforts are geared to the seasons.

Although it is impossible to determine spec.ific produotion goals for more than a year ahead. we can foresee increasing demand for highly nutri- tive agrioultural produots for at least several years. We lilll not be able to produce all for which there will be need, even by the fullest possible use of our available farm, maohinery and manpower resouroes.

Your Assooiation oan oontribute most effectively to meeting our war- time needs for food, feed and fiber by helping to see that the irrigated land part of our national farm plant is kept in an efficient, produoing condition, and that it is ready at all times to meet emergency calls that

may

be made upon it.

Claude R. Wickard

Secretary of Ag:riculture

No. 1

RES 0 L UTI 0 N

VlHEREAS, since the last convention of this Association, our Country, through the dastardly trickery and the unprovoked assault of an undeclared enemy, has been plunged into a war of unprecedented violence in which our existence as a nation of free people is threatened, and

~ffiEREAS, our ultimate victory in this total, world- wide wa~ requires the all-out and wholly self-sacrificing effort

of every citizen and of every group and class in the nation,

NOd, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the National

Reclamation Association that it as an Association and on behalf of its individual members solemnly pledges to the country and to those charged with the conduct of the war full support in oaring for our men at arms, assisting our Allies, supporting and

promoting our war effort and preserving our freedom; and this Association further pledges every sacrifice necessary that victory may be ours, and

DE

IT

FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this

resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States of America.

NO.

-

2

.

RES 0 L UTI 0 N

WHEREAS, there now exists widespread publio apathy regarding the future supply of goods and fibers needed to cover the nationfs needs as well as its lease-lend obligations, and

WHEREAS, this apathy is evidenced by failure to provide the nec- essary man power, maohinery, and fertilizer and to maintain in work proj- ects designed to supplement the present irrigation water requirements and to supply new lands in the western states, and

WBEREAS, there is irrefutable evidence that the agricultural plant of this country is headed toward drastic declines in production of critically needed products of the farm, and

WHEREAS. because of the character of the farming industrt, trends toward decreased agricultural produotionmust be halted and reversed upon the basis of anticipated necessity rather than present shortages,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that to the extent required, the National Reclamation Association urges that agriculture generally be given priorities co-equal and co-ordinate with the arms and shipbuilding program as to man power, machinery and fertilizers! that in the west supplementary water projects as well as new projects for which the expensive headworks

are in place be supplied with money. men, and materials for their rapid completion. both as a war-time measure and to help to cushion the effects of post-war repercussion with rural homes and a means of livelihood; that farm production be recognized as essential to success in the kind of war in whioh we are now engaged, and that it be fostered and enoouraged with the srume type of financial and moral assistance which has so far been

accorded to industrial production associated with the arms and shipbuilding program; and, lastly, that the plow be identified and dignified by publio offioials as well as ships and planes as a tool for the sucoessful prose- cution of this war,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the officers of this Association are directed to send oopies of this resolution to the responsible heads of the war produotion effort.

No. 3

R E S 0 1 UTI 0 N

~ffiEREAS, the Case Wheeler Act is nmv inoperative, and

1:;mERE1'~S, there are many reclamation projects which are

of a size that formerly would have been constructed under said Act and which are meritorious, and their total benefits make them feasible from a general economic standpoint, and

HHEREAS, the construction of such projects would be of' great value as a stabilizing program in the Great Plains area,

NOV'f, THEREFORE. BE IT RESOLVED, that the National

Reclamation Association proposes that the limitation of operations of the Reclamation Bureau be so altered as to permit the con- struction and supervision of construction of such projects, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that broadened authorizations to the Department of Agriculture should be provided where neoessa.ry to expedite maximum settlement and development on existing projects already served by irrigation ditches, as a further means of seouring maximum food production from reclamation states.

NOo

----

4

RESOLUTION

VlHEREAS, The highest use of the nation ^t s water resources can only be achieved after well considered investigation supported by adequate factual information, and

VJBI:RE1\S, The Bureau of Reclrunation has under way plans, surveys, designs ^I and investigations which it is necessary to complete in order to provide essential information necessary to properly appraise and select reclamation projects for post-war construction, and

1~ELREAS, In order to supplement and complete such surveys, it is necessary. to provide through t he Geological Survey pertinent data relative to the accumulation of stream flow t the behavior and adequacy of ground vater supplies, and the safe quantity of draft that may be consistently made therefrom, as 1'~11 as the chemical characteristics of both surface and sub-surface lfater sources, as a pre:requisi te to any plans for the use and control of 'water for reclamation purposes, and

\IIFlliREAS. The National Reclamation Association has in the past and desires in the future to assist and support the Bureau of Reclamation and the Geological Survey in every v;ay possible in these water investi- gation programs.

NOd. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED., That the secretary-manager t

officers and directors of the National Reclamation Association, be

authorized and requested to encourage and promote the water investigation program of the Bureau of Reclamation and the GeolOgical Survey, and

take all steps ne cessary to properly adviSe members of Congress of the importance of projects now in course of development, and in the formulation of wise :plans for post-war developwnt.

NO. 5

---

RES 0 L UTI 0 N

WHEREAS,

the

continued operation of existing irrigation enterprises is one of the undertakings essential to winning the war,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National

Reclamation Association does by this resolution request all proper authorities to provide adequate priorities for essential materials for the successful and efficient operation and maintenance of suoh existing irrigation enterprises with especial consideration to automotive and electrical equipment, fuel, rubber and replacement materials.

NO. 6

RESOLUTION

UHEREAS, over a large part of the area of the seventeen member states of the National Reclamation Association sugar beets constitute the most important single cro~, not only because of direct profit in producing the rev! material for the manufacture of sugar, an essential food commodity, but on account of a tremendous by-product

contribution in the raising of livestock and a more complete local preparation of the same for the nnrket.

~\IHEREAS, sugar beets are the dellendable cash crop of the reclamltion farmer.

NO,V, T.HEREFOBE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Reclamation Association urges the Congress that it at once amend the Sugar Act to per.rui t a progressive e~)ansion of the Sugar industry until the

United States, through unrestricted production, supplies not less than fifty percent of its home consumption. In making this recommendation the Associati~ asserts its belief that if this is done through

proper q,uotas and modest protection thereafter vlith constantly increasing per-acre yield and lo't'J'8r cost operation through i~QroVing machinery , sugar wi l l 'become a great staple :?roduct in tvrenty states -- em)loying thousands of additional people -rnthout additional cost of sugar to the constun.er.

NO. 7

RES 0 L UTI 0 N

WHEREAS, various federal oorporations and lending

agencies, such as the Reconstruction Finanoe Corporation, are the holders of the outstanding bonds and other evidences of indebted- ness of various reclamation and irrigation projects, and

WHEREAS, as long as such obligations are held by federal agencies, they allow the indebted Districts to redeem their

obligations for cancellation ahead of schedule at the price of par plus acorued interest, thus permitting a considerable saving in interest, and

WHEREAS, as soon as such federal agencies sell these obligations to. private interests, they can be redeemed only upon maturity thus depriving the districts of the opportunit.y of re- deeming them at will.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Re- clrumation Association that it recommends that the various federal agencies continue to hold all reclamation and ir~igation project bonds and other evidences of indebtedness until such time as they are transferred to other federal agencies ar are redeemed in full by the indebted prajects, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this resolution be forwarded to. said variaus federal agencies for their very serious consideration and appraval.

NO. 8

RESOLUTION

RESOLVED. That at each annual meeting of this

Assooiation the president and the secretary-manager report to the Association what has been done in the meantime to put into effect each of the resolutions passed at the preceding annual meeting_

NO.

- - -

9

\'.HE8.EP.S, the use of ^vva tel' for irrigation, vlhich in the reclamation st8.tes is the found.ation of the existing social and economic structures, hb.S for more th&n seven ty-fi ve yeaTs been con trolled and regula. ted by the s tee tes unoer stc..te Ib.\H3 through state auministrative officials with the result that there are now more than tv.enty million acres of irrigated land in these ste.tes receiving waters from enterprises representing an investment of more than

~rl, 000,000,000; lind

VvHEitE~AS, In those s t& tes of the Union 1vherein lar·ge developmen ts are dependent upon the use of water under the law of riparian rights, vested rights of immense proportions have been acquired in reliClnce upon s ta te lav.:

governing the waters of non-navigf-.:ble streams end the control thereof by the state; £ .. nd

ViHE8.EL8, Differences of opinion hcve &risen in li tiga tion involving

interstc=...te streams over the respective rights and powers of the federal and state governments to control and administer these waters with the result that the stability of existing property rights has been threatened and doubt has been cast upon the authority of the states to exercise control over such waters;

and

ViHE8.EAS, The national vvelf8.t:e,which requires that the greatest

beneficial use be made of the vva tel's of the s treD.ID, so that this grea t resource shall be conserveQ, makes necessary prompt and vigorous action to end such differences and to assure the continuance of the use and control of water in the menner s.nd under the Ibx;s heretofore es t&blishedj

NOV:, THEfiEFORE BE IT ttE;::IJLVED, That the Pre~ident of the National Reclamation Association be empowered and directed to ap~oint a coy.~ittee of five membeTs of the Association to present the matter of state control of non- navigable waters to the Governors of the several states vvi th the request that suitab1e provision be made by statute and ap1Jropriation for- the b.fJpointment end pDyment of necessary expense of representatives of each of such states to

aseemble data and make 'a thorough study of the rights und. po\')ers of' such states

to control all vmters therein non-navi~able in fact and to do all thinrs that ma~r be necessary and appropriate whether by way of conferences, Court appearance or otherwise, to protect properly the richts of the several states; and

BE IT FURTITF£ ReSOLVED, That the National Reclamation Association hereby recommends the appropriation by the Board of the sum of ~lOOO~OO out of the funds on hand fDr the paynlent of such expenses as may be necessary for said cOl~ittee to carryon its wor}:, said fund to be disbursed by the Treasurer of the Association on the vouchers of the Chairman of the Conmitteej and

BE IT FUR TIltR EESOLVLD, That said cOnL"'!1i ttee be empower ed to appoint such other persons as members of such committee or as assistants as it may be deemed necessary, 8.!ld to solicit the aid and assistance of such persons as the Governors of the states may

appoint as the representatives of such states to the end that the principle of state control of non-navigable waters shall remain as heretofore established.

- 2 -

HE S

, o

LuT.' Jr. ON

1.l!Se' or c!)nt-ra1. of water should no"t ~rc).iJnate or impair the other

I I

WIater uses or rights, vb-ether state, municipal or pri\rate, in the states

: I

having such projects but should be treated on the same basis; and

~:HLRE;AS, "ghere two ·or ;more states are on the sane stream or body of water, each state is justly entitled for itself and its people to an equitable division or a~)portionrrent of the use of the 't!vater con- sti tuting the common source of s\.lpply, as, in suits bet'l:"-J'een states, has been held by the Supreme Court of the United States; and

1;HERr.:AS, the foregoing :princiyles of vater use, in accordance wi th state la-vr8 and as betr,-een states, are 8.Dplicable not only to the states of the West maintaining the appropriation system of water ^laV-T but as ~'!ell to the states of the East uhere the riparian system of water law is in effect; and

r;HLRTIJ~S, state laws do not obstruct but permit and favor the

functioning of fede1~l and federally authorized water projects: Now_t t·berefore be it

RESOLVED, tba t :federal legislation hereafter enacted should con ....

tain ^t and federal legislation already enactec^1. should be a:a:ended to con- tain, yrovisions to the effect:

(a) that the water uses oormected vlith such projects should be, as to their legal inoidernt s, in accordance with the law of the state containing the project, or if pOints of vlater d1 version or im-pact are si too teeT in more than one state, then acc~ding to the law of the part icular s ta te containing su ch point or pOints of v,ra ter diversion or impact; and according to any applicable interstate compact.

(b) that, in case of more than one state upon the sane stream or body of water, such water uses in a state containing the pro-

je ct should be vrl. thout pre judice to the rigb. t of the other state or·· states to an equi table division or apportion.n:ent of the water uses of

I

the ._OO-lIJlllOJl supply vilether the project for the use of the nater is fede~l

or federally authorized or is a state, municipal or private undertaking;

and be it further.

RESOLVED ^I tnat the oftio~rsof this Association are ·direeted to call the attention of the states of the East to their common interest

I

r n.

th the state)3 of -elle ~.:est in respec~ to the legal relationships between

!

the states and. the federai Government and betlreen state am state., .and they are directed to invoke support by the states of the East of the foregoing principies relating to rater use; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the officers of this Association are hereby directed 'to take all necessary steps, including appearances before com- mittees of the Congress, interviews

\in.

th members of the Congress and officers of t~e executive branch of the Government, securing the intro- duction of bills, and any other proper means, to give effect to the fo rego ing program of this Associa tion, and the Se cretary-Manager of the Association is directed to send copies of this resolution to the

President of the United States, to all members of the Congress, to the Secretaries of ~!ar and Interior and Agriculture, to the Chief of Army Engineers, to the Commissioner of Reclamation and to the Governor of each state ..

- 2 -

NO II

\~, the Farm Security Administration has been authorized by Congress to cooperate with the bureau of Reclamation in the develop- ment and settlement of irrigation l)ro jects in the arid and semi-arid regions of the United states and

V'JHE.REt\S this cooperation has increased the rate of production, enabling the immediate production of food and fiber to meet the present war effort on this type of ]roject.

RESOLVED that the National Reclamation Association urges that the Farm Security Administration be authorized by Congress to cooperate in a sirrllar manner with all state and local agencies in the development and settlement of all irrigated lands in the 17 western states.

No. 12

RES 0 L UTI 0 N ...

_---_

^....

_- ^...

WHEREAS, virtually all land reclamation projects on the Bureau of Reclamation program, following the making of' appropriations by the Congress, have been de-rated and given such low priorities as to make their construction in the near future unlikely if not impossiblel and

WHEREAS,

it is the belief of the National Reclamation Association that certain projects on the program where supplemental supplies of water for land already under irrigation or partly

oompleted projects can be put into production with the use of a minimum of critical material, and

VlHEREAS, the completion of such projects would make possible increased production of food, forage, and fiber ~equired

to aid in supplying the normal population of the western states, the hundreds of thousands of workers in western war industries, and the armed forces stationed or in training in western posts,

Nal, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the War Production Board is requested by the National Reclamation Association to review carefully the priority status of thes,e reclamation projects and to grant priorities to such projects as can be put into

agricultural production with a minimum of critical material and manpower.

NO. 13

RESOLUrrION

1·IT-ILREAS, The doctrines of prior ap!.:,ro9riation and beneficial-.use

have been fully recosnized in all the irrization States; and

Tlf-illREAS, )ractically all of the irrigation States have ado)ted water codes embodying those doctrines and )roviding for, reGulating ana.

controlliI16, the a)propriation, diversion c::.nd use of vvater for irrigation purposes, and

VrrlliREJ~S, in the course of years of litigation the ApDellate Courts of the several states have been called upon to deterrnil~ existing rights and to declare certain principles under the statute law; and

VlBLRIJ! .. S, the 1vater codes :gossess little degree of uniformity with the result that the decision of the courts of the states present some confusion in the body of the 'water lavI of the vrest; and

l]}ICREAS, i t 1,'.0 uld se em ad vis able that:

A. There be greater uniformity in the Hater Codes of the

\lestern States;

B. The States requiring irrigation for successful agriculture make a co-incident re-declaration of the principle of state control of water resources;

NOTT, THLRIJFOIlli BE IT HLSOLVED, By the National Reclamation Association:

1. That a committee of five be ay,ointed by the President of this Association to make a study of the ~:ater Codes of the irrigation states;

2. That upon corngletion of such study the committee yrepare a uniform IJ'Jater Code and that not less than 90 days prior to the next convention copies of such preposed vmter code be mailed to the Director of each state n:ember of the Associati on 1'0 r study by the irrigation interests of that state; and

3. That adequate facilities De provided in the program of the next Convention for further study and discussion of the proposed Code.

NO.

_li-_

RES 0 L UTI 0 N

==========

WHEREAS, there is an urgent and pressing demand for rubber with which to carryon the prosecution of the war; as well as for the maintenance of transportation for the civilian population of the United states; and

WEEREAS, it appears from authoritative investigations and operations conducted by the United states Govermnent that the growing of guayule furnishes a promising means of obtaining a large amount of natural rubber to supplement synthetic rubber and meet those special requirements for which synthetic is not suited; and

1mEREAS, the growing of guayule has been found to be most successful in hot, arid, irrigated areas of the West; and

~mEREAS, irrigated lands must be made available in the near future for the growing of guayule in order to serve the needs of the armed forces and essential civilian needs; and

~rnEREAS, the Bureau of Reclamation has under way and nearing completion the construction of irrigation projects in the West which vlill, on completion, make available hundreds of thousands of acres of land not heretofore farmed which are ideally adapted to the Ero~ving of guayule; and

VITffiREAS, various crops produced in the area served by the Association may be used in the production of alcohol from which rubber can be made,

NOW THEREFOPE BE IT RESOLVED by the National Reclamation Association that said Association does hereby call upon the Congress of the United States, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of the Budget, and the War Production Board to ooordinate their ef- forts toward the common goal of bringing to completion within the coming year those irrigation projects whioh are found by them-to be peculiarly adapted for growing guayule.

RESOLVED FURTIiER, that this Association recommends the continuance of studies and the development of processes for the use of crops produced in the reolamation area as a b~sis for the production of rubber from an aloohol basso

RESOLVED FURTIIER, that nothing above recited shall be construed as a desire on the part of the National Reclamation Association to give oonsent to

priorities over such projects contemplated or now under construction which will furnish storage water for food dt~ing the present emergency.

RESOLVED FURTIIER, that certified copies of this resolution be forwarded by the secretary to the appropriate committees and officers of the Congress and to those in authority in the arencies of the United States above mentioned.

NO 15

RES 0 L UTI 0 N

BE IT RESOLVED₁ that the National Reclamation Asso- ciaticn does hereby reaffirm its position on the several subjeots covered in Resolution No. 17, adopted at Phoenix, Arizona, on October 17, 1941, and known as the regional authority resolution.

NO. 16

RESOLUTION

\rn:rr;REAS this Association has heretofore by resolution expressed its opposition to regional v~ter authorities and

I:HEREAS additional grounds nay be and. should be ci ted in support of that opposition

NOl{, T1illRBFORE BE IT RESOLiED. that the proposed regional author- ities are further condemned for the following reasons:

That by their legal theory and language they VDuld impair the existing state, municipal, private uses and rights without compensation;

would compel ovmers of existing rights and uses to travel great distances and incur great e:x::r:ense in asserting their rights in oourts against the controlling federal agency; would prevent the initiation of new vvater uses except by consent of the federal agency in charge; and would in short tend to socia.lize the waters of America.

No ~ 17

-

RES 0 L UTI 0 N

-_ ^... -

^{... --} ... --

v1HEREAS,

in that portion of the United States lying west of the Missouri River there are conditions peculiar to it with respect to mining, public land. forestry and water law,and

VnIEREAS, a jurist experienced in such law would be a desirable addition to the Supreme Court of the United States, and

WHEREAS, in the past 121 years there have been 90 men appointed to the Supreme Court of whom only 8 were residents of states west of the Mississippi River, and

1iHEREAS, a vacancy now exists in the membership of the court,

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Recla- mation Association hereby res~ctfully suggests to the President

of the United States that the present vacancy be filled by an appointment from this region.

BE IT FWRTHER RESOLVED, that copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States.

NO. 18

RE S 0 L UTI Q N

Y:·HEfiEi'S, Surveys have been T:lade by the BureLu of Recl&matio'n showing ~any wol'th-~hile l'ec16mation ~rojects ~hich are not eligible for construction unciel' the tlecl&ID&tion Lct uS now constituted, because

rep~Yl!lent of constr"-lction coet6 on such projectG cfinnot be COml)leted

\iith.i.n the specified 40-year re.tJayment period.

NOV., THER.EFOHE, BB; IT t.,'.E::"OLVED, Th~ t the N& tional iieclama-

tion Association tct~e stel)S looking to the amending of the Keclamation

Act v"hereby such projects CE.n be constrnctea an6 the repayment period

extended. over a longer period of t i:ne thEin LiO yec-~rs.

NO. 19

RESOLUTION

t,HEREAE, the 'purpose of the No. tioncl t1eclama tion AS80cia tion, as

~:,t&ted. in its COl1btitution is "To promote the cause of reclE.I11ation by irrigu- tion,'l c.nd to cooperDt.e with a.nd absist the .t3ure.su of Reclamation in bringing [bout the speedy completion of federal reclamG.tion projects; and

V.HEREbS, t.he trend indica ted by &.lloc& tions and a91)rOpria tions is to-

v:['~rd a change in the Burec.u of Reclb,.mu tion from its original functions and

.purposes ^&S un agency for the reclc,:.ma tion of arid Lnd semi-arid land end to- v,ard making the Bureau an agency more particulurly devoted to the construc-

tion &n~ operation of electric po~er plants.

NOV;, THEaEF:J8.i, BE IT liE,SOLV'LD, Th&t the National Keclamation

AS50cia tion observes this trend viii th regret und urges upon the responsible officers of government thc.t the l:J.nd. r6clamation functions of the Bureau of t1ecl&mation be no lonf~er made subordinB.te to pmver production, th;;:l.t only Guch pov:.'er projects be undertaken by the Bureau as are directly connected

vii th n torE~ge for reclamEl.tion llndertLking& and raul tiple purpo~)e in their nb ture, end

BE IT FUtlTHEB. tlESOLVED, ThE. t the officers of the Association are directed to exert their best efforts to secure theLaction inc.licc.ted by this

re[~olution and to effec tua te the purposes of the Association as s teo ted in its constitution.

NO. 20

RESOLUTION

BE IT RESOLVED

,

that we the members of the National Reclamation , Association,in convention assembled at Denver, Colorado at tbe 11th

a~~ual meeting of the AssoCiation, extend our thanks and appreciation theCity of DenverJ for a most enjoyable, instructive, and ~rofitab1e

meeting and for the very fine manner all matters l1ertaining to the con- vention have been handled under the 2?reSent trying conditions.

lIe also c~esire to extend our thanks and aIJpreciation to the Colorado ~.".jater Conservation :SOard. Denver Chamber of Commerce, Denver Convention Bureau, the G-eneral Convent ion Committee, the DSl'vspapers and radio stations, the Shirley-Savoy Hotel, to those 'who have con- tri buted to t he program through their ,erm 001 appearance and to all others 't'IDO have assistec. in the success of the oonvention.

The convention ciso extends its thanl(s and appreciation to:

Abe Fortas, Under Secretary, Dept of the Interior John C. Page, CommiSSioner, Dept. of }~clamation

Dr. Ira N. Gabrielson, Director Fish and i.::ild Life Servioe Major General Eugene Reybold, Chief of .L'1.rmy Engineers Senator Edvl.i.n C. Johnson

Eric Johnston, President Chamber of Con:n:oorce of the United States and to Governor Ral)h L. Carr