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<br />improvement was free from possible interferenoe with the paramount purposes of
<br />oontrol of the river fOr the proteotion of navigable oapaoitiea and the pre-'
<br />vention of destruotive floods. In other words, although the Bill purports to
<br />bring about ooordination of water uses and integration of the aotivities of
<br />Federal agenoies, it defeats ooordination of all uses of ~ter and disregards
<br />the highest benefioial use of water in the arid seotion. It dedi oates future
<br />Arkansas river development primarily to navigation and flood oontrol and rele-
<br />gates irrigation improvements to a position subservient to the former. It
<br />ignores the possibility of reasonable irrigati an develotmlent with reas onable
<br />measures for proteotion of navigable oapaoities and for ,oontrol of floods.
<br />
<br />Sub-seotion (0) provides that any other agenoy, aside from the Corps of'
<br />Amy Engineers, aoting under the Seoretary of liar, operating any improvement
<br />other than for navigation and f'lood-oontrol shall insure full proteotion to
<br />navigati on and flood-oontrol benefits.,
<br />
<br />3. Seotion 4. The bill purports to establish a definite polioy of making
<br />use of existing Federal agenoies and yet the Seoretary of the Interior, aoting
<br />through the Bureau of Reolamation, or otherwise, is given no independent Or
<br />speoifio authority to prooeed with reolamation and irrir;ation projeots exoept
<br />with the oonourrenoe of the Seoretary of War. Seotion 4,states that in oon-
<br />neotion with dams and other works heretofore or hereafter authorized for OOn-
<br />struotion or operation under the direotion of the Seoretary of War, the Se-
<br />oretary of the Interior, with the oonourrenoe of the Seo,-etary of War, may oon-
<br />struot additional works as, he, (the Secretary of the Interior), may determine .
<br />neoessary for irrigation purposes. In, other words, the primary works would be
<br />oonstructed by the Seoretary of' War; and the Seoretary of the Interi or, in,
<br />oonneotion with such works, and withthe concurrenoe of the Seoretary or War"
<br />would be permitted to oonstruot inoidental works to effeotuate irrigation pur-
<br />poses. There is nothing in the bill whioh reoognizes the construotion of inde-
<br />pendent reolamation projeots in the upper basin of the river or which ,would
<br />proteot suoh projeota, ,and the use ,of water thereunder, against the primary
<br />demand for the insuranoe of navigation and flood-oontrol benefits in the lower
<br />, basins.
<br />
<br />Unmistakably, the effeot of ' this bill is to plaoe the Chief of the Corps
<br />of Anny Engineers, aoting under the Seoretary of' War, in oontrol of future de-
<br />velopml'nt on the river. The Bureau of' Reolamation, the prinoipal funotion of
<br />whioh is to 0 ons ider, investigate, develop and operate projects for irrigati on
<br />of' arid and semi-arid lands, oould only funotion to oonstruot inoidental irri-
<br />gation works, with approval of the Chief of the Corps of Anny Engineers and
<br />insofar as suoh irrigation f'aoilities did not interfere with the full and para-
<br />mount utilization of water in the interest of navigation and flood-oontrol.
<br />
<br />4. Seotion 6. Seotion 6 provides that hydroeleotrio energy produoed at
<br />dams and other works, oonstruoted and operated under the direotion of the Se-
<br />oretary of' y,ar on the Arkansas and hhite rivers, shall be turned over to the
<br />Seoretary of the Interior f'or distribution and disposal. The bill speoif'ies in
<br />detail the funotions of' the Seoretary of the Interior in this respeot. Ao-
<br />oord:lnf;ly, the Seoretary of the Interior, in whose department the Bureau of'
<br />Reolamation operates, while given no independent authority to advance irrigation,
<br />,16 olothed w:l.th authori ty to oarry out the Federal power program resulting from
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