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<br />18 <br /> <br />MR. MOEUR: We have got an area !j.long the river <br />! <br />over there where we have a very serious situation. The engi- <br /> <br />i <br />neers are making some studies or it now, but this is immed- <br />, . <br />, <br />iatelyadjacent to the river. By the chan~elization of the <br />I <br />, <br />river, this land now has become so it can Qe put to cultiva- <br />I <br />I <br />tion; it was water-logged before. We have ;had a number of <br />I <br />squatters go in there. We have had people iactually go in <br />I <br />there on Government land immediateilYadja:m::tt ito. the river, <br />I <br />clear it and level it and put it into cultivation. They can <br />i <br />never acquire title to the land. They go down the river and <br />, <br />, <br />stick a pump in and pump out enough water ~o irrigate it; and <br /> <br />, <br />, <br />if they raise cotton three or four years, thEW make money out <br />I <br />of the deal. They know you people aren't going to put all <br />I <br />your water to use up here for 25 or 30 yea~s. <br />, <br />The Bureau of Land Management wonl't take anyaotion <br />I <br />to get them out, so they are just squattersl. They aren I t so <br />I <br />I <br />bad; I think we have got most of them stopp~d now. But the <br />i <br />, <br />question or who can issue a water right on Ithat water down <br /> <br />, <br />there has become a very pertinent question bn that because a <br />I <br />number or them have made an application to ~he Bureau, par- <br />I <br />ticularly to Moritz, ror a contraot for wat~r. <br />I <br />Now the Boulder Canyon Project Ac~ provides that <br /> <br />, <br />if you are going to get any water you have Fot to have a con- <br />tract because the Secretary or the Interior: runs the dam; you <br />have got to have a contrac.t. <br />We had a meeting in Yuma. Mr. Cofrejy,the Bureau <br />I <br />attorney from Los Angeles, was over there. I I asked Cofrey, <br />I <br />