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<br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />..a <br /> <br />.. <br />. <br /> <br />61 <br /> <br />61' <br /> <br />The Chairman then called upon Representative Henr.yZ. Osborne, of California <br /> <br /> <br />who made the following statement: <br /> <br /> <br />"Mr. Chairman, I 'have in years gone by given considerable ati;ention to the <br /> <br /> <br />Colorado River. Some years ago I was intimately connected with it and r wrote a <br /> <br /> <br />pamphlet about it, 'The American Nile.' At that time, as well as now, I was <br /> <br /> <br />greatly impressed by the wonderful potentialities of the Colorado River. I <br /> <br /> <br />remember at that time my idea Has, looking at it from a rather local point of view, <br /> <br /> <br />that large reservoirs should be constructed up to the Grand Canyon for the purpose <br /> <br /> <br />of controlling the floods and also of perfecting the irrigation system. At that <br /> <br /> <br />time we figured on the amount of territory that could be reclaimed south of the <br /> <br /> <br />Grand Canyon~ Then there l,as less land in c~ltivation in southern California <br /> <br /> <br />than there is now. The entire cultivated area south of Santa Barbara in California, <br /> <br /> <br />including the 400,000 acres in the Imperial Valley, is about 1,000,000 acres, and <br /> <br /> <br />we thought at that time that it would be possible, including the Mesa lands as <br /> <br /> <br />well as the valley lands, to reclaim two or three millions of acres, When we <br /> <br /> <br />think of the great richness of the soil of that territory, and that there would <br /> <br /> <br />be two or three millions of acres of it, compared l~th the million now under cul- <br /> <br /> <br />tivation, the possibilities are made quite graphic, I came here to hear and not <br /> <br /> <br />to speak, but I thank you for giving me an opportunity of telling you what my <br /> <br /> <br />general ideas are, <br /> <br /> <br />I think that taking this mattor up in this broad way is very important. <br /> <br /> <br />There are international considerations involved. The treaty with Mexico is po- <br /> <br /> <br />tent still. The treaty of Guadaloupe Hidalgo provides that the navigation of <br /> <br /> <br />the Colorado River shall be preserved. At that time there was navigation as far <br /> <br /> <br />as Yuma and even to The Needles. That will all have to 'be taken into account, <br /> <br /> <br />I feel the greatest confidence in this Commission that it will deal successfully <br /> <br /> <br />with this great subj ect. " <br /> <br />J <br />