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;lto\zs~' -.'''''.' '\~~.... ment and expansion. I have approached the various proposals to enact the Central Arizona Project legislation with these views in mind." Aspinall Bill Goes In While the, administration and the Arizona and Washington senators were launching their bills in the Senate, Chairman Aspinall of the House Interior Committee submitted his own version to the House. It was considerH.bly larg-er in scope, pro- viding for Hualapai Dam and five Colorado projects and calling for an appropriation of $2.167 billion. And in Seattle, at about the same time, an Arizona spokesman argued the state's case for water, hoping to neutralize opposition to an interstate diver- sion. Rich Johnson told the American Society of Range Manage- ment that Arizona's wRter shortage could not be considered a purely "local" problem for two reasons: (1) The state's popu- lation WllS growing because of the 'great migration westward,' and (2) other parts of the country depended on the Southwest for food production. "Some of our neigh bors outside the South- west hllve suggested that the answer to our water problem is to simply stop growing," said Mr. Johnson. "Of course, this is provincial and defeatist advice-and also uneconomical as well as socially and politically impractical for a democratic society." He said Arizona did not propose to solve its water, problem at the expense of another section of the country. But then, he observed, neither should other sections withhold water they could' not use if real needs existed elsewhere. "I suggest," . said Mr. Johnson, "that the water needs of the Southwest are . the needs of the nation for the production potential of the region." Visiting his home state to be on hand' to welcome Vice President Humphrey, Secretary Udall expressed confidence in an interview that "we will get a Central Arizona Project this year," although he wouldn't speculate as to what the bilI might contain. "I think," he said, "that since the administration un- veiled its proposal for a simple Central Arizona Project three weeks ago, a lot of members of Congress are thinking of Ari- zona's water needs. That proposal embodies many elements for compromise. This means that the chances of getting a project approved this year are very good. I will be very disappointed if we don't." Secretary Udall thought nevertheless that the sponsors of the go-it-ll.]one bill in the legislature were "doing a service by calling attention to the great need for water in the state and by positive action showing that Arizona has an alternative." Mr. Mehren Sees Some Flaws At the moment, the alternative was getting considerably more attention than the federal proposal that Secretary Udall had helped fashion. Nor was it entirely favorable. As the state -46-