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<br />~ ~ <br />water for irrigation depleted the s*pply. The navigation of the river <br />, <br /> <br />,las. olle.. of the problems that we had: to meet and follOHing the Act of <br />,. ',. <br /> <br />Conllress, all trouble ,IUS overcome by the purchase. o.ftll.e st~\lmboats <br /> <br /> <br />on the river by the government. 'rhe operation of these boats had be- <br /> <br /> <br />come unprofitable for there had beej1 no profit innavigation.for a <br /> <br /> <br />go.od many years; the boats were old and no ne" ones were put into com- <br /> <br /> <br />mission. They were used for constrUction pu~)o.ses and finally "ere <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />put out of .service. <br /> <br />Mr. Norviel. A little bit outside of this problem. Mr.. Davis, <br /> <br />.there were several bills introduced! in the House in 1904 Hhe~ebythe <br /> <br />California Development Company asked Congress to. grllnt to. them "ater <br /> <br />rights of 10,000 second feet of water. Can you tell us what happened <br /> <br />.to those bi:j.ls7 <br /> <br />Hr. Davis. I can tell it more! briefly by saying they did not <br /> <br />pass, There HUS great opposition t,o the bills; the objection boing <br /> <br />to granting such privileges to a corporation, a 1mter-selli~g eorpora- . <br /> <br />tion,although it was supposed that u~ny of the irrigators themselves <br /> <br />ip Imperial Valley Here directly iriterested in the corporation, Some <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />members of yongress who discussed the question with the Secretary of <br />the. Int.erior and me ,18re of the opinion that, if any grant was made, <br />it would be to the irrigators and not to. a selling corp9ration: con- <br /> <br />sequently there was no erant of Ha~er-rights by the. government other <br />I <br />. I <br />than the diversion by the Water Department to the districts that are <br /> <br />p~actically b~ilt up. So it is no~ necessary to enter into. the legal <br /> <br />status so. far as I can see, It se~ms to me that the inVestigations <br /> <br /> <br />He have made are gratifying in rea9hing and leading to conclusio.ns <br />, <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />that there. need be no serious legal difficulties in the distribution <br />. . '. I <br />., <br />o,f the water supply of the Hhole C6lorado Basin. <br />! <br />