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<br />\; <br /> <br />-4- <br /> <br />That, I believe, was a fair bargain for both countries. The arrangement, <br /> <br />t\:l <br />W of course, has an advantage for the United States which all of you will <br />l"\;, <br />~A recognize. It ties the salinity of Mexico's water to that at Imperial Dam. <br /> <br />,10- <br /> <br />If the salinity at Imperial Dam increases, as it may, Mexico will accept <br /> <br />the resulting increase in the salinity of its water. I must, however, add <br /> <br />a word of caution for our own best interest: We must control the salinity <br /> <br />at Imperial Dam so far as it is practical to do so, and we must act in the <br /> <br />best of good faith, as I am sure we intend to do, in observing the average <br /> <br />annual differential of 115 ppm. <br /> <br />In addition to protection against highly saline water in the future, <br /> <br />Mexico sought damages for the highly saline water delivered in the past. I <br /> <br />could not accept this claim. My instructions were to find a solution to the, <br /> <br />problem, not to become a party to a damage suit. Neither Government, lookin~ <br /> <br />into the issue separately, has been able satisfactorily to isolate and <br /> <br />quantify such damages as may be attributable to the salinity of the <br /> <br />'\ <br /> <br />! <br /> <br />Well ton-Mohawk District's drainage \;aters. There is much evidence that <br /> <br />oj <br />(i <br />, <br />, <br />~ <br />j <br /><oj <br /> <br />other factors that are notoriously the bane of all farmers, such as weather, <br /> <br />insects, irrigation practices, etc., predominated in causing any decreases <br /> <br />in yield and in irrigated acreage sustained by Mexico in the past. The <br /> <br />~ <br />;~ <br /> <br />Imperial Irrigation District and the Yuma Valley, using less saline water, <br /> <br />experienced about the same fluctuations in productivity as did the Hexicali <br /> <br />Valley. Moreover, the lack of adequate drainage in the Mexicali Valley is <br /> <br />a major factor adversely affecting its agricultural production, Two other <br /> <br />imponderables that would also have to be taken into account, in an effort <br /> <br />to assess any damage, would have been Mexico's own decision to waste a part <br />