Mr. RAKER. Oh, you are then objecting to the all-American canal as a taxpayer Mr. WEST (interposing). As a taxpayer, and on other grounds. Mr. RAKER (continuing). By reason of the fact that it might increase your taxes? Mr. WEST. That is one of the reasons. We think it would not be beneficial to the valley. Mr. RAKER. Wherein and how would it affect your taxes? Mr. WEST. Because part of the cost of that work will have to be borne by our interests. Mr. WEST. How would it affect your taxes? The farmer that uses the water and puts it on his land would be the man that paid, and you will get 8 per cent or more for the money you invest. What difference will it make to you people if the farmers there are ready and willing to pay the extra cost for bringing it in through the all-American canal? i Mr. WEST. In the first place, anything which is injurious to the farmer is injurious to us. I know that anything that bears heavily upon the farmer will seriously affect the growth of the Imperial Valley. In the first place, I do not believe your premise is correct, that no part of the tax will fall upon us. Mr. RAKER. Tell us how it will? Mr. WEST. Just as Mr. Swing explained to-day-that the taxes levied against all the property of the district pays for the cost of these works in Lower California. Mr. SWING. Well, that is not the company-the company operating down there that your statement is being made in behalf of. Mr. WEST. It is made in behalf of all of our companies. Mr. SWING. How was that letter that you read signed? Mr. WEST. It is signed "The Southern Sierras Power Co.," but it is on behalf of all our companies. Mr. SWING. The Southern Sierras Power Co. does not pay any taxes to the district. Mr. WEST. The Southern Sierras Power Co. does not, but the Imperial Valley Ice Co. does. Mr. SWING. Well, that is another corporation. Mr. RAKER. What I am trying to find out is, what taxes you people would pay by virtue of bringing the water into Imperial Valley, unless you own land, and then you would have to pay? Mr. WEST. Well, we do own land, and we have extensive improvements. Mr. RAKER. Then you would have to pay the same taxes as other farmers pay on their land? Mr. WEST. Yes, sir. Mr. RAKER. Now, is your view that, while the farmers and the agriculturists there are desirous of constructing the all-American canal and are willing to pay the cost of it, that it is the duty of the Southern Sierras Power Co. to look after their interests and see that they are protected against themselves; is that the idea? Mr. WEST. No: that does not express it correctly. Mr. RAKER. Then you express it in your own way. Mr. LEATHERWOOD. Will you allow me to ask a question at this point, Judge Raker? Mr. RAKER. I would like to have the witness answer that question. Mr. LEATHERWOOD. Perhaps this will accomplish that result in a different way. Mr. RAKER. Very well; I will yield to you. Mr. LEATHERWOOD. Mr. West's evidence had already been introduced here and presented to this committee, showing that, even at the present time, the people are leaving Imperial Valley; and it was said, I think, by the gentleman who made the statement that it was because of the menace of the river and of the economic condition. I am wondering, in view of the questions asked by the gentleman from California, whether or not if you increased the burden upon the agriculturists in the Imperial Valley, they might not disappear a good deal like the jackrabbit did in the territory of the gentleman from Kansas? Mr. WEST. I think that is absolutely true. Mr. LEATHERWOOD. Now, whenever the agriculturist goes from Imperial Valley the rest of you will go, too, with your investments, will you not? Mr. WEST. That is a fact; our market will go. Mr. RAKER. You are getting a long way from my question. Mr. WEST. There is one thing which I omitted in my statement as to this flood menace, which I think constitutes the strongest proof that can be made of the fact that there is no immediate flood menace Mr. RAKER (interposing). Now, do you think you can answer my question, or will you do so? Mr. WEST. Let me finish this and then I will. To-day, immediately under the first line of defense or not beyond the second or the third line-there are thousands of acres of land being put under cultivation, and hundreds of thousands of dollars being expended in the construction of canals and in the clearing of that land. And those expenditures are being made by people who are intimately acquainted with the flood menace problem. For instance, the chief engineer and, in fact, one of the largest investors in this project, is Mr. Chester Allison, who was for years at the head of this Imperial irrigation district; that is, he was at the head of the engineering force; and he has been in touch with that river and with the problem of handling the river for years. Yet he has put his personal fortune in this big development. I saw the area that he was bringing in on my way here Mr. SWING (interposing). Is it in Mexico? Mr. WEST. It is in Mexico. Mr. SWING. Some of Mr. Chandler's lands? Mr. WEST. Yes, sir; some of Mr. Chandler's lands. Mr. SWING. He is an agent for Mr. Chandler in many things, is he not? Mr. WEST. Well, I do not know whether he is agent or not; I know he has invested his own money in this enterprise. But here is a large area of land; in fact, the project includes all of these lands [indicating on map]. It includes much of this Volcano Lake section. Mr. SWING. How many acres are there in this project? Mr. WEST. In this particular project there are about 150,000 acres. Mr. SWING. And what has he ultimately in mind? Mr. WEST. I do not know what he has ultimately in mind. But here [indicating on map], above the level of Volcano Lake levee, where the water stood three years ago, is land that is now being put under cultivation; and you can stand on this levee [indicating], and as far as you can see you will see nothing but dry land; and right in this section here [indicating] they are clearing up the underbrush and bringing in thousands of acres of new land right under the first levee. They have spent $500,000 in that section since the 1st of October. Mr. LITTLE. And they get all of the water from the Imperial Valley people? Mr. WEST. Yes, sir. Mr. LITTLE. And from works which the Imperial Valley people maintain? The CHAIRMAN. They believe that it is safe, do they? Mr. WEST. They are satisfied that with this pescadero cut and with the present organization and equipment they are safe for the time being. Now, mind you, they will take exactly the same position that I do, I believe, that this is only a temporary expedient; that the permanent cure, if it can be permanently cured, is by storing the flood watersMr. SWING (interposing). Those people that you refer to get their water through an extension furnished by the Imperial Valley, do they not? Mr. WEST. Yes, sir. Mr. LITTLE. With regard to your statement that the flood menace is not as great as some people think, do you think that these farmers are more in danger of taxes than of floods? Mr. WEST. I think they are more in danger of taxes right now. Mr. ALLGOOD. Did I understand you correctly to say that there are lands in Imperial Valley that are not being cultivated now? Mr. WEST. Yes, sir. Mr. ALLGOOD. Is that on account of excessive production of farm products? Mr. WEST. Yes, sir; that is true. For instance, there are about 515,000 acres of land, in round figures, subject to cultivation under the existing canal system; that is, excluding waste lands. And there were, perhaps, last year less than 300,000 acres under cultivation, Mr. LITTLE. Well, do you not think that if a farmer is scared about floods he ought to be allowed to decide for himself whether he will pay the taxes or be drowned? [Laughter.] Mr. WEST. Yes, sir; he is entitled to vote on the subject. The CHAIRMAN. If there are over 200,000 acres of irrigable lands that are not under cultivation now, what is there that would warrant the people in Mexico putting 500,000 additional acres of land under cultivation? How can they do that economically? Mr. WEST. Well, there is a difference of conditions there, Mr. Chairman. It is cheaper to put that land under cultivation; they have some cheaper labor down there, and they are closer to the intake. Mr. RAKER. Yes; that has been my observation-that they try to get in closer to the intake, because they are surer of water then. Mr. WEST. Yes; they are surer of getting water. Mr. SWING. And they do not pay anything for those levees that the Imperial irrigation district has built, or the $25,000 dredge, or the other expenses that we have been put to. Mr. WEST. Well, if the committee is interested Mr. RAKER (interposing). We are; but I hope you will get away from that point for a moment. I believe you remember my question; do you not? Mr. WEST. I do not know as I do. Mr. RAKER. I will ask the stenographer to read the question. (The stenographer read the question of Mr. Raker, as follows:) Mr. RAKER. Now, is it your view that, while the farmers and the agriculturists there are desirous of constructing the all-American canal and are willing to pay the cost of it, it is the duty of the Southern Sierras Power Co. to look after their interests and see that they are protected against themselves; is that the idea? Mr. RAKER. Yes; that is the question-in the payment of taxes? Mr. WEST. Yes, sir. I will answer that question; yes-perhaps with the qualification that I concede to the farmers the right to their views in the matter and I also claim for our company the right to have its opinions and to express them. Mr. RAKER. All right; you are here to express your views. Mr. RAKER (continuing). In opposition to the all-American canal, for the reasons that you have stated? Mr. WEST. Yes, sir. Mr. SWING. You are acting simply in the capacity of an angel to the people of Imperial Valley? Mr. WEST. Not at all. Mr. RAKER. Now, you folks are bringing in something that I did not include. Mr. WEST. I do not claim to be an angel. I do claim that the interests of our company are very much the same as those of the people of Imperial Valley; we can not exist unless they do. Mr. ALLGOOD. They are your customers? Mr. WEST. Yes, sir; and anything that injures that valley will injure us. Mr. LITTLE. They have done all right so far, have they not? Mr. LITTLE. Yes, sir. Mr. WEST. Yes, sir; I should say that they have done very well. Mr. SWING. Take their whole history; back from 1898? Mr. WEST. It is a pretty good history. Mr. RAKER. You would not have gone down there, unless you had seen a pretty prosperous community, composed of men with the brains and the push to go ahead. Mr. WEST. Well, we saw a community that we thought had very definite possibilities. It was not an exceedingly prosperous community. Mr. RAKER. And it was composed of men who had the real stuff in them? Mr. WEST. Yes, sir; it takes men with the real stuff in them to do business there. Mr. LITTLE. It is one of the greatest examples of courage and industry that the world ever saw. Mr. WEST. I think it is the greatest irrigation project in the United States. I do not know of any reclamation project that is in the same class. Mr. RAKER. Supplementing the beautiful words of my friend, I will say that it is true, not only in Imperial Valley, but probably all over the United States, that the farmers are leaving their farms. Mr. WEST. Yes; that is a condition that is very prevalent. Mr. RAKER. So that that is not an exceptional situation as to Imperial Valley; that applies to all of the States; for instance, in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, it is somewhere around 25 per cent that have left the farms. Mr. WEST. The farmers are pretty much in the same boat all over the country. Mr. RAKER. And the general depression and the low prices for farm products has put a sort of damper on their energy. Mr. WEST. It has. Mr. RAKER. Now, in addition to that, in the Imperial Valley, is it not a fact that there is 25 per cent of the land that is uncultivated and unused because there is not enough water for it? Mr. WEST. I do not think so. Mr. RAKER. I rode around there last year; and I saw quite a lot of land that was under the ditches but was not being cultivated; and these people told me that they could not get the water to irrigate the land, and would have to let it lie idle. Mr. WEST. Now, the reports show Mr. RAKER (interposing). I do not care what the reports show. I am talking about the physical facts. Mr. WEST. I am talking about the facts now. The reports show, as I recall the figures, that something like 25 to 30 per cent of the water that has gone into the valley is wasted. Now, it is true that, at certain times, they have been using all of the water of the river. Mr. RAKER. Exactly. Mr. WEST. And that, if there is any large extension of area down there, they have got to have more water; they have got to conserve water, too. Mr. RAKER. Is this not also true: That country down there is peculiar and different from any other irrigation district, in this respect: That if you are short of water there, even for a few days, your crop is absolutely ruined? Mr. WEST. I do not know but what that is true. Mr. RAKER. So that the dread of a shortage would stop the people from putting in the crops? Mr. WEST. Yes, sir; that might have that effect; I do not know whether I would want to say three or four days; but I think that is, generally speaking, correct. Mr. RAKER. It is not only what those men have told us; but I have been there and seen their condition; and I know that those are the conditions, and that what those people have told me is true about the crops being ruined by a few days shortage. Mr. WEST. Yes, sir. |