Evening Star Newspaper, February 7, 1930, Page 20

WILBUR DISCUSSES POWER PROJECTS Secretary of the Interior Tells of U. S. Reclamation in Talk in Radio Forum. “We can determine much by majority vote, but no matter how great the ma- Jority, we cannot change the laws of na- ture in regard to even a single drop of water,” declared Dr. Ray Lyman Wilbur Secretary of the Interior, in a discus- sion of the reclamation and water power projects of the Government in the West last night over radio station WMAL in the National Radio Forum, arranged by The Star and sponsored by the Co- lumbia Broadcasting System. United efforts of different political communities are necessary, Secretary Wilbur pointed out, for the proper carrying out of such vast projects as Boulder Dam, in which seven States are vitally interested. The same con- ditions, he explained, are to be found in connection with other projects. “If we permit the slogans, preju- dices and a strict political thinking to control, we will make a failure,” he continued. “We must develop & capac- ity in social engineering that will per- mit us to take full advantage of that engineering based on the immutable laws controlling us.” Urges Co-operation. Inevitably, said Dr. Wilbur, the Gov- ermnment finds a conflict of the interests of political units in the use of available regional resources. The water needed for irrigation or power in one State may come from that portion of a river that flows through another State, and so it goes. His speech was a plea for more friendly co-operation between the States in such matters. “Try as hard as we may.” he con- tinued, “to operate political units. to determine the functions of States in the United States, or to distinguish be- tween the activities of various branches of the national Government, we will only be fooling ourselves, if we forget that nature knows nothing of our child- ish activities, but goes on in its time- less way obeying its own laws.” If men can act in harmony with na- ture's laws, working in organized groups with the resources of the country, they will and can succeed, since scientists and engineers have pointed the way, Dr. Wilbur declared. “It is a great test of human charac- ter and human capacity,” he added. “It compels us to listen to the voice of the scientist.” Text of Address. 'I'he! tfioxt of Secretary Wilbur's ad- dress follows: The buckskin-clad hunter wtih his leng rifle and hatchet typified the early American pioneer. Then came the cov- ered emigrant wagon as the Western prairies were conquered, and then the railroad carrying new emigrants from the Ohio Valley to the Pacific Coast. ‘This conquering of a large portion of a continent by su ive waves of cour- ageous and versatile men and vigorous and brave women with the bloods of Europe in their veins makes one of the great records in the geographical ad- vance of the human race. With plow, spade and saw, with dams, waterfalls, dynamite and wheels, with school house, church and factory, with organizatior and accumulated wealth, the vast treas- ures of field and forest, stream and hills have been brought under control. ‘We are harvesting the crops of the ages in our coal, oil, iron and other minerals, and the of centuries in our forests. We have been so busy do- ing the work of the day, attaining dom- ination and control over nature, that almost without realization of what has been going on we suddenly find our Nation a huge economic unit, & great world power, a great reservoir of wealth and the oldest established re- public. By the aid of invention, discovery and research we are building a great civilization by learning to bring into our service certain dependable universal laws. Farming has become a business, each farm providing its rivulet to the great stream of trade. Each waterfsll is adding its fragment of power to the great industrial strength of the Nation; each coal mine or oil well is having a share in that controlled combustion which turns the wheels of transporta- tion and manufacture. With train and steamboat, cable and radio, we are do- ing our part to construct a new world interlocked by a myriad of associations. New Pioneer Days. The day of simple pioneering has gone by. New ploneer days are with us and before us. The further conquest of our continent and its resources is too much for any man with a rifle or any family with an emigrant wagon. We must work in groups; we must have , NATIONAL RADIO SECRETARY WILBUR. THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., FRIDAY, FORUM SPEAKER ~—Star Staff Photo. great financial resources and depend upon the expert, who, with an open and prepared mind, is the only safe guide in the new pioneering. In this advance of 3,000 miles across the con- tinent we have set up certain political units, for the most part bounded by right angles, regardless of the topogra- Thy of the country, or of those natural ines made by the crest of hills or mountains, or by streams. In other words, we have placed over the conti- nent a checkerboard of political units without regard to those physical condi- tions which in the long run determine the economic and social status of the men and women making up our Co. monwealth. Historically, the Depart- ment of the Interior has played a large part in this country’s pioneering. As new territory was absorbed, the lands belonging to the National Government were distributed through the General Land Office of the department to States, private citizens, through cession, sale, through special acts of Congress, including the homestead law, the tim- ber and stone act, the stock-raising homestead act and in a number of other ways. When the special semi-arid condi- tions of the West were met, the Recla- brought into being in order that there might be concerted action to conquer the mountain and the desert. Along- side of the problem of handling the public lands was the necessity of caring for the interests of the Indians, who had once roamed throughout the whole of our territory—thus came about the Office of Indian Affairs. In the West- ern march certain unique and beauti- ful areas were discovered. Their treas- ures belonged to the whole people, so that they were set apart as national parks. The lure of gold brought men to face hardships and dangers and to seek for wealth in every nook and cranny of the West. The Geological Survey helped not only to discover these mineral resources, but also all of the other forms of wealth hidden in our continent or to be developed throush the control of stream flow. The discovery of coal beds and petro- leum has had much to do with the de- velopment of our vast wealth. The American public school, represented in the department through the Office of Education, has been carried along by each group of settlers until it is to be found almost everywhere. It may be interesting to think of the present activities of the Department of the Interior in this gathering up of choice places and in this handling of natural resources, as well as in the picking up of the loose ends and rem- nants left after the first great sorting over of our landed resources. ‘The function of the department has been to operate the mechanisms by which public possessions were passed into pri- vate hands. In so far as the public lands are concerned, we have now reached a stage where only a few hundred mil- department, although the National Government through the national for- ests has very large areas under its con- trol in most of the Western and some of the other States. There is, too, a considerable body of public land in the great territory of Alaska available for future use. A Public Lands Com- mission has been appointed by the President, representative of the West- ern public-land States and also of the broader interests of the Nation, to mation Service of the department was |to lions of acres are in the control of the | hills. make a searching study of these re- maining lands to see \}:h.t final dis- g:ltlon can most wisely be made of m. Problems of Pioneers. There has been a vast change which compels new thinki and new deci- slons. This is.not only because of the difference in topography and quality of these public lands, but because of the necessity of the adoption of appropriate national policies which will preserve their values in minerals, forest and plant resources and water for the fu- ture. Perhaps I can best indicate the shifts that are taking place as we look at these problems by reminding you of the difference between the settler who could take his 160 acres of prairie land, and through his own labor develop it into a highly productive farm in the course of a few years, and the problems facing the ploneer settler of today. The man who was in a good location on the prairie or in a favored valley could be almost independent of his neighbors ex- cept in such matters as those directly associated with government. He as an individual and the Government as a landlord could in a simple manner work out, the determination of his ownership, and he could be set free as a landowner take his chances with the seasons and the Summer rains and the Winter snow. This process was one of almost unbounded success all through most of the Mississippi Valley and absorbed many of the returning veterans of the ‘War of 1861 to 1865. But in the West- ern third of the United States, after the choice spots along the rivers and valleys and after the first simple placer mining was exhausted, concerted ac- tion of groups was the only process by which successful settlement could be made. Even when the public lands were the public range for great herds of stock, it did not take long for the need of some form of control to show itself, Nature has a more forbidding aspect in the high mountains and in the arid valleys and demands that a higher price be paid for her conquest. As we look at many of the more dif- ficult problems of the West today, we find that they involve millions of peo- ple and are regional in character. The checkerboard of political units placed over the continent often is a handicap rather than an advantage in trying to handle these great regional resources. Streams br necessary water for the irrigation of vast tracts of lands often rise high up in the mountains of distant States. We can drop the stream over artificial waterfalls and make power; we can hold the water back and, where gravity permits it, bring life to settlements through irrigation. But the higher the mountain, the greater the elevation, the less suitable is the cli- mate for those forms of vegetable life most productive of income when brought under control. The political uits of all the low valley land have the greatest opportunity to develop wealth, but the development of that wealth is depend- ent upon the resources of the distant . _This brings about conditions which demand the regional handling of the great physical problems associated with the settlement of the West. In- evitably, we have a conflict of the in- terests of political units in the use of available regional resources. Seven States Interested. In the development of the plans for the erection of a great dam in the Colo- rado River at Black Canyon, the so- called Boulder Dam, seven States are Lucky there’s more where that cracker came from. When you give the family Premium Soda Crackers to eat with soups and salads, you have to be sure your supply won’t run out! “Uneeda PREMIUM SODA C CKERS As crisp as a cracker can be! Oven-fresh and flaky, with just a trace of salt . . . "Uneeda Bakers” to be so cracker-perfect! Buy them by the pound or in the package. NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY “Uncede Balers” . Says the Uneeda Boy. | for his wife and family. vitally interested. The watershed of the Colorado brings in the States of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California. As the water flows down the hills of the so-called four upper basin Btates, it be- comes of increasing value to the so- called three lower States—Nevada, Cal- ifornia and Arizona, The Boulder Dam act is the first great attempt in this federation of States to bring together seven States as political units for the development, control and management of the regional river in which they are all interested. Since this is but the beginning of a whole series of similar agreements or compacts between States which must be made if we are to wisely advance the welfare of the citizens of our States, it i5 of great consequence that this particular project should suc- ceed. In the development of many Western settlements beyond the pioneering stages community efforts had to be united in order to secure water and power. There were many sharp con- flicts in the division of water between different settlers. 1In fact, it has been said in the West that a man would put up a battle for water sooner than one In the neces- sary give and take and fair play of water division a communal spirit, which has spread throughout much of the West, has come into being. I think that because of this there has been such & rapid advance in certain forms of social legislation in the Western States. In the Boulder Dam project this communal spirlt has to spread throughout and over much territory with widely sepa- | rated communities living under some- what different conditions. At the same time, in order to develop the dam and supply water, it is necessary to sell power developed by that water falling from a height in order to finance the work of construction. This sale of power presents many difficulties in that | different methods for the distribution ower are already in use and much gi ghe power must be sold directly over a great natural gas and oil field and directly in competition with the power that can be developed by the gas and oil burned under boilers to generate steam. Unless water was the object, it would be difficult indeed to obtain a sufficient market for the power at the present time to give assurance of the return of the sums which must be ad- vanced by the Federal Government within 50 years. This and many other difficulties are apparent today. There will be many more, but unless we can in some practical manner handle the rigid political units set up with square and com] , we will make a relative failure of the new pioneering now be- fore us. As I have said, we must now pioneer in groups and with large re- sources if we are to succeed. Natur knows nothing of our political subdie visions. The laws of gravity are unin- fluenced by State boundaries. oQur mountains hold the snow, the Summer suns melt it into the streams, and the water runs down hill. - Whether it runs in such volume as to flood the valuable valleys, or whether 1t is brought unger control to give us the service of electric power, as well as its value in irrigation, depends upon our capacity to work to- | gether in harmony with the laws of | physics to bring about results satisfac- | tory and helpful to man. This is to be a real test of our capacity for self- government. If we permit the slogans, prejudices and strict political thinking to control, we will make a failure. We can determine much by mapority rule, but no matter how great the majority, we cannot change the laws of nature in regard to even a single drop of water, We must develop a capacity in social engineering that will permit us to take full advantage of that engineer- ing based on the immutable laws con- trolling us. Potentially Valuable. At the present time there is a meet- ing being held in the West, representa- tive of some of the States involved, in the hope that understandings can be brought about which will permit us to proceed in the capture, control and wise use of the waters of the Colorado. If we can succeed in that, then we will have a better understanding of how to handle the Rio Grande and the west- ern branches of the great Mississippi River system, as well as the Columbia Basin and the Klamath River of Ore- gon and California. We must not think of these rivers as simply so much water. Properly used, they constitute power to run our factories and to light our homes; properly used, they mean tens of thou- sands of happy homes and the devel- opment of conditions most suitable for our children. Rain comes so easily and we can have no effect upon its coming. Water is so common that only when we have too much or too little do we become conscious of its importance to us. We are absolutely dependent upon plant life; plant life is dependent upon water and sunshine. Our food comes directly or indirectly from the effect of the sun shining upon chlorophyll, the green coloring matter of plants, in the presenc of water. We warm our ouses and develop much of our power from the great stores of coal FEBRUARY 17, 1930, the ages upon the various forms of life in yllgrprehiswrll: periods. We become particularly conscious as we go into the arid regions of the significance of water, It is a marvelous sight to see in an area which has perhlg: three or four rains a year, great orchards and farms producing oranges, apples, grapes, al- falfa, cattle, hogs, poultry, due to the water of the distant mountain giving life to the arid plain. | The reason why we must work tn. gether and evolve new methods to de- Velop these resources is that there are | too many of us In many parts of the | West our population has reached the water line. Only through more water | in given localities is that normal in- | crease in the population possible. It is | then the control of water which 1s fun- damensal to all of our States and to all of our citizens, and particularly to our Western States and Western citizens We are just beginning to realize inat there is a connection between plant life and water supply; that the presence or absence of trees and plants on moun- tains and hillsides has something to do with floods and droughts; that over- grazing in one State may mean floods and droughts in another State, ‘Throughout the ages nature has devel- oped a certain balance and harmony in these relations. In our ploneering we have destroyed that by cutting forests, by varying the normal life of the plain and mountainside, by causing forest fires and committing a whole series of acts detrimental to that balance, Try as hard as we may to operate political units to determine the functions of States in the United States, or to dis- tinguish between the activities of vari- ous branches of the National Govern- ment, we will only be fooling ourselves if we forget that nature knows nothing of our childish activities, but goes on i1 its timeless way obeying its own laws. If we can act in harmony with those laws, if we can work in organized groups with our resources, we can suc- ceed, since our scientists and our engi- neers have pointed out the way. It is a great test of human character and human capacity. It compels us to lis- ten to the voice of the scientist. Many Lessons to Learn. In the majority of contests between nations it has been said that by a care- ful presentation of the facts on both sides an understanding can be reached in about 85 per cent of the subjects under dispute. It is going to be impor- tant for us to learn how to keep out of the zone of decisions by political meth- ods that 85 per cent of fact upon which and fuel ofl available for our service because of the sun shining throughout LANSB | | i ewHatsto atch Suits Are Marked Unusually Low For Such Quality 51. 95 ‘The suits pictured at the right call for a smart tailored felt, touches of straw! preferably one trimmed with And such a hat will be smart with every other costume you buy for wear now! Capucine, red, bright blues, navy, green and plenty of black. All headsizes. Clearance! $2.89 to $3.19 ootwear t Savings Styles and Colors For Now and Later 2. 69 A chance to get some new footwear at really worthwhile savings. One eyelet ties, shoes, and pumps, most], and round toe. one strap with the shorter vamp Some of the pumps have dressy buckles! Black satin, patent leather, and velvet; sizes 3 to 8—C width. our whole future depends. No doubt we will have many bitter lessons to ————— learn, but our forefathers, keenly con- scious of the difficulties of handling lo- cal State problems in relation to those of other Btates, left us a Constitution and a method which permits us to work together, it we chaooss to do s0. Only by working \egether, by thinking to- @ether, ean Ve eomeiiest of the rest of the eontinent hy the plonser of today becatne n svcoecstil petuslity Atiothier exsmpis of the new ploneer- e that of the Mettieman Hills ofl fiele, in % Midwsy between San Fra A lew Angeles, on the westarn he San Jemauin Valle;, Is & gronp of bare nd irreguiar hilis with soanty vegetation, The & not atiitabls for agricul- ture, ko (hat JL wae not taken up by homestesders In the granting of rights to ralirond billders aiternate sections of the public domaln wers given them any parts of the Weat, biading territory every alternate sec- tion came into the possession of the ralirond, Huhu:’uonlly hese sections were sold | to one of the gre t oll compantes. Geol- oglats had notic fosalls in the expos ase of the dome-Tike ire of the hills had located this aren as a possible ofl field some 20-odd but without re- Some months ago, with better equipment permitting deeper drilling and with the greatest of persistence on the part of an Individual engineer named Longden, a hole over a mile deep suddenly brought up enormous quan- tities of gas and of oll, which turned out to be almost 90 per cent gasoline. Ap- proximately one-third of the area had remained in the posession of the Na- tional Government as public domain. With the information of the geologists that this might prove to be a great oil fleld, applications under the leasing law for exploration upon this public land covered the territory completely. The discovery well was located on public land and was drilled under a permit, leading to a lease upon discovery. When I visited the field last June there were some 26 wells being drilled on public and other lands and a lively race was on to reach the oil sands. It was evi- dent that this was more of a gasoline or gas fleld than and ordinary oil fleld. There was enormous wastage of gas from the one completed well. In order to bring this gas into use a pipe line was constructed to San Francisco, some 265 miles away. This was laid in rec- ord time, largely due to the new method of welding steel sheets ifito pipe and the welding together of the lengths of pipe as they are put into the trench. But even this pipe line costing millions could only carry off one-third of the gas of | |one well. It was evident that there | was danger of great waste if-drilling {in this fleld was uncontrolled and that | one of the great treasure pots of the | Nation could be largely dissipated into |the air. Efforts were made to bring | about a conservation agreement between {all of those interested so that an or- derly program of development free from needless waste could be matured. Grad- ually this has been brought about. Even if there are but few produch lls at the present time, the loss of gas is enor- mous. The State of California has passed a gas law prohibiting the waste of gas and suits have been filed in the California courts to bring about condi- tions so that this gas m‘J be properly used rather than wasted. A recent visit to the fleld makes me feel that there is a good chance that we can prevent great wastage in this field. While the estimates vary, it-is probable that there are between two and one- half billion and four billion barrels of oll rich in gasoline and that there are untold billions of cubic feet of natural gas available. Poor methods of engi- neering and bad handling may east ly %e” | bring about a loss running into billions of dollars in this one field alone. No one can be sure of the conditions under ground. Some plan of unit operation must be put into effect if a good result is to be obtained. You can visualize an oll pool by thinking of a buried ofl can. Each well is like a nail hole. What-~ ever comes out of one hole never comes out of another. The checkerboard sur- face determines where the holes go in and where ownership lies. It is natural enough that each owner should do his best to get as much as he can from his hole, but all are involved and only orderly and fair methods will bring about the greatest of returns. Unless we can work out a unit or co- operative plan every one will lose, in- cluding the Government. Again we are testing our capacity to work together for a common object. Here we face conservation of natural resources and can see clearly that conservation means wise, orderly, and controlled use free from waste and that conservation means productive wealth, not hoarding. Taxicabs may be introduced on the Gold Coast of Africa. rA7 A7 — Relieves a Headache or Neuralgia in 30 minutes, checks a Cold the first day, and checks Malaria in three days. 666 also in Liquid RGH & BRO 7th, 8th and E Sts.—FAMOUS FOR QUALITY, SINCE 1860—National 9800 Silk Blouses Truly Remarkable Values at This Low Price—Choice 6 Styles .84 The Spring styles are SUITED for every occasion! For wear, righ t now, under Winter coats; for sport and street wear later there will be no outfit more practical than the short jacket suit! 100 New suits go on sale tomorrow at an amazingly low price! Suits Are Different This Year! The skirts are flared as well several inches longer. made of prints to harmonlz'et with suit. as pleated; and Blouses tuck in, and are the color of the Choice of six styles —in black, navy, cocoa, reen, rose and red; sizes 4 to 20. Three of the Six Models Soft shade of green basket weave woolen e Cocoa basket weave with all silke printed suit with light g blouse, $7.84. Particular Values for Girls 7 to 14 Sketched: Light weight wool erepe suit; deep red with rose and black printed blouse, $7.84. New Cotton Frocks at Attractive, mixtures, ¥1.89 printed linens, f.ll.ln and printed broadcloth—just brics that wise mof for school wear. two-plece ensembles an models. One-| All fast colors! well made dresses of rayon flowered pique, the thers put on their girls lece sport styles, new short sleeve