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Show State, County Leaders Urge Action To Save Central Utah Proiect Utah county leaders this week weere linb solidly behind a movement designed to insure t Echo Park and Split Mountain rnJ .voir dams in eastern' Utah. j The leaders said the construction construc-tion of the dams, a part of the proposed Central Utah project is being opposed by some groups in the park service and that the opposition op-position is jeopardizing the whole project. A telegram campaign started Saturday and promoted by the Greater Utah Valley Inc., the Utah Chamber of Commerce, state engineer, and other interested organizations, or-ganizations, was gaining momentum momen-tum according to J. A. Miller of this city, Sec. of the Utah Chamber Cham-ber of Commerde Executives. In a telegram to Oscar Chapman, Chap-man, secretary of interior, the Chamber of Commerce said: "There is unanimous support for the construction of the Echo Park and Split Mountain Reservoir dams as proposed by the bureau of reclamation. We strongly urge your approval of the Central Utah project as vital to the future growth and prosperity in this state." A 1 1 Chamber o f Commerce presidents, banks, merchants and others in the county are asked to send telegrams to Mr. Chapman, urging that construction of the dams go ahead as proposed. Sterling Price of this city, president presi-dent of the Greater Utah Valley Inc., pointed out that Mr. Chapman's Chap-man's favorable report on the project is absolutely necessary if congress is to act favorably on the Central Utah project legislation legisla-tion to be introduced by Sen. A. V. Watkins, R., Utah. Mr. Price said certain people have been flooding the office of the secretary of interior with statements detrimental to the project. pro-ject. These opposition groups, he said, claim that project will damage dam-age areas of the Dinosaur national monument in the Uintah basin. Both Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Price pointed out that fossils in question ques-tion are located in an area two miles below the proposed dam sites in the monument area and would not be inundated by reservoirs reser-voirs to be created. Meanwhile, Mr. Chapman assured as-sured Sen. Watkins in Washington Washing-ton today that the Department of Interior would take no action on the Echo Park-Dinosaur Monument Monu-ment issue ' until the people of Utah have had an opportunity to fully present their point of view. Watkins conferred with Chapman Chap-man on the situation because of unverified reports that the secretary secre-tary intended to make his decision de-cision this week. "The secretary informed me," Watkins said, "that he wil make a decision in the re; until he has had an opportuni: hear directly from the people west." |