Show News Behind the News 1 JJ Columbia Basin Basin Still Waits Wits Fo For Grand Coulee Water By IIA RAY TUCKER I The SPOKANE SP SPOKANE KANE Tho The great desert of the northwest which was to have been transformed into a growing garden of hope for tor the worlds world's hungry when blessed bythe bythe by the cascading waters of the Grand Coulee irrigation system is still sUll a desert Not an acre has been brought under cultivation on the most elaborate project of Its kind ever for the Ameri American an continent There Is grim tragedy in these days of foreign starvation and dollar dollar- pound dollar pound meat in the generally generally gen gen- unknown story story unknown that is outside the inland empire em ern- pire an and neighboring states states' on the w west t coast Although F. F D. D R. R and numerous numerous numerous numer numer- ous other vote Irrigators both Re Republican p pub U b I i can ca'n can and Democratic have won many elections with the pledge that the acre Columbia basin would soon become American agricultures agriculture's agricultures agriculture's agricultures agriculture's agri agri- cultures culture's dream valley vaney producing producing ing everything from asparagus to roast beef beet lamb and pork and sustaining several hundred thousand prosperous farmers It remains an ugly blotch on ta l a rugged landscape Only Grand Coulee dam key engineering feature of ot the proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed reclamation system has hu been built The Th pe people o out l here here- including g thousands of G. ex-G. I. I applicants f forland r land land ha have e begun to to as ask Why the delay or The undertaking under- under taking was Authorized by congress congress con con congress gress In 1935 Despite the many politicians politicians' profit from capitalizing on the dream project the delay Is no individuals individual's fault save Adolf s. s The war forced postponement postponement postponement post post- or of orall all construction except except ex cx- on the great dam Itis It is an awesome sight with its spillway diving dhring down twice as deep as Niagara Falls When Coulee was vas az completed ted in 1942 its power po was was' needed for forthe forthe the Ute network of v war r plants which crisscrossed the northwest In Intact fact tact there are those out here who maintain that the allies could not have won the war w-ar without without with with- out the vast store of energy generated generated gen gen- crated at this eighth wonder of the world The early story and present chapter of the proposed irrigatiOn irrigation U tion n program is 18 tinged with historic historic his his- tone irony When northwestern representatives at Washington pressed for authorization and appropriations In the early thirties thir ties congressional halls halli echo echoed d with parliamentary catcalls Nowhere had the depression struck with more violent force than in rival farm regions And yet said critics those guys a at Washington want t to bring more acres of competing products product into tion Today with the worlds world's hungry hungry hun hun- gry py clamoring for American food and with domestic shortages shortages shortages short short- ages threatening even higher prices the produce from Irom these p pot potential 0 t C en TI t i a al 1 undeveloped acres would be a ble blessing ing and a calve salva tion It is the eightieth congress which now gets gebs the blame for another threaten threatening ng delay The Federal Reclamation m bureau asked for construction construction construction tion during the current fiscal year The budget bureau re reduced reduced reduced re- re this figure to But Capitol Hill Republicans although th they y hope hop to convert this country from Its long state of Democratic sin slashed that amount to Unless this sum Is In increased by y a supplemental supplemental sup supplemental appropriation of f at least at next winters winter's winters winter's win win-I ter's tel's sessi session n all work on the Irrigation phase of ot this gigantic project will wil top stop topon on F Feb b. b J 1 1948 |