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Show Senate Confirms iVlecham For Four-Corners Job L. Ralph Meeham was confirmed con-firmed unanimously by the Senate this week (Wednesday (Wednes-day p.m.) as Federal Co-chairrrian Co-chairrrian of the Four Corners Cor-ners Regional Commission. He replaces W. Donald Brewer who resigned to become be-come Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Ad-ministration. i Senate approval of Mecham followed quickly a recommendation recom-mendation of the Senate Committee on Public Works. For the past six months, Mecham has been actively engaged in a coordination-role coordination-role for the Title V Commissions Commis-sions as a Special Assistant to Secretary of Commerce Stans. Of his confirmation Mecham stated, "Because of my lifelong residence in Utah I have a special inter-' est in the Four Corners region. re-gion. My basic policy guide- ' lines will be a partnership with the Governors of the four states and teamwork with all levels of government and private industry. "The basic' problem for the people of the Four Corners region is that they have been left behind. While much of the nation has moved into the age of industry, the region's re-gion's citizens must still depend de-pend on agriculture, mining and a limited number of defense de-fense related industries to provide the mainstay in their economic life. Those are vital industries, but industry in the region must be diversified. "New ideas, new dimensions, dimen-sions, new approaches must ; .- ; i I j W ,.,-,. , L. Ralph (Vlecham be developed that will bring this region to a comparable economic posture with the rest of the United States," Meeham said. "Our work must go beyond studies. We have to devise strategy for building the da-sired da-sired economy. This means constructing 'packages' of support for each industry or complex through development develop-ment loan guarantees and technical assistance as wei'. as recommending changes in national policy on imporis, taxes, utilization and conservation conser-vation of natural resources on public lands." A formal swearing-in ceremony cere-mony is expected within th3 week. As Federal Cochair-man, Cochair-man, Mecham will hold rank equivalent to Assistant Secretary. Sec-retary. Offices of the Corn-mission Corn-mission are in Washington, D.C.. wi:h field offices in Farming! on, New Moxico. The Commission is composed com-posed of the Governors of Arizona. Colorado, Utah and New- Mexico and the Federal Cochairman. Current State Cochairman is Governor David Cargo of New Mexico. |