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Show Mil FOR UTAH UNLIKELY NEXT THREE YEARS PRECLUDES SHORTAGE OF FUNDS FOR RECLAMATION Echo Reservoir And Lake Control Plans Passes a Close Relationship; Relation-ship; Utah Lake Is Low; Investigating In-vestigating Conditions. Salt Lake City. With the exception of Echo reservoir and the Weber-Pro-vo canal no federal reclamation work may be expected in the Salt Lake basin ba-sin during the next three years, according ac-cording to a letter from Dr. Elwood Mead, commissioner of reclamation, to Senator Reed Smoot at the meeting of the Utah water storage commission. The letter was submitted by George M. Bacon, state engineer and secretary secre-tary of the commission. The letter from Dr. Mead was writ' ten to Senator Smoot in answer to certain inquiries made of the senator by James T. Gardner, chairman of the Utah county commissioners regarding prevailing reclamation problems. Dr. Mead's letter follows: "I have read the letter addressed to you by James T. Gardnes and others. The following explanation will, I trust enable you to give them a reply that will make clear what the reclamation bureau contemplates doing in Utah during the next three or four years. "When in Utah in June, 1924, I explained ex-plained that the reclamation bureau could not undertake at once all of the development required of it in Utah. That in order to inaugurate anything we must have one unit of reasonable size, about which we know enough to enable us to make a convincing statement state-ment to the bureau of the budget. I left it to the people of Utah to select the unit and they selected Echo reservoir, reser-voir, a cross-cut canal and the improvement im-provement of Provo bay, in the order named. "We have had definite data regarding regard-ing Echo reservoir and the crosscut canal, with satisfactory estimates, and this was approved by the budget. We had no estimates of the cost of development devel-opment at Provo bay, and this was thrown out by the budget, but kept in the appropriation through its insertion inser-tion in the senate by yourself. The arrangements for financing the Echo reservoir were left in the hands of a local committee, w-hich has practically practical-ly completed its labor, and we have written a letter approving the program submitted, but for the matters dealt with in the letter from Mr. Gardner, there is no prospect of doing anything for the next three years, and this should be understood. "We consider it especially important impor-tant that the investigation on the Utah county projects be continued immediately im-mediately and an official finding reached as to their feasibility. "If these projects are entirely abandoned aban-doned for three years the farmers who are called upon to pay the existing indebtedness will feel very loth to take any favorable action, and will refuse to make payment, which will result in confusion, trouble and discredit dis-credit for all concerned. "Utah lake is at present very low and the investigation can be better made now than at some future time from a physical standpoint. "The control of Utah lake is a part of the Salt Lake basin unit and must be carried forward with the other branches of the unit; the owners of land around Utah lake will undoubtedly undoubted-ly take all possible action to prevent additional water being turned upon them from the Weber river if some provision is not made for the control of the lake. Air Express To Create Record Salt Lake City. Several hundred pounds of mail will be available for transportation from Salt Lake to Los Angeles for the official opening of the air mail transportation service to bo inaugurated April 17 by the Western Air Express, Inc.. it was announced by Unvereley S. Clendenin, president of tiie chamber of commerce. Under a plan being developed by the postal facilities committee of the chamber, of which R. W. liurton is chairman, thousands of letters will be sent from Salt Lake on the first flight of the Hou:;las air mail planes. Salt Lake citizens are being urged to provide the first flight of the express planes from Salt Luke with a record-breaking cargo of mail. Results of the campaign cam-paign will be presented nnd final plans completed by the postal facilities facili-ties committee al. a meeting soon. Air mail letetrs will bo exchanged by the mayors of Salt Lake and Los Angeles nnd the presidents of tho chambers of commerce. |