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Show EDITORIAL: Promotion Means Development i THE apparent reluctance of Utah leaders to spend money in promoting the state's potentialities potential-ities in an advantageous direction, direc-tion, and among the right people, peo-ple, is, in a specific instance or two, having a detrimental effect. Knowledge is quite general that Utah holds a barrel of untapped riches; but without concerted effort ef-fort to put this dormant wealth to use the gold laden barrel is of mere token value, its real worth lost in unjustifiable reluctance. No one ever sold a bill of goods without incurring the expense ex-pense of promotion based on sound research. Stagnation has been the lot of many a vendor who, although longing for customers, cus-tomers, refused to spend the money that would bring them to his door. Likewise, no state or community, ever reached the zenith of development on halfhearted half-hearted promotion, the kind practiced by the advocates of development de-velopment in Utah. Those states whose growth and per capita wealth have given them a place in the sun attained their status! by vigorously promoting suchj natural potentialities as they possessed; the ultimate accom-i plishment being judged the criterion, cri-terion, the cost only a factor in 1 bringing it about. i IF Utah leaders, who express themselves as sincerely favoring the maximum development of the state's resources, would take a page from the books of neighboring' neigh-boring' states, the selling job which faces, and has always faced, Utah might be more effective. ef-fective. Take Colorado, in the case of the river which bears its name, that state has gone all out for promoting its development for the benefit of Colorado. Instead of wasting time bickering bick-ering over costs, Colorado has availed itself of the services of qualified men, who, at considerable consider-able expense, devote their entire time to collecting factual data upon-which to base Colorado's claim to Colorado River water. With such information at hand Colorado is in an enviable position posi-tion she can prove her claims, the first step in bringing about the development of the upper Colorado River. Utah, on the other hand, talks in vague terms about the construction con-struction of the Echo Park Dam, which would eventually lead to the building of the Central Utah project. But Colorado firmly opposes op-poses Echo Park on the grounds that it would be erected in Colo-. Colo-. rado, charged against Colorado in the Reclamation Bureau books, while Utah would derive the benefit. And Utah is unable to counter, for her promotion of Central Utah has been haphazard, haphaz-ard, totally lacking in figures to prove a need for the project. Actually the Utah leaders haven't even sold the people of their own state on Central Utah. Only one out of several hundred Utahns has any conception of what the project is, what it will do, and what plans are being discussed for its construction. Over on the west side, California, Cali-fornia, whose rapid development is an outgrowth of constructive promotion, has already publicized publi-cized its determination to establish estab-lish prior rights on the water of the lower Colorado. Hoover (Boulder) Dam owes its existence to the tremendous selling job undertaken by California in the 1920's. Regardless of the fact that she contributes not one pint to the flow of the Colorado, California Cal-ifornia will establish her claims on the old law of prior use, and move on to promote something as spectacular as the. Hoover Dam. The expenditure of funds means nothing to California in promoting the development of the Colorado River for, her own use. The Colorado River Association, Associa-tion, 1500 enthusiastic Southern Californians, is selling, and successfully suc-cessfully selling, the idea that California alone needs the water from the Colorado. Nothing was left undone to impress this upon Senator Taft during his recent western tour. The Ohio Senator, even though he may never become President of the United States, by virtue of his status in Washington, can materially aid California in her bid for the lion's share of the water that flows down the Colorado.' Colo-rado.' Recognizing this, Calif or- rrta's Colorado River Association showed Mr. Taft what Southern California has done as the first major exploiter of the Colorado. And it carefully explained to him what further development will be accomplished by additional use of the Colorado. f THIS was promotion in the right direction. It cost money but it will pay off in the long run. How about Utah? Her present uncertain position among the states of the Colorado River Basin Ba-sin is a glaring example of her reluctance to spend money toward to-ward promoting the development develop-ment of her natural resources. This unwillingness, came to the front at a recent session of the Utah Water and Power Board when discussions centered around the expenditure of something some-thing like $10,000 for the proper briefing and preparation of the state's claim to Colorado River water. An objection was voiced on the grounds that the price' was too high, despite the assurance assur-ance that here was an opportunity opportun-ity for Utah's, case to be presented pre-sented authentically and expertly. expert-ly. The alternative suggestion was that the desired results might be achieved through the expenditure expendi-ture of a possible $1000. Utah's case in this instance is not a $1000 matter, even at $10,000 the price is cheap. Utah spent several hundred thousand dollars this year in relating re-lating its history to the nation. It was a splendid, fitting story, one that was widely acclaimed, but the state can never enjoy growth from historical background back-ground alone. The legend of its founding is a supporting pillar in Utah's social structure, but in an economic world where devel-I devel-I opment forms the basis of worth. a string of covered wagons has limited value. Utah has told its story, the nation na-tion respects the soundness of its background, but reluctance to spend money selling the state's natural potentialities will mar that background while sealing off the future against expansion. The state faces a selling job and you can't sell a bill of goods without with-out spending money. |