Dam Passed

Having damned legislation in the Senate for two sessions past, the Swing-Johnson bill to build the world's hugest dam in Black Canyon on the Colorado River, was last week passed by the Senate, 64 to 11. Passed by the House last spring, the measure now went to conference to have House-Senate differences composed.

One difference, easily composed, is between the $125.000,000 authorized by the House and the Senate's figure of $165,000,000.

Another difference was the distribution of water. The Colorado drains seven States --Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California. The first four, the Upper Tier, have long been agreed on their shares of the water. The Lower Tier--Nevada, Arizona, California --have long quarreled about how to divide the 7,500,000 acre-feet that they will get between them. Nevada was satisfied with 300,000 acre feet; California wanted 4,600,000, Arizona 3,000.000. After sharp remarks between California's whitecrested Johnson and Arizona's long-embattled Ashurst and Hayden, the Senate voted Nevada her 300,000 acre-feet, Arizona 2,800,000 and California 4,400,000.

Between the Congress and President Coolidge is an issue over who shall build and operate electric power plants at the dam (1,000,000 horsepower, potentially). The House voted that the Government should do it. The President, in his Message to Congress this month, said: "Private enterprise can very well fill this field." Senator Reed of Pennsylvania, the Administration's spokesman, offered an amendment making private development of the power phase mandatory. The amendment was beaten, 53 to 24. Senator Borah offered an amendment making power development by the Government mandatory, but Senator Johnson persuaded him to withdraw it because it would invite a veto. The Senate finally left the matter optional with the Secretary of the Interior.

Of the $165,000,000 expenditure, $25,000,000 is to be spent protecting the sub-sea-level Imperial Valley of California from the Colorado's periodic floods.