become self-supporting, because the

become self-supporting, because the new supply of water would permit them to till land now barren., except foi“ cactus and mesquite. *

There is no question about the hard tme these Indians have, but I could not find justificaton for spending an estimated $200,001) each to provide new farms for 1,100 Navajo families. There is no clear showing, in fact, that it would be feasible to convert these Indians to a type of pursuit— irrigated farming—in which they had no experience.

I believe the welfare of the Navajos deserves sympathetic attention, but by a more practical approach.

There was great dispute as to the ultimate cost of the Upper Colo-, rado project, but it appeared to me that we were being asked to irrigate great stretches of western wasteland at a cost of up to $1,500 an acre.

The whole idea is to build a series of dams in the upper reaches of the Colorado River system , to hold water for irrigation and for the production of electricity. The States primarily to be benefited insist that California and Mexico, which lie downstream are getting most of the water use from the river, and that much of the water flows on into the Pacific Ocean without having been of help to anyone.

The California claim, on the other hand, is that the Upper Colorado Project would permit the upstream States to hog the water supply and pass doyvn only a trickle to California. '

We have had long dry spells in Virginia in recent years, and we have come to a greater appreciation of the importance of our water resources. It may well be that we shall have to build more water-control structures, but I cannot envision our asking Congress to approve such tremendously-costly plans, based on uncertain economics, as the Upper Colorado scheme.

It was argued in the House that the abundance of electricity from the big dams which would be built would attract industry to the region. The idea of subsidizing the movement of industry to Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico did not have any appeal to me.

In voting against’ the project, I was not swayeck particularly by one of the arguments in opposition, because only a geologist could appreciate it. It was one of the most unusual arguments I ever had heard advanced against a dambuilding project during a Congressional debate., A Californian insisted that one of the proposed dams in the Upper Colorado Project would be a complete waste, because it would be built on a base of chinle, a type of rock that dissolves in water. He had samples of chinle, which certainly did turn into mud when wet. Whether this

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