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Show THE WESTERN WEB 57 Larson had stated that the overall construction cost of the project, based on 1946 prices, would be $604,- 717,000. As was later to be shown, this was at least five hundred million dollars low, but underestimating the cost of a project had become a custom of the Recla- mation Bureau. It operated on the premise, unquestion- ably true, that once a project was started, Congress would not abandon it because its cost was found to be greater than estimated. Downey's questioning of Larson brought out how the Bureau had strained to make the project financially possible. Downey: "Is it not true that the return from the farmers (on the project) will not be anywhere near sufficient even to pay the operation and maintenance of the irrigation end of the project?" Larson: "That is probably true. However, it would depend on the cost you would set on the thirty-one per cent of the power (for pumping water) produced at Bridge Canyon." Downey: "I understand you intend to fix a charge of $4.50 an acre-foot? (For water bought by the farmers.)" Larson: "That is right." Downye: "And is it not true that the operation and maintenance expenses allocated to irrigation . . would amount to fifty per cent more than that, or around $6.50 or $7 for operation and maintenance alone?" Larson: "On the basis of rate allocation to irrigation, the annual costs would exceed the return from the farmers." In this way it was brought out that the farmers who would benefit from the project would not be able to pay even the costs of operating and maintaining the irri- |