A proposal for a vast post-war irrigation and hydroelectric project for Palestine was described yesterday to 1,800 persons who attended the final Book and Author Luncheon of the 1943-44 season at the Hotel Astor.
In picturing the Middle East as a region ideal for a reclamation project, Dr. Walter Clay Lowdermilk, who is assistant chief of the soil conservation service of the Department of Agriculture, traced the collapse of its ancient agriculture. This, he said, led to the desert wastes of today. He pointed to the accomplishments of the Jews in Palestine, and emphasized that the Jews have kept faith with the Balfour agreement. “They deserve something better,” he said.” I propose a Jordan Valley Authority similar to our own Tennessee Valley Authority. I propose to take fresh water from the Jordan River for irrigation and to replace it in the Jordan Valley with water from the Mediterranean which could be brought by canal through hydro-electric plants and thence down the valley to the Dead Sea.”
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