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LAS VEGAS EVENING REVIEW JOURNAL December 13, 1944 Carville Backs State Purchase Of Lake-Mead, BMI Purchase of the Lake Mead-BMI water ' system by the state of Nevada is the logical solution to its permanent maintenance as a unit, Governor E. P. Carville declared today, in revealing that one of the purposes of his present visit here was to confer with local : officials regarding this particular plan. “It is of the utmost importance to this area and the entire state that this system i through which Lake Mead water is pumped L into Las Vegas Valley and the BMI plant, be I retained intact for future use,’ Governor Car- L ville declared, “and I believe the best method ' is for the state to take it over. “I am most optimistic about the post-war possibilities of the plant, but one thing is cer- ' tain, if the water system is not maintained it | will greatly complicate any effort to utilize the facilities there. “The water being used is the property of | the state — part of our allocation of Colorado ‘ River waters. If we own the pipe line, then we will control the water supply from the (lake, for all time, and can be certain it is put i to beneficial use within the state. “Investigation has convinced me that: there is a great, possibility from an agricul­tural standpoint in this area,’ the Governor stated. “There is; a lot of good land between Water System the BMI plant and the airport which can bej brought undef cultivation with water from: the lake, and if the state owns the pipe line1 this can be worked out very satisfactorily.”. ! The governor said he was investigating all these possibilities as part of the post-war | program, and said he felt acquisition of the water system immediately was the key to the1 whole affair. Concerning the future of BMI, the chief- executive said he felt it lies in diversification f of the electrolytic cells. “I feel that in addition to the production j of magnesium, we can expect some of the I cells to be turned over to zinc, lead, copper 1 and manganese,” Carville said. “I believe that every unit in the plant will be put to work in the post-war era, and 1 the people of Clark County can rest assured the state will do all in its power to that end. ' That’s why I am so concerned about the dis- f position and ownership of the. water system,” ; the governor said emphatically. The chief executive spent the day at Boulder City and. was to be the guest of the Clark County democrats at a Victory dinner j at the Last Frontier tonight. He expects to 1 leave with his party for the state capital to- , morrow.r1"