The morning call., 1893-12-09
CROCKER- HUFFMAN TRACT,
Containing 1900 Acres, to Be
Sold at Once.
GOOD CHANCE FOR SETTLERS.
A Great Irrigation System May Now
Be Utilized to an Extent APP
preaching Its Capacity.

The board Of directors Of the Crocker
estate, when the interest of Mr.. Huffman
In the Crocker-Huffman lands in Merced
County was purchased, determined to
place those lands before the pu bile in such
light that persons desir0us of settling
thereon could not help but perceive the
fairness and equitableness OF the terms
offered.
After the deal by which Mr.. Huffman's
interest was acquired by the estate was
contaminated. c. F. Crocker wrote to c.
L. Huntington, president of the Southern
Pacific road, and requested permission to
place the lands in the control of w. II.
Mills. land agent of the Central Pacific
Company. Mr.. Huntington answered
this letter In an affirmative manner, and
at the same time took occasion to COM
mend the transfer to Mr.. Mills control as
being, In his opinion, wise one.
AS consequence the directors of the
estate have practically authorized Mr..
Mills to sell the lands upon such terms
and conditions as he may devise-but of
this more anon.
The difficulty which disposition of the
lands to desirable settlers has met with
heretofore has been that certain conditions
were insisted upon by the managers which
wculd-be purchasers could not and would
not agree TO. Again, those Who held the
iand were, In this respect, of the same
mind as the deceased Senator Stanford
they believed in the acquisition of large
bodies of land by individuals. Mr. Hunt
ingtOn is q OF of that belief. He is a rail-
road man first. last and all the time. and
thinks that in order that the railroads
shall succeed the contributing territory
must be settled up by wideawake and
industrious citizens.
Mr.. Mills is of the same mind. His po-
sltlon on this question has been set forth
at length in the newspapers and by the
gentleman himself in his pubic and pri-
vate utterances. In December, 1891. he
read paper before the Chit-Chat CLUB OF
this city on "CalifOrnia Land Holdings"
In which he eXhaustively set forth the
oaneful effects OF large holdings upon the
State. 1t is for this reason that his selec-
tlon for the task of disposing of this i'm
mense tract seems particularly aDDropr-
ate. because 1t carries the assurance that
the property will not fall into the hands
Oh spectators who are simply seeking
profita BILE investments. An extract from
Mr.. Mills paper is in point. He said:
but there IS no form of monopoly
which usurps the opportunities of men 10
the extent attending the mOnOpOliZed
| ownership of land. All values are pri-
marily derived from the soil. The earth
is the source of all wealth, and while it
| remains true that labor and skill create
wealth, 1t is at the same time true that
labor and skill find only in the products
| of the earth the opportunity for sneh
| creation. The products OF the mines anc
| the fields furnish the material upon
which skill and labor are expended.
| Deprive labor of this opportunity and it
would have no field of exercise. Thus, in
its latest and best analysis the earth is
| the source of wealth. The differences.
fha %1gC
| 100000 worth of land and the ownership of
an equal value in personal property is the
| difference between the control of force
and the ownership of an accumu alton. Iu
| The first, you have the ownership Of the
very sources of wealth. In the second.
you have simply the ownership of that
which has been abstracted or created.
The difference is analogous to the differ
ence between the ownership of a river and
the ownership of reservoir. The own
ershlp OF the river would confer the pros
pective right to all the water preciptated
upon lis catchment area 10 all time. The
ownership of the reservoir would simply
mean the accumulation of a long-past flow.
Land monopoly is, therefore, a monopoly
of the opportunity of the right of men to
life. liberty. and the pursuit Of happiness
and safety"
AS to the lands, there are nc better in
California. They comprise 10000 acres,
which have all been under cultivation and
which belonged to the CrockeT- Ii uffm an
syndicate or were purchased from the
latter gentleman individually. and 1000
acres which belong to the Pacific Im-
proyement Company, but which will be in
cluded in the sale. The lands do not lie
IN one body, but are in different sections
and parts Of sections, not very remote
from each other.
The system IF irrigation by which those
lands is wa;ered cost S1,600.000 for the
lc hao
of these mediums is sufficient to water be-
tween 100000 and 0,000 acres now, and
as land always requires greater supply
when irrigation is commenced, II is proba-
Die that 100000 acres can be readily sup
piled later on. The water rights are to be
sold to individuals for land not owned by
the estate, and also with its own land. No
land will be sold without the water right,
because the price carries with 1t the water
right. The prime object of the move is to
induce immigration and the terms under
which the lands will be sold. under the in
structions from the board of directors of
the Crocker estate to Mr.. Mills. are gov
erned by two conditions:
First, that the lands shall not be sold to
SPECTATORS; and, second. that the price To
be asked for the land shall lot 0bstruct
It's sale to wonld-be settlers. This means.
IN effect. that the price will be such as to
induce settlement by persons of limited
means, and that the price asked repre-
sents large concession from the figures
heretofore named for the same property.
Mr.. Mills is thoroughly familiar with
the properly in question. as he has been
over its entire area several times. and he
says that the price al which it will be sold
VIII be on the greater portion of 1t 40 per
cent below hitherto quoted figures and at
! least % per cent on the remainder.
The terms of sale will give the purchaser
not less than five years in which to pay the
ipf
thing in view, and in the making of terms
the purchasers financial condition and
worthiness will have great weight. Ii a
purchaser has money the company would
prefer that he should invest it in improv-
ing the land rather than in paying the
| principal outright.
The company will give to each purchaser
the benefit of all Investigations made by 1t
as to condition of the land, ETC., and will
allow reasonable time 10 settle on the
land after purchase is made. If man
buys land on interest payments only and
| does u not settle on it the contract will re-