The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-12
SETTLE THE STATE FIRST,
F. w. Dohrmann Will Make a
Suggestion to the Half
Million Club.
His Plan to Attract a Desirable
Class Of Home-SeekerS
Through Bureaus.

On Tuesday, the executive committee
of the Half-million Club will meet and ap-
point working committees who are to
devise the best ways and means of pro-
noting the States interests and accom-
plishing the aims and objects for which
the club was organized. AS it will be
necessary to work upon a plan to secure
the desired results, the views of the mem
beers of the club will be asked.
F. W. Dohrmann, president of the Mer.
chants Association and an active member
of the club, will at that meeting present a
plan which many state is the best sugges-
ton offered so far. AS a preface, Mr..
Dohrmann will review briefly the reasons
of the southern parts of the State being so
much more prosperous than any other
locality in the United States.
1.-The reputation of the southern coun-
ties as health resorts drew to that locality
thousands of wealthy people from the
Northwest, who went there first to avoid
the severe winters of their homes" said
he. 1.-THE visitors number between 10000
and $4,000 annually, and each person
spends from 500 up, which gives profit
of rs per cent to the hotel-keepers and
tons of the country induce a large num-
Der of the visitors to become permanent
residents. It is the wealthy class of the
Northwest that has built up that section,
aided to great extent by a through rail
road from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Now we in Northern California have as
fine health resorts as those of the south,
and these should be developed and adver-
tised by the Half-million Club. 1t is folly
to try and increase the population of this
city without first developing the interior.
When the State is settled as it is in the
southern parts the population of San Fran
cisco will of necessity increase by the es-
tablishment of manufactures to supply the
wants of those in the other parts of the
State. There is no better way of settling
the State than by placing in Chicago,
which is a central point in the Northwest,
bureau of information concerning the en-
tire State, its resources and possibilities,
it's available lands and its climate. At
| that bureau should be splendid permanent
exhibit of the products of the State, such
as is seen at the California State Board of
Trade rooms on Market street.
This feature would attract the attention
of thousands of people, who even now re-
gard California as the garden spot of the
| Union. Not single item of information
should be exaggerated or colored. The
| cost of maintaining such bureau and ex-
| hlblt would not be great. In this City
there should be similar bureau, where
prospective residents can learn where they
can get lands and make homes. This
bureau should have list of lands for sale
throughout the State, and all the data
preliminary thereto.
"In addition, the Half-million Gu
should take a lively interest in bringing
out excursions and securing reduced rates
for bona-fde settlers. In hundred ways
the club can lend its influence and aid in
assisting both wealthy people and poor
farmers to find homes and land and obtain
easy terms.
ITO my knowledge there are hundreds
of large landholders in the State who
would only be too glad to cut up Their
holdings and sell at reasonable rates to
| home-seekers and small farmers. The ar
gument has been raised that our own farm
ers are unable to get anything for theil
crops, and that any more producers would
drug the market worse than ever. Now
California farmers are doing as well as the
farmers of any part of the Union. The
present low prices for farm and orchard
products are only temporary and cannot
last long, and all will get better prices a.
the times improve. The plan I suggest
am satisfied is the most economical anC
the most effective of any advanced so far.