Arizona republican., 1908-01-09

residents
 Salt River valley is without doubt
 one of the greatest. most fertile and
 richest valleys in the world, but what
 good is it to it's people and the outside
 world In its present condition? A great
 many have realized and know that a | terrific pressure has been brought to
 bear on our railroads by coast cities to keep Arizona ''peoned' to these same cities; in other words, Arizona
 Its people. its products had to be sac ] rificed to help build up a country that
 does not need this support to make ! them success. as they have plenty of their own territory to work on. Ari-
 zona today pays the highest freight
 rates of any country in the United States. You may not know that many
 business concerns have sent represent atives to this valley with the intention of embarking in business, manufactur-
 ing. etc. and when conditions were
 thoroughly investigated all said owing
 to our in and out freights 1t was i'm
 possible to make a success of business
 in this section. Only a few weeks ago a s250.0O0 mercantile concern turned down" Salt River valley for this req son alone after they had fully intended to settle here. but when freight rates were investigated We got the same an- swer; and many others have done the same. Our local merchants cannot grow or expand because there is no use under present conditions. The writ CT had occasion to figure on a carload ot rice from the rice fields in Texas | The rate on this rice to Los Angeles | inl dred or sl65 for the carload of 30.00O | pounds. The rate from these same | fields to Phoenix. Arizona is SEA per | hundred or S552 for a carload of 30.00O | pounds: a difference in favor of Los | Angeles of $3S7. and this car of rice is l hauled through Phoenix hundreds of I miles farther. This car of rice could | be shipped to Los Angeles and shipped | from Los Angeles to Phoenix and a | saving made of Sl0s and this by haul | ing 1t through Phoenix over to Los An geles and bringing it all the way back | just to help build up Los Angeles 1 Now this is only one of a thousand l illustrations that any merchant can | show at any time, and We would like | to ask where Is the justice in this? :? | Phoenix pays from 100 per cent to 200 | per cent more freight on most all com ] modities than coast cities on goods coming east The merchants of this | county are the most liberal of all and l today are actually selling goods and | doing business on less profit than any in the United States Cut down the rates to where they belong and people | can live fin this great valley for less than they can any place in the west. barring none. and that means more people, more prosperity and content ment
 Some months ago a small reduction | was made on a few commodities such as sugar. beans. potatoes and one or two others and in less than a week | after this went into effect retail prices fell accordingly and the people of this valley received the benefit.
 It is well known fact that if our farmers and stock-raisers have an un- usual large amount of hay, grain. hogs. cattle or. in fact. any other products 1t Is immediately a drug on the mar ket. Why? Because coast cities DE MAND that their rates onN these com modities to OUR OWN natural market | right in Arizona. and hundreds Of miles 1 NEARER this valley must he low enough and ours must be RAISED to | a point where they can ship their goods.
 Now tlis is not altogether the fault | of the railroads. It is the lack of con certed action on our part and over activity on the part of California peo- pie. The petty jealousy which is today existing between some merchants and | shippers in this valley must be entirely | eradicated. They must get together in this great. common cause, do as Cali fornia does-flrst get the people and get the business and then fight for it | afterwards. Every farmer who owns a COW or horse or piece of land. every party owning a lot in any town in Maricopa county or an investment of any kind must be interested in this movement. It means better prices for our products, as we intend to procure better rates on all products. including hay grain. melons, oranges, fresh veg etables: and. in fact. anything that is produced or manufactured in Salt Riv- CT valley will have the support of this club and can be marketed without be- ing absorbed entirely by freight rates.
 Our traffic department brought out the point in the following: "Our far mers. stockmen and producers must ship their products 10 markets in com petition with California. and in order to do this they must buy their beans, their canned goods. vehicles. impie- ments. clothing and other necessaries of life as cheaply as California farmers. and especially to markets where we are hundreds of miles nearer"
 We will soon be able to use the cheap power that will be brought from Tonto Basin dam. which means more