Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1909-01-05
A DEMAND UNSUPPLIED.


d. d. Peters, just returned from
trip to Eastern Washington, makes
suggestion concerning the work o
advertising Polk county that is vel
worthy of careful consideration.
While in Washington, he says tha
he met with a number Of people wh'
were deeply interested in Oregon ant
who asked him all manner Of ques
tions concerning the part OF Oregon
from which he came-Polk county.
These questions he gladly answered,
80 far as he was able, but he regretted
the fact that he was unable to give
definite information on several points,
which would have had telling weight
had he been able to furnish it. Asked
the total hop acreage in Polk county,
the total acreage planted in apples or
prunes, what acreage Of these was in
bearing and what only recently set
out, he was able to give only approx
innate information. Asked the total
yield Of the prune orchards in Polk
county this year, be could answer
only with guess.
Data of this sort has never been
compiled and yet it would prove an in
estimable convenience to the person
from Polk county who may be travel
ing in another state, where he is
bound to meet with such inquiries.
Aman planning to move his home
from some other state to this county,
wants to know in what relation the
various branches of agricultural and
horticultural industry stand to each
other, so that he may lay his plans as
to what he himself will take up.
The very statistics, the lack Of which
Mr.. Peters so deeply regretted during
his visit in Washington, would give
to man in that position, the exact
relative picture Of Polk county's farm
ing industries which he desires and,
in case he were still undecided, might
lead him TO cast his lot in this county
adding TO our population another fam
lily Of the constructive, progressive
citizens on whom the development Of
the country depends.
The state OF Oregon has officers
whose duty It is to collect, assemble,
and tabulate, facts concerning other
branches Of the numerous forces that
are at work in the development of our
commonwealth, as, for instance, the
State Labor Commissioner from whom
merchants and manufacturers, in fact
all who employ labor, are able to
secure complete statistical informa-
tion on any point Of which they may
desire to know.
II were only just, that the farmer,
whose position in the social organiza-
tion is as the foundation to the super
structure, should have an equal
opportunity. Full statistics concern
ing the various agricultural indus
tries in each county and in the state
as whole, would not only place at
the service OF the citizens Of Oregon,
an exceedingly powerful and effective
advertising medium, but would enable
them to balance the agricultural pro-
duction Of the state TO such nicely
that the statement that this or that
commodity had become drug on
the market" or was "kllled out by
over r-production" would sound like
foreign language to the citizens of
this state.
Or IL the state declines to take the
matter up, it would not be amiss for
the county to select an officer, prefer
ably the County Fruit Inspector per
haps. who should have charge of the
work of assembling aud ordering
statistics Of production, for his own
county at least. IL this could be done
there would be no further occasion for
the Polk county farmer visiting in
another state 20 reply to such a ques-
tlon as What is the total prune acre
age in the county from which you
came?" by scratching his head and
answering well don't know exactly
but il must be about. etc, ETC." Posi-
tive men, men whom we want in our
citizenship, want positive and definite
answers aud these cannot be given
unless we in turn have positive and
definite information