The San Francisco call., 1910-05-27

from 500 to $500 an acre as have
lands in Stanislaus county.
/ CHANGE TO PALACE
AS we gather here this evening it
must occur TO you all how splendid
II is that the eyeSore once occupy
ing this spot has been displaced
by this beautiful hotel 1t was once
swimming tank for boys, and
later, because of its dilapidated and
insanitary condition, the subject of
sharp criticism from the health au
NAL on the part of the stock hold
erS that has been changed into
! veritable. Aladdin's palace, as shown
by the life and the beauty that sur
rounds US this evening.
The hotel project had its inception in
! 1907, and despite the discouragements
of the panic the promoters never fall
tered. From the outset there was a
most liberal response and it soon be-
came apparent that success was as
sured. Lee E. Phillips. who is heavily
| interested in delta lands near here,
was the prime mover in the enterprise.
There had been many movements
which contemplated the construction
of a big hotel in Stockton said Phil
| lips, in discussing the matter today,
but none had gone beyond the pre-
! liminary stage 1 had been bringing
a great many people to Stockton to
| look over lands, and 1t was often so
difficult to get satisfactory accommo-
dations that our visitors preferred to
occupy the PuIlmans over night. It
was very clear then that if we could
not furnish people with such hotel ac-
commodations as they desired it was
useless to try to interest them in lands
or anything else hereabouts. So we
talked IL over one night-E. B. Brown
and myself. Brown is an architect,
and we became so interested that we
worked far into the morning. and when
we quit Brown had sketched out a
hotel. We got the people interested
and the first thing we knew the project
was launched We have 275 stock
over $4,000. 1 believe 1t will prove
paying investment. We have the
stores in the building well rented and
that assures us of a very comfortable
income.
TYPICAL OF ENTERPRISE
The success of the hotel venture is
merely typical of what has been ac-
complished in the city of Stockton dur
ing the last year or two by united ef
fort The handsome Young Mems
Christian association building bears
nothing but eloquent testimony to this
spirit The sum Of $4,000 was raised
by popular subscription and the COM
modious edihce is the result. The
Elks have just completed most at
tractive building at cost of $150,000.
The Stockton public has responded lib
orally for a call for funds for chill
dren's home and SIS, 900 is available.
The Salvation Army, aided by a citi
zens' committee. is planning the erec-
tion of a $780, 600 building to contain a
workingman's hotel and hospital These
are noteworthy undertakings, not
only in themselves, but as repeated
demonstrations of Stockton's great
vao-ra, for effort
This finds further and striking exem-
plification in the good roads and iriga-
tion enterprises. These projects are
predicated upon an extension of the
city's foundation stones of unity and
progress as the basis rocks for San
Joaquin county. A sum approximating
$2,o00,0 200 has been voted for the i'm
provement of 23s miles of public high
way radiating from Stockton. The
bonds have commanded premiums of
unusual size, for San Joaquins credit
is like the Bank Of Englands, and
without waste of time active work has
been begun. The first contract let
was for 20 miles from the northern end
of the city on the lower Sacramento
road as far as the Sacramento county
line The road dress is an asphalt
nacadam. The reconstruction provides
also for new bridges and culverts of
the highest standard.
NEEDS ONLY MOISTURE
Under the new irrigation project
some 10000 acres of land are to be sub
iected to the beneficent influences of
water. The district lies in the southern
part of the county, and embraces
fertile tract that has needed only mois-
ture to attain Its greater productive
ness.
These extensive improvements call
necessarily for progress in railroad
construction. Not only do the Southern
Pacific Santa Fe and Western Pacific