The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-07-27

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Commercial Club:
Judge Brown:
Ladies and Gcntlemen-f guess it
is time now to talk it over. We
have endeavored to make this not
SO much a banquet as business
mems lunch, and we have come here,
we of Okanogan, to endeavor to tell
you, and we will endeavor to tell
you this evening what our conditions
we hope to do. We realize that this
visit which you are paying us here
is one which offers the very great
est prospect of being valuble to us
especially, and we hope to you, for
there is nothing, as we all know, that
so much benefits the dealings of one
with another as to understand the
conditions under which each works
and under which each lives
Now, of course, we of Okanogan
are probably better acquainted with
the Wenatchee country than the We
natchee people are with the Okano-
gan country, for the reason that go
ing outside, Of course. we pass
through Wenatchee Now we here
| feel as though Wenatchee is the
mother country. We look upon We
natchee as our mater, as the coun-
| try which we desire to initiate and
seek to follow. We hope to build
up here in this Okanogan country
another Wenatchee country.
Mr.. Kerr:
Ladies and Gentlemen-As mayor
of the city of Okanogan, I welcome
you AS to the keys to the city, We
have none. Don't think that we
have got what is commonly termed
wide open town just because We
have no keys, but we have been too
busy up here trying to make living
and get a little water on the land,
and plant some trees, that we have
not had time to arrange for any
keys. But we certainly are particu-
larly glad that you Wenatchee peo-
pie have come up here to pay us this
visit, and | assure you that the peo-
welcome We like the people of We
natchee not particularly because they
are so nice looking, or because they
are so much better than any other
people, but this is pure business
proposition That is all it is. We
like you because we think you can be
a benefit to us. You like us, you
came up here, because you think we
can be a benefit to you. This is
true. The Okanogan valley and We
natchee valley are identical, we
claim. That is, we claim that we can
raise just as good fruit, just as nice
an apple, and perhaps by and by
carry off just as much silverware as
Wenatchee. 1 heard in Spokane that
there was a fellow at one of the ap-
pie shows from the east, and he ask
ed, Where is this--that carries
off all the silverware $"
The greatest trouble of the Okla
hogan country at this time is the
lack of funds. All of you who have
attempted to plant an orchard, TAX
ing raw land and putting in in shape,
know what it costs. 1t costs money
and lots of it, too. There is nothing
at this time being produced in the
Okanogan country. We are sending
out for all that we use. There is no
money coming in except the money
that comes in in the peoples pOck-
cts. There is no other way for us to
get it, and it must come through We
natchee. That is the natural point,
and why we feel so kindly toward
Wenatchee is that we want to ask
Wenatchee to let as much of that
money get through as they possibly
can. Uaughter). We do not ex-
pect them to let it all get through.
l do not think they will, but there
are people that come into the Wenat-
chez country who haven't got $4,000
to pay for one acre of the land they
want to buy, and that kind of people
are the kind we want. We would
like to have the big fellows, but we
cannot expect to get them, but We
want just as big fellows as we can
get, with just as much money as is
possible, and it is very hard to get
them unless we have the assistance
of the city at the gate. The people
of Wenatchee I believe will pardon
me if | make a few remarks regard
ing the town of Okanogah in parti
cular. Four years ago when the gov
ern.nc.. project startci there were
cbor; so people in the town of Okla
nogaE, then called Alma. I believe
today we have over 700, and we
have made that growth without any,
thing being produced. Just merely
teen made on the faith that this is
fruit country, and would finally
ldevelop, and the people who have
been coming in and had the nerve