The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1911-01-20
Lieut.. Orr Gives His Views of the
West.

| West
From a personal letter from Lieut..
Harry A. Orr, U. 8. N, now stationed
at San Francisco on the u. S. s. West
Virginia, under date Of January 9TH
we take the following extracts which
we feel certain will interest our read
ers
have been on the West Virginis
since October g. This is my first eI-
perience in the Pacific Fleet. do oot
like the country out here. The Golden
West" has been painted so beautifSd dn
the periodicals and by the local Cham
bers of Commerce, that one believes
beforehand that it is sort of an enchant-
ed land. Far is it from such coun-
try. On the other hand consider it
quite barren compared to Michigan
and the other Central States. Since L
arrived here have been through Idaho.
Washington, Oregon and California. u
believe. l have seen quite little Of
the west have been to the extreme
south of California, to San Diego, too.
The country here is new. There are
opportunities in all lines of business.
The population is increasing rapidly
However when it comes to making
money, that problem is just as hard as
elsewhere. To buy real estate is 8
gamble. One might strike it rich, and
then again the property might not in
crease materially in value for many
years. In California particularly money
is scarce and draws much higher
rate of interest here than in tbs east,
A great amount of money is tied up liz
real estate. A few days ago / saw &
long article in an Oakland newspaper
where the laboring \men were protest
ing about companies employing them.
bringing in new men from the east.
The people in Oakland protested he
cause they thonght there was not
enough work to keep the local laborers
busy.
Wages are little higher here than
in the east. Foodstuffs are also high;
eggs fifty cents per dozen, and butter
fifty-6ve or sixty cents per pound.
1t is becoming difficult for good new
land to be taken up. Many irrigatior
projects are under way involving the
expenditure of millions of dollars. All
of these companies explain in their
circulars how profitable they viii
make farming. but none of them dis
cuss the subject without assuming that
their water supply will be inexhaust-
ible. In number of irrigation pre-
jects which have already been under
taken the river supplying the water
has become dried up, condition which
was not figured on beforehand In
such cases the farmer has lost, for with
out the water, his land is w orthless.
am of the opinion from what have
seen, that man from the east, Michi-
gan. or any of those states, wants to
think twice before he comes west. In
the first place he cannot dispose Of his
interests there and coms to this coUn-
try without considerable initial ex-
pense, and in the second place it is very
doubtful to me. that, when once here,
he can do any better than he was doing
, at home.
have travelled pretty much about
the world since 1 left Owosso nearly
ten years ago. From what have seen,
I agree exactly with what l heard
Governor Osborn say in one of hie
campaign speeches in Tuscola county
last fall, viz: '"The farmers of South
ern Michigan should give thanks thst
they live in such a prosperous, fertile
and beautiful agricultural country
where they can practically produce
every necessity of life in their OWE
vicinity" When one lives in such 9
locality it is worth thinking long
time before leaving, for there are hun
dreds of places in the world where
these conditions do not exist.
San Francisco is rather gay just at
present, due to an Aviation meet which
is in progress. from Jan. 9Th to 10th. q
attended the opening day Yesterday.
Glenn II. Curtiss, the Wright Brothers.
Latham, Brookins, Parmalee. Ely,
Willard and others few. These air
ships are q very wondarful thing and
think, without a question of doubt,
that tbev will soon revolutionize pres
ent day warfare. Latham made about
% or 80 miles and Rodley did the same
in about 80 minutes flight.
In a week or 80 this ship am on. the
West Virginia and the Maryland are
going north to Puget Sound. where we
will remain until fall. If you know of
any Owosso people in Seattle let me
know who they are for 1 expect to be