Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1911-01-13
MANY INQUIRIES FROM EAST
OreoOns Climate and Resources Ap-
peal TO Intending Settlers.

AS the result of the flood of inquir-
! les received from the East and Middle
West, the Bureau of Information OF
the Portland Commercial Ciub is
| working overtime trying to return
answers. Two hundred letters are
received daily. The mail yesterday
contained 600, the accumulation of the
Sunday and Monday mails. The aver
age number opened is 5000 a month.
w. l.. Crissey, head of the department
was of the opinion that the whole year
would produce 10000, as compared
with the 10000 received during 1910.
Efforts are directed onlytoward Sc
curing settlers upon farm or fruit
lands.
December statistics show that Illi-
nois leads in the number of inquiries
sent to the Commercial Club, with
New York second. Then come Mime
sofa, North Dakota and Iowa. To re-
ply to these seekers of information
costs the club $500 month in post
age. The character of the questions
asked and statements made leads the
inquiry department to believe that Or
egon is on the eve of receiving its
largest influx of settlers. 1t is said
that there never were so many inquir-
les as now, and that this is not entirely
due to present extensive advertising
by the promotion department of the
Commercial Club, but to the accumu-
lated growth of the publicity work
performed.
There is also traceable a condition
which gives evidence that many per-
sons in the Middle West are seeking
a milder climate.
The tremendous increase in the
number of inquiries is based upon the
following First, business conditions
over the Middle West are not as good
as usual; second, more people are de-
sirous of getting away from wage en-
ployment in factory or store; third,
many are desirous of living in a mild
er climate, and, fourth, the partial
failure of crops in the Middle West
has been noted Advertising is now
being placed in agricultural papers
and some of the leading periodicals
Lack of accurate information and
physical data concerning the natural
resources of Oregon has led the Ore
gon Conservation Commission to pre-
pare bill providing for state and
Federal cooperation on this topic. 1t
IS proposed to secure complete top
raphical map of the state. 1t is
pointed out that California, through
is activity and through appropria-
ions to aid the National Government
n its work, has secured a complete
typographical survey. Today the state
las detailed information concerning
I'll its resources.
1t is argued that to he effective in
writing settlers to come to Oregon, it
5 necessary to give the intending new
omer at least some of the principal
geographical facts. The one resource
f the state which it is asserted leads
Il the rest is agricultural land. Oregon
as a total area of 100000 acres
" this area lO.OOO,OOO acres, or 10 per
ent, is classed as agricultural land,
nd per cent, or 100000 acres, as
lands, of which 500. .000
cres is irrigated. The agricultural
of the state support a popu-
ltion on the land itself of $4,000,
lille dependent upon these activities
an additional $4,000. living in cities
nd incorporated towns. The value
( agricultural crops raised in 1910
as nearly 100000 The livestock
ldustry is closely allied to that of ag-
culture. and in 1910 its value
to s57,OOO.OOO. Dairy pro- !
ucts in 1910 amounted to $15.OOO.-i
20. while the output Of the lumber .
e mills amounted to $S5.OOO.OOO.- ,
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