El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-22
TEIG0G9 May
Be DRAINED
By MADER0
Plans to Fill in Lake to Sell
Land to Natives For Cul-
tivation.
ANNUL A BRITISH
FISHING CONCESSION

Mexico City, Mexico, June 22-One
OF the plans evolved by the government
through its department of public vel
1are, colonization and industry, to pro-
vide arabic lands for division among
the peOple-One of the chief planks OF
MaderO'S revolutionary Platforms IN
DER way It contemplates the drain
age and filling in of the great bed OF
Lake TeXcOcO, some two and a half
miles east of the capital The work
VIII require five years, il is estimated,
100000 gold.
Thousands of acres of waste land,
now partly covered with water to the
depth of two feet and the remainder
either useless swamp or dry, sandy
stretches, the latter giving rise to the
frequent dust storms which sweep the
capital in the dry season, are to be re-
claimed This land, according to plans
which are being worked out. is to be
placed on sale TO individual Mexicans
at the lowest possible figure and on
long term payments.
Remnant of Great Lake.
Lake Texcoco is the last remnant OF
the once mighty body of water which
covered the plateau and Completely
surrounded the ancient city of Te-
nochutlan, now the capital Of the re-
public. Legend has it that somewhere
IN its depths the treasure Of Monte
yuma was sunk to prevent its falling
INTO the hands of fernando COrteZ. It
mas been searched for in vain during
the nunurgQS OF years since the con-
quest, and 1t is regarded as possible.
though, hardly probable, that it will
come to light IN the conversion of this
lake bed.
Three bills. intended to put into ef-
feet some of the reforms which were
promised to the people by president
Madero were not presented to the ma
uonal assembly because a great deal
OF difficulty was met in the legal tech
nicalities of the measures. Two of the
bills dealt with the land question and
the third was an employers liability
act The drafting Of the bills has
been in the hands of Carlos Trejo
LerdO de Tejada, attorney general of
the federal district.
Fishing Treaty AnnuIIed.
President Madero's cabinet has decid-
ed to cancel a fishing concession on
the east and west coasts of Lower Call
ifOrnia and the western part of the
mainland granted to the Mangara EX-
ploratiOn company by the DiaZ govern
ment The company is British and will
receive $3.50 600 as indemnity It is
stated that the canceling of the con-
cesSion has nothing TO do with the late
japanese talk, but is aimed simply to
return to the people on the coast the
fishing rights of which they had been
deprived and which in many instances
constituted their only means of liveli- 1
hood.
Mexican POIiteness.
The inherent politeness Of a Mexican !
referee nearly annulled the effect of u /
clean knockout during a recent boxing I
match in the capital Incidentally the 4
row which followed the umpire's deci- |
sion in favor of the Mexican puSilist, ]
who was pitted against Jim Smith. |!
negro, has resulted in an official bar 1
on the sport within the federal district. I
CuauhtemOc Aguilar, the Mexican, /
went through the ropes in the fourth i
round. The umpire, carried away by 4
the calamity which had befauen the /
peoples idol, rushed to his aid and was 4
about to try to put him on his feet
The count The count" yelled half |
a hundred Americans in the audience.
Several seconds late, the umpire re-
membered his office and to all appear
ances Aguilar was down and out. The /
umpire then declared the blow a foul
because it had been struck after the /
gong sounded 1t was pointed out that
the gong was broken and could not be
heard. but the decision stood. The
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