Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1912-11-28
MIR. BROOKS VIEW.
Ashlander Tells of Desirable Changes
in Plans.

To the Editor: l noticed in a re-
cent issue of the Tidings a commun-
ication with reference to a letter re-
ceived from a party in Virginia who
is making inquiry as to the opportun-
tiles in this locality for getting work,
etc, and, l take it, the chance to
make a home.
Your correspondent asks, What
has the Rogue river valley to offer
this man? We might answer with
more truth than poetry, not much at
present in the Ashland district, un-
less it be the chance to chop up some
of the fungus peach trees for stove
wood, ditto several of the worthless
apple orchards as well.
Your correspondents question is
pertinent, one that should have been
considered long since by the people
of Ashland and vicinity if the town
and surrounding country would
progress as they both should be do
ing. The writer recalls an opinion
expressed by the wife of a prominent
business man in Ashland six years
ago last spring, his first year in
southern Oregon. This lady said with
reference to newcomers, We don't
want anybody here who hasn't mon
ey." l regret to say that this seems
to have been the attitude of Ashland
ever since I've been here.
The writer doesn't know of a bet
ter home town on earth for people
who have means to retire and live a
quiet life among good people, but if
city and country surrounding are to
| prosper there must be a payroll in
the city and the adjacent country
must develop with working people.
There must be something grown In
the soil other than the price, and
for most of the time the past six
| , CoAO Ihlo udo DCCn lhS ClOD.
Your booster and hot-air merchant
have a part in the making of any
country or city, as it takes hot air
even to make an engine go, and that
class of people have performed their
duty most faithfully and nobly the
past few years in this valley. Now
it's time for those who are willing
to take off their coats and go to
work tilling the soil, working in the
mill or factory. We have the soil,
high priced too, but where are the
factories? Well, a little coterie of
business men, so called, have downed
the FIGURING mills, temporarily at
least. The same bunch tried to throt-
tie the one cooperative institution
which is still living and doing it's
best for the general good of this
community l refer to the Fruit and
| Produce Association.
Wheat will be grown and the mills
will run again in this valley, but
practical men have told us that even
if wheat is shipped in and made into
! flour and by-products, the result will
| be cheaper flour and feed, etc, than
under the present high-priced ar
i rangement. Again, men have come
here apparently in good faith, will
ling to take hold of and develop GER
tain natural resources that would
mean the expending of large sums of
the means of bringing people here
who have money to spend and are
willing to spend it if the resorts were
here as they should be.
So it seems that while some of the
citizens want only those who have
money to come here, there also are
some who are not willing to sell even
at a good price to men who have the
money to buy with.
The writer looks forward to an era
of development Notwithstanding the
bursting of the fruit bubble He be-
lieves that problem will be solved to
the betterment of the industry so that
there will not be so much disappoint-
ment in pursuing his favorite voca-
tion. He looks for more mixed
farming methods to be followed. The
efforts already being made by Mr..
d. NJ. Lowe and several others in the
splendid region across the creek show
the great possibilities in that section.
He hopes also to see a greater in
ducement for farmers to come to