Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-10-21

the man with the backbone to make
it productive. With it's rich soil and
unequalled climatic conditions. the
fertility of it's soils should be the slo-
gan with which to attract the farmer
immigrants from Europe So far but
little attempt has been made to cul-
tivate the hill lands, but where such
attempts have been made, they have
been successful. This may be seen
in the berry and truck gardens on
the hills surrounding Elma, and else
where in the eastern part of the coun-
ty
Difficult to Obtain Lands
No doubt exists ip the minds fo
those who have studied the subject
that the Grays Harbor country has
the soil and climate adapted to an
ideal dairy country, nor that this re-
gion will be developed in time.
How long a time depends to a very
large extent upon the holders of large
tracts of land at this time The dis
position of those owners has hereto
fore been to withhold the logged lands
from the market, for various reasons,
some of them good from a business
standpoint in the past. but of doubt
full wisdom at this time.
The two great breads of the tim
herman are fire and taxes, and set
increase both. Clearing of land
means burning siasllings, and settle
ment means roads and schools which
must be paid for by taxation. and
the dread was legitimate until OF
late, when, by reason of vacant gov
ernment land. logged lands were of
very slight value which the timber
men we'll knew would advance as the
timber was removed.
The Herald believes the time has
arrived when it will proy good busi-
ness for the owners Of large tracts
of logged lands to put them on the
market at moderate price, in such
a manner as to retain a part of each
section, the value of which would be
so enhanced by the development of
profitable, and at the same time as
sist in the natural development of
the country. From a strictly bust
ness standpoint we believe this poll
cy will prove much wiser than the
present obstructive plan.
That the disposition has been to
withhold those lands from the mar
ket is no mere assertion. 1t was fully
revealed in the attempt of the South
west Washington Settlers Agency to
secure lands for sale to actual set
tiers at a moderate price. The Off
cial report of the Southwest Wash
ington Development association for
1911 tells the story plainly. At the
meeting of the association in Aber
deem in October, 1911, Secretary
Barnes of the Settlers Agency, said:
| have visited practically every lum
herman in Southwest Washington,
and the hardest JOB the organization
has had has been to persuade the luru-
bermen to sell their lands" A. e.
Li',le of Raymond made similar
statement, although il much strong
g" terms.
With the opening of the Panama
canal, and even now, conditions are
changed. Stump lards in the bot
toms will have a definite value from
this on, and the holders of those
lands will see that it will pay to let
&c of some tracts ut low price in
o. der to demonstrate the fertility Of
the balance of their holdings. With
lot of such low priced lands to Of
fer to the sturdy European immi-
grants, coming with The set purpose
of finding home of their own in this
favored land. Chehalis county in
few years would be -aising all the
foodstuffs it required, with some to
ship abroad, and a new era of pros
perity upon solid foundation would
set in.