Semi-weekly herald., 1913-01-16
continental highway pass through the


million acres Of land for road build
ing and hope in the near future we
shall be able to induce the federal
government to cede to us in reasonable
amounts score or more of the most
beautiful sites in the state and detii-
cate them for park purposes. With
people from all over the country wish
ing to visit our mountains, it seems
to me reasonable TO hope for much
assistance in this direction.
Transportation and Marketing Condi-
tiOns
Inquiry has shown that we are an
nually importing into this state FOR
cur own use live stock and agricul-
tural products to the amount of $40
per capita, or about $32,000,000 a
year This is counting only those
products we should produce ourselves.
Nevertheless, this year we had an
immense quantity of fruit and other
farm crops for which there was no
available market or no transportation
facilities through which they could be
sold at a profit. Thousands of tons
of the best fruit ever produced in the
state went to waste. Much Of this
was perishable and if moved at all
had to be shipped within very limit
ed time Had there been ample manu-
| featuring facilities much Of this crop
could have been put in condition to
bold over for use in years of scant
production. realize that through
| sparsely settled sections it is expen-
| sive and often difficult to be in readi-
| mes sto take care of unusual business,
| but ! believe that some way can be
| found to ship and market our orchard
| and farm products without such an
enormous loss as was experienced the
past year. 1t would seem that our
business organizations could induce
manufacturers to handle our surplus
| crops and some effective means found
by our railway or utilities commits
| sion to bring about better transpor.
tation facilities.
BOard of Immigration
Not 10 per cent of the area of this
state is developed to any considerable
extent, and not 5 per cent as it should
be. Our mineral lands, except il
small areas, have scarcely been pros
pected Less than per cent of oul
water power is developed. We have
| sufficient known coal, to say moth.
ing of undiscovered fields. to supply
tie entire world, at the present rate
of conrumption, for more than three
hundred years. We are bringing into
this state annually two million dol.
lars Of clay products when we have
vast quantities of better quality OF
the same clays at home. A similar
condition exists as TO many of ouI
other resources, Our opportunities fol
cheap power are practically unlimited
We are in the center of the Rocky
mountain region, and can offer indus.
trial possibilities unequaled by any
other state in the Union. To occupy
cur lands and utilize these advantages
we must have more people and more
capital To secure these we must col
lect accurate statistics and facts con.
ccrnng our production and opportu
mites and distribute them among the
people of the east who are looking foi
homes in the west. We need an added
| agricultural population of hundred
and fifty thousand to produce the live
stock and agricultural products we
are now importing into the state fol
cur own use. Ours is great live
stock state, and yet we buy abroad
annually eight and one-half millior
dollars Of meat products; our condi
tions are ideal for growing poultry
and yet we buy beyond our borders
more than four million dollars of poul
try products each year; naturally
there is no better dairy state in the
Union, and yet we are bringing into
Colorado, for our own use, four ant
one-half million dollars of dairy prod
ucts each year These industries of
fer splendid opportunities for new
farmers and ranchmen coming to Col
orado The board of immigration
must therefore be afforded means t,
thoroughly advertise our resources
and the state board of agriculture
should be required to collect the agri
cultural, live stock and horticulture
statistics necessary for this campaign
Of publicity.
Reapportionment
| / cannot urge too strongly the ne
cessity of fair apportionment o
legislative and congressional districts
Since the last general enactments Of
this subject the population of tn
state has so shifted as to make tn
present division ridiculously unjust
Attempts, too often made, to gerry
mander for partisan advantage ar
likely to have exactly the opposite re
suit from that intended.
The state should be divided as fair
ly as possible, having due considers
tion for counties with meager pop
ulation and making no float district