Semi-weekly herald., 1916-01-31
Mr. Schroeder on
the Imperial Valley

a. tiitAt 10 oAAt NAiiilk lihHttiai NdiitN
can stand it is eternal sunshine and
dust. Remember | said dust. 1t has
not rained here for one whole year
nor does anyone pray for rain. They
actually do not want it. ~ On the
street, | ventured to a bystander
that it would be fine thing to have
a shower to lay the dust. He fixed
an injured gaze upon me as il he
had found a traitor to common
cause. Friend" said he. 'if it should
rain here for one hour you would
be glued to earth if you took dozen
steps. l have a hundred head of cat
tie in an alfalfa pasture. In As
hours after the rain the stand would
be ruined and should be obliged 20
feed them" This explanation was
enough My next remark was adobe .
| heard him say yes but he was on
the go.
Remaining at Brawley only part
of two days, l however, informed
myself of the following facts: The
town has 5000 people, white and
Mexican. Besides having a pumping
plant and a municipal light plant the
taxpayers have voted bonded indcbt-
edness of $4,000 for city hall,
street paving and improvements.
The town of Imperial was passed
by, but at Ell Centre, another stop
Of four days was made. This, some
how seems to be the favorite place
of the valley, or the pet of the rail-
roads and corporations. 1t is much
further advanced, has many paved
streets and fine business blocks and
an imposing million dollar hotel, Bar
bara Worth. They claim n popula-
ton Of 5000 with 1000 Mexicans
and negroes. These are in Il segre-
gated district All this population is
held down by a 100000 bonded in
debtedncss for public improvements
and the cost OF the court house and
city hall is yet to be met. Verify the
vail of the taxpayers Ia heard thru
the land.
The country and towns, in par
ticular, have been doomed to the
limit, and the people are just finding
it out. A general depression of land
values is in evidence. In conversa-
ton with farmer near El Centre
was told that five years ago he
could have sold so acres of his place
Tor $500 acre, where now he could
not get 800. While fictitious boom
Ing is much to blame, other reasons
are not lacking TO make the new
conner hesitates in buying. The allim-
portant water question is the princi-
pal one here. AS might be expected
IL is certainly difficult and expen-
sive one. About 200 miles of main
line canal must be maintained, be-
sides nearly Doubt that amount OF
laterals. The annual assessment for
maintenance alone is from one to two
dollars an acre, which must be paid
While the cost of the
actual construction Of the gigantic
system is yet to follow and anyone
here can tell you this has cost the
land owners of the valley more than
three million dollars. At present the
land owners are about to vote on the
question of forming water district
and taking over the canal at the above
mentioned price.
Some 10000 people now inhabit the
valley, which occupies an area of 80
by 80 miles in extent. The commun-
ity is entirely agricultural and
on account of the favorable climatic
conditions nearly everything planted
here thrives. Alfalfa, Kafircorn and
cotton are the principal crops. mel
ons and vines in the early part of
the season, with all kinds of garden
truck in winter. Lemons. oranges and
dates are among the semi-tropical
fruits grown.
Calexieo is the town farthest to
the south and is built right up to the
international line. IL is Just Two teet
below sea level and is claimed to
have a population of 5000. 1t has
many well built blocks of brick and
concrete and is still erecting more.
The outlook for its future seems bet
ter than for any of the others. AT
present it is the center Of the cotton
industry. Its cotton gins are running
to capacity, which is twenty-five bales
per hour each. This, however, is not
steady. but just as wagon loads ar
rive. There are also cotton seed hull
lers and two oil mills which produce
300 gallons of oil daily. Besides the
meal and other by-products. $4,000
bales OF cotton were shipped from
here last year, but it is claimed that