The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-06-28
FL PASO WOMAN'S ELDORADO;
 EVEN DISHPANS SPILL GOLD
Old H. O. of L. Bafled Where Girls Make SIS Week By Washing Plates and Pots and $50 Stenographer-one
 Earns S4O00 Year from Her Squab Farm
Rr ZOE BECKLEY

Please have all ships on your water- front searched' was the message. And the Fl Paso editor nearly died laughing.
 True, the Rio Grande used not to look so like a trickle from a faulty drinking fountain. But when the stupendous dam at Elephant Butte, 1S0 miles away, lapped up a few billion gallons for irrigation purposes, the Rio became less grand. In its wettest days, however, it never boasted craft big enough to hide fugi- tive lapdog.
 The unhappy Fl Paso editor is always being pestered, too, with customers who want to know something that is going on in Dallas or Fort Worth. They think it's just round the corner or down the road a piece, whereas in Texas nothing is ever nearer than 2S hours, more or less.
 Fl Paso is the largest city in a district having a radius of 1500 miles. It is the distributing center of greater area than the New England states, with New York New Jersey and Pennsylvania thrown III for good measure!
 MEXICANS TOOK EVEN PICKLES
 But back to the squabsi
 The motor hummed along the river edge past giant smelter where hardy miners come with all sorts of ores from all sorts of places to be refined by Mexican workmen whose adobe huts fringe the bank.
 Across the river, dotted among scraggy rocks on the sloping mesa are fragmen- tary shelters from behind which Mexican snipers have taken many pot shot at Americans and American property.
 We sped through the attractive resi- dence district of El Paso, past Fort Bliss, now nearly dismantled of its thousands of tents which marked the recent Mexi- can invasion; but a permanent army post and always active.
 A1 nr, Whnefa skirted grim, outstanding mountains. those arid, treeless mountains of the desert country which look within actual touch yet are miles away; sailed along the finely paved road threading an irri- gated valley where peaches, pears. grapes. dates, figs, alfalfa, lettuce and cantaloupes grow-and almost everything else except citrus fruits.
 Over Five Mile bridge we dipped, where a number of Americans have been sniped as they slowed down for sharp turn in the road, and where a peaceful pionic party was recently held up by brigandish Mexicans and relieved of all valuables, from diamond rings to dill pickles.
 Close to the road are the ruins of handsome home whose owner was rash enough to store in his cellar ammunitons thought to be for the celebrated MT. F. Villa. Fl Paso gets used to these Mexl- can amenities and rents out the roofs or It's tall buildings when a real good hght Is on over In Juarez!
 But now we are at the Bluebird squap ranch, a two-acre tract for which Mrs. Shropshire paid $220O. Her 5000 pigeons are housed in model bird apartments and the surplus ground is planted from gov ernment instructions in peas, beans, corn and other articles of staple pigeon diet.
 FL PASO'S WILLING TO PAY
 You can raise any sort of stock in this district'' says Mrs Shropshire. But to make it profitable you must also grow stuff to feed it. I buy scarcely any, thing for my birds
 'I raise only the finest breeds Some of my squabs weigh two pounds apiece. My market is assured both in local ho- tels and homes in convenient shipping points.
 T cannot fail. It is merely a question of work; the. soil and the climate do miraculous things. It's the greatest country in the world. There are mill lion things. to do--and just look at those mountains. Don't they make you' fairly cry with their beauty?"
 The enthusiastic proprietress of the Bluebird squab ranch is corroborated by facts and figures from the Fl Paso Chamber of Commerce, Mir. Clements president Mr. Parkhill secretary.
 If you look askance at the optimism of
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