The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1917-04-26
Thomas Wren, President Stock
Association Talks at Club
Meeting.
BETTER LAND VALUES
Every Acre Worth $500 More
From Good Surfaced Road
Along Side.

Thomas Wren, the well known extern
sive rancher at Denver and president
OF the Northwest Livestock association.
was In the city this week and on We'd
nesday was guest at the Commercial
club luncheon. Mr.. Wren when called
upon by President Anderson for few
remarks, gave the club a number OF
pointers ON our present needs, and
showed how we might gain certain OBJ
jects which have been held In view for
the betterment Of our conditions. Mr..
Wren is man Of such extensive travel
and well known business experience
that his views and advice carry un-
usual weight with them. In conversa-
tion with the Globe man after lunch
con, Mr.. Wren stated that In all his
travels which had extended to every
state In the union. that he had yet to
find a section which combined as many
good qualities as an agricultural and
stock raising country as does Camas
Prairie.
''The thing" said Mr. Wren, which
amazes me Is that the people here seem
to so little understand and appreciate
the great advantages which they have
over other less favored and still more
pretentious districts This country Is
| know Of can they produce as much
per acre year In and year out as right
here where we are living Yet I find
many communities whose agricultural
wealth and natural advantages are not
onehalf what ours are, forging right
to the front, constructing miles and
miles Of smooth surfaced country roads
and paving the streets OF every little
town within the district What is the
matter Of Grangeville that 1t does not
pavef A town of its size and with the
business IL does, and county seat, as
1t Is, In the center Of the best agricul-
tural country ON earth? Your streets
really are not as good as the country
roads, and the very sight of them at
| the present time Is enough to disheart-
en- and discourage any prospective in
vestor who might drop In, no matter
how much in earnest he might be or
how desirous of employing his capital
Besides the unsanitary effects of the
vast accumulation of mud and and Of
fal from the constant travel Of horses,
mixed and stirred up in mess like
we are now looking at, is menace TO
health which should not be tolerated.
When you hear roperty owner who
holds an unimpr0ved lot on Main
StlCtL tidt IL ~ itkt tOnuHGHIiilk
his property TO force him to pave, when
the lot is not bringing i'm any returns
tell him for me that | will take every
such lot at once for cost of paving the
street area In front of IL, and he need
have no further worry.
why" continued Mr.. Wren. 81 con-
slider that the selling value OF every
acre Of FARM land ON this prairie will
be advanced $500 the minute a good
surfaced road is constructed on one
side OF II. | have seen this claim PROV
EN- time after time In other sections,
and we are proving 1t right now over
in Washington west of Spokane, where
roads are being built through a country
far inferior to this. This claim of in
creased value of land by the construc-
ti0n of good roads has been so fully
established that 1t does not admit Of
question at this time, and the man who
i argues against 1t simply discloses his
ignorance of well established facts. /
have no land for sale here. A man
cannot buy an acre of my Camas Prair-
lie holdings, and ! am not talking for
profit of that kind"
On the vital topic of increased food
production and the utilization of every
lot and tract of land, Mr.. Wren, who
was appointed a member Of the Idaho
defense committee, Is an enthusiast,
and Is in hearty accord with the views
of Judge Ailshie as expressed else
where i'm this issue