The Holbrook news., 1917-09-21

At public meeting of Hol
 brook citizens held in the Pas
 time theater last Monday morn
 ing action was taken whichs vii
 assure the commencement oi work on the McGaffey railroad south from Holbrook at once. This meeting had been called al the request of MT. H. H. Scorse, owner of the land wanted by the McGaffey company for rights-of-way a n d terminals; 1t was attended by large num- Der of representative citizens, and. save for the injection of some personalities into the dis cussion following MT. Scorse's offer to sell the land, the meeting was a harmonious one.
 The meeting was called to or der. and it's object stated, by MT. John R. HuIet. A motion then prevailed that MT. Hulet act as chairman; afterwards G. M. Braxton was elected secretary. MT. Scorse was called upon to make a proposition for the sale of the land selected by the rail- way company for rights-of-way terminals and tie-treating plant. The land wanted comprises an acreage on both sides of the ri- yer of about 150 acres. MT. Scorse's first offer was to sell the land for S10O per acre; later he modified this offer by agree ing to accept $fO.OOO for the two tracts wanted and to donate $2,000 towards paying for the land. This made a net price of $8.00O for the land.
 While the price made by MT. Scorse was considered rather high by some of the people pre- sent, the opinion of practically ] every one was that ti1e town | could not afford to reject the offer. The building of the new railroad will be of great and | prominent benefit to the town; unless the land is given to the l railroad company, the road may be built, but it will not start | from Holbrook. There was therefore but one sensible thing for the citizens to do, and that was to close the deal with MT. Scorse for the land. A motion made by MT. w. H. Chamberlln to this effet was carried with but three dissenting votes.
 Mr. ChamberIin's motion car ried a provision that the chair man appoint committee of five, of which the chairman should be a member, to raise the money required to purchase the land. Chairman Hulet appointed the following committee: D. J. Tho mas, W. R. Scorse, W. H. Cham berlin, J. R. Hulet. L. E. Carron. The meeting then adjourned.
 The action taken by the citi- zens of Holbrook Monday was forecasted in the News last week. Ever since the McGaffey company started the survey for a railroad out of HoIbrook it has been practically certain that the town would be called upon to grant some concessions, either in land for terminal facilities or in cash, or both. The News has felt certain that the people would grant what was asked. That they will be required to raise but $s,OOO to pay for the land is fortunate; it might have been necessary for them to raise two or three times that amount.
 MT. McGaffey and MT. Bennett were present at Mondays meet ing of citizens in Holbrook. and afterwards expressed themselves as being well pleased with the outcome. Construction on the road will start just as soon as the engineers have completed their final surveys and balance of the rights of way have been secured. This will probably be some time next week.
 Monday afternoon the railroad men, accompanied by MT. John R. HuIet and Attorney w. B. Ferguson, went to Snowflake,
 I-1-o-o1 Hrr &oc