St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1921-05-28
ARNEITT'S IDEA
OF FUTURE OF
ST. TAMNlANY.
I PARISH
Vaudeville, La, May 26, 1921

Following your inquiry Of fey
days ago concerning MT. Arnett
plans for development OF his land
in this parish, / am in receipt OF ;
letter from him %hich IS OF lnteres
to- the public, ana 4 am moved II
acQuaint you with his ideas IN tht
hope that It may stimulate a Gu
operative activity on the part o
land owners in the parish to remove
at the earliest possible moment tn,
h:ndering factors i'll the way OF pro
gress for agricultural developmen,
here. @s
Mr.. Arnett does not believe thai
the purchase OF undeeelopeu OF cue
over lands is d good inse5tment, Dli'
on the contrary lie realizes tndl L1e
holder OF such lands in very few
years would not pay interest ana
taxes on the money invested. There
fore he did not purchase the several
thousand acres OF land he owns ID
this parish with the idea Of making
an investment i'll cut-over lands.
He was encouraged by conversa
ton with some OF the leading busl-
ness men of the parish before he
put in a dollar here to believe that
the people of the community we're
disposed to welcome a policy OF pub
lie improvements The Good Roads
movement at that time seemed to be
earnest of the progressive disposition
of the people h3re, and the organlza-
ton OF ''The Progressive League
was further indication of forward
movement in this parish. OF course,
an observer cannot overlook the fact,
that, although the drainage move
ment was stopped and some OF the
plans contemporaneously made have
SO far failed, there are still evil
dences of a get-together spirit such
as the meeting Of the three towns
few weeks ago with the railway
officials.
While recognizing the hopeful
signs of parish movements, Mr.. Ar
nett feels that the matter OF pre-
dominant interest is not sufficiently
realized by all the important inter-
ests. Notwithstanding that st. Tam
many parish is Immediately adjacent
to New Orleans, its lands are among
the lowest in value in the state,
principally because of the lack OF
any considerable agricultural de-
velopment. In Tangipahoa parish
and especially South Mississippi,
with lands of similar character and
no better advantages, there is clear
er understanding Of the possibilities
for agriculture and growing effort
to develop it. There they are COM
ing to appreciate that these cut-over
lands when cleared and improved are
capable of more profitable produc-
tion per acre than the rich Delta
lands which are selling to-day at
very high prices.
Mr.. Arnett can see that, with a
cooperative undertaking involving
practically all the landed and busl-
ness interests of the parish, it has
location, climate, healthfulness, soil,
available markets, and possible
transportation which could easily
make it the premier parish in the
state and the foremost trucking and
fruit section of the South.
He also perceiyes that, as drainage
is absolutely necessary for any kind
Of agriculture on most of these lands
and would pay dividends on all OF
them, it is therefore the most essen
tial Improvement needed for the de-
pelopment and enrichment Of the
parish ".E. .v"@..
AS the means best adapted for
putting the district in the position
where land owners like himself lit
s Of more moment to most other |
)Wners) may save a loss and obtain
profit, he recommends St. Tam |
many assume tho Initiative in in
eresting the adjoining parishes in |
IN undertaking whose ultimate aim
would be the organization Of "The |
'ontchartrain Fruit and Truck Dis
rict." Obviously, though, no such
lream can ever come true until the
five objectives have been
ttained:
First-The preponderance of pop
.lation in "The Pontchartrain Dis
rict is won to the; dire necessity Of
|rainage as a condition precedent to
ny material progress in agriculture.
Second-.-1t becomes generally rec
gnized that soil, climate, markets
nd transportation of ''The Pont-
hartrain District all combine to
make trucking and fruit the funda-
mental foundation Of permanent
Industry.
Third-Those now interested in
i've stock are converted to the absc-
ute necessity of Cd stock law,
y Of cattle dipping until the tick
) eliminated
#Fourth-Every "insider" has, at
7ast as much confidence in the pos
Utilities Of the District as we would
Ike outsiders" 20 have.
sFifth-That the present general
'orld-wide conditions taken together
nth the local situation make any t
evelopment work practical i'm
disability at the present time {
Mr. Arnett is ready at any time
join his large organization to as {
lst in the forege ,ng undertakings.
'uring the past few months he has |
iVen assistance through his num-
rous banking connections in the or |
Of the hundred million {
ollar Foreign Trade Financing Cor t
grafton in New York. That his ad- T
Ice to the Committee on Organiza- 2
on was appreciated, may be in Y
srred by the following extract from F.,
letter dated February %, 1921, i
ON John w. Ntzhugh,, chairman: a
Such frank. and full state i
ment Of conditions is of the c
utmost value to us in ouS work !