Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-12-02
MEXICAN LAND
DEALS OFTEN
HOLD SNARE
Americans Warned Against
Purchase Before Examining
Tracts Carefully.
ARID ACRES OFFERED

MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Dec. O.
Americans who wish to invest in land
in Mexico are now the game stalked by
innumerable swindlers, according TO
real estate man here. He says that
Americans should be warned that it
would be folly to buy land here with
out having seen it. Before completing
purchase and paying out money, he says,
the American investor should examine
the tracts carefully and make inquiry
regarding titles.
Persons who have disregarded this pre-
caution have in many cases fallen vic
tins to rogues.
Sharpers are well aware of the great
interest manifested in the United States
in the possibility of profitable invest
ment in land here. In addition to the
thousands of Americans who are think
ing of coming here after recognition,
there are other thousands who are con-
vinced that the value OF Mexican lands
must advance from the present low lev
els and that this offers opportunity to
Invest savings in a way that would bring
substantial returns within few years.
Promoters who formerly formed wild
cat oil companies, gold and silver mining
companies and similar stock selling en-
terprises have now turned their attention
to land They or their agents are offer
ing farms in Mexico" in many parts Of
the United States on beguiling terms.
MUCH ARID
LAND OFFERED.
Land such as these promoters want is
as easy to get as mining claims where
there is no mineral, or oil leases where
there Is no oil Mexico is a land of
wide expanse. Big as Texas is, Mexico
is larger. Wide as the arid tracts in
II,
wider.
Some Of these arid tracts may be put
under water in years to come. but the
development OF a supply OF water for
irrigation would call for the expenditure
Of great sums of money. Persons who
make purchases in such tracts may wait
a long time before they could sell their
land for even enough to get back their
original investments, or be forced to spend
additional money to save their invest
ments from total loss.
Land along the rivers Of Mexico, which
are few In number when the size OF the
country is considered. is not easily parted
with by the owners. They want cash
and do not readily consider the promoters
usual terms, fer they konw that their
land is located where irrigation is pos
sibIe. II dams and bitches have not been
built already.
IRRIGATION
DIFFICULT.
Away from the streams, which usually
are mere threads OF water when COM
pared with the majestic streams OF the
United States, irrigation is far of. Some
times the rolling nature OF the land makes
irrigation impossible. even though water
were near. Sometimes the land. although
apparently prepared by nature to make
irrigation easy. is too far from water to
MAKE irrigation anything more than
distant prospect-in ages to come, when
Swindler and victim have passed away and
Mexico has its expected population OF
100000, 00c.
The rogdisR promoter who comes to
Mexico or is q product Of the SOIL usually
lacks money with which to acquire really
desirable tracts. or. if he has money, In
tends to keep 1t and add to his fortune
By disposing Of land at & good price
which would not even be an acceptable
present.
After the rains IN Mexico, which come
in the summer and fall months, even
the bleak mountainsides become green
with verdure, and this condition contin-
ues for. some time in sections which at
other periods ofsthe year are dry and I'M
attractive. Persons coming to Mexico
after the rains could be deceived easily
as to conditions. especially If they are
not experienced farmers.
GREEN TRACTS
ENDLESS.
These tracts which grow green after
the rains are endless. Persons touring
Mexico In automobiles pass through such
land for days, seeing only occasional ha-
ciendas or farm houses, where there are
springs or wells or dams holding in sto-
rage the water flowing from the hills
after rains.
These immense tracts are suitable for
cattle raising, but a person buying land
that has not been improved would find
It necessary to go to considerable ex-
pense In providing water for cattle. This
can be done by building dams to hold
rain water, but the buyer must be GER
tain that his land contains a suitable 10
cation for a dam. Buyers OF small tracts
who do not take the trouble to examine
the property before purchasing 1t might
rot ind it possible even to store water
N this way.
Farming operations would call for the
+ storage Of water on a large scale. This
would necessitate the employing Of en-
gineers to study the land and devise
ways Of storing the water in such a way
that It could be used for irrigation The
average man could not jump In and
build a dam which would hold enough
water to supply the needs Of a farm.
II is not hard for a promoter to get
hold of $4,000 or 100000 acres Of land
which, under present conditions, is an
elephant on the hands Of the owner
And land OF that sort is the kind that is
being offered in the United States In
mary cases. This has resulted in many
com plants.
Thsre Is good land In every state in
Mexico. with natural locations for irriga-
tion dams which would supply large
tracts. Some such dams have been COM
pleted, others have been started, and still
others are under consideration. One of
the largest dams in the world built for
the purpose OF storing water for irriga-
ton, is in Mexico. 1t is in the state
Of Chihuahua But the surrounding land
IS not being given away for a song. In
stead, alert men, with an eye to making
money. are studying the possibility of
land forty or fifty miles away. Even
this distant land is not being given
away.
Conditions in Mexico are MT as thev