The Alaska daily empire., 1921-11-09

purchased American goods to the value of over $267 000 900, an in crease of more than $G0,000.00U. In the seven months ended wrh Jlly this year her purchases wera over $155, ,000, GOO, as against over S36 000.- 900 for the same months of the pre- vious year That would indicate that the present calendar year wil! show an increase in MeSico's pur- chases from us over the record for 1920 of something more than Sl10, 0O0,00O. In 1917 the exports from the, United States to Mexico amount ed to less than $50,o00000 No other country can show anything like such an increase in purchases from the United States in the same period In fact, Mexico IS one of three coUn- tries to increase her imports from the United States this year, the other two being Germany and Hol- land.
 MeXico's development to start with Of course, will be largely in ag"iclll ture, mining and oil. and the neces- sary transportation, banking, dis tributing and other facilities 70 care for the activities of a producing and developing population It is he de sire of the Obregon admins S.atioE that the development along these lines should be modern and scien, tific in character. While l was in Mexico City the new Government az ricultural College and school of ap- piled sciences was inaugurated. The first class was composed of some 250 students. The United States and other countries as well as N 2Xico were drawn upon for instructors
 With the encouragement of the Government, engineers, representing many lines of activity; have assisted in making a survey of the country. This will be continued. One of those engineers, who looked into the aSri- cultural possibilities of the country. reporting upon his observations, said that hey had seen lands which pro- duce four crops yearly, plenty of running streams, and many other natural advantages which will make Mexico a great agricultural country one to be reckoned with Continuing he said:
 "It has been declared. and with good reason. that if the capita, in vested i1 the mines of Mexic, had been put irto agriculture the country would today be four times richer than 1t is.
 "Caxaca and Ch.apas are without rival. and I can say without danger of exaggeration that not even Brazil can cc.naete with taen insSfar a5 the possibilities raising fine coffee are concerned.
 "veracruz Taba seq Tspic and n maulipss can rcadily4reolace Cuba as sugar and tofaceo rgodrcers. The northern Border states cln easily graze millions of cattle by taking ad vantage Of the fine grazing lands.
 "The peons lack initiative. and even were tho lands allotted to them. they wouldn't knew what to do with them.
 European emigration i~to Mexico must be stimulated. thus angnentirg national wealth and stimulating the peons who would undoubtedly learn much of modern methods from an in fiux of Europeans.
 "A big-scale colonization plan would tucn the tidr of EuroDean eml- grafton towards Mexico-that Influx which .fnapast year. flocked to the United States In the Southern Re public would be found not only mag nifieant opportunities to thrive. but also. GoYernnent disposed to i'm portiaf (protection."
 ,. gwas much impressed with the agrieuIturaI possibilities of the coun- try as | traveled from Juarez south ward to Mexico City. l. could pie ture that section of the country teeming with an agricultural pofula- ton if the lands that are susceptible of irrigation were exploited. as they quickly could be, through organila- tions of large scale under system of cooperation such as we have in many sections of the United States.
 When we take into account that irrigated lands in Texas ani various ether parts of the United States are valued as high as $500 al acre. whereas. across the Rio Grande, a few miles distance from Texas. in the state of Tamaulipas, for instanee. the same class of lands is valued at about $1 an acre. We may visualize the possibilities the situation offers