Imperial Valley press., 1922-09-07

What to do for II Centre to push
it along and how to cooperate with
farmers OF the valley to help them IN
the agricultural slump that prevails here
and throughout the country, were SUB
jeets discussed in interesting and earn
est manner at the Chamber of Com
meree dinner given last evening at the
Oregon hotel. Secretary Coyle had an
nounced it as get-together session
and this thought ran through all the
informal but forceful talks of the eve
ming. One definite action coming out
of the meeting was the adoption of a
resolution calling upon the railroad com
mission TO speedily enforce its decree
ordering reduction of freight rates
on many of the products of the valley
and upon commodities shipped III
In the absence of President Cooper,
President Bowles occupied the
chair and at the conclusion of the dim
ner he called on several members for
suggestions as to how the chamber may
better serve the community.
''Some of you may feel discouraged
as to what the chamber is DOING said
Ross l.. Hammond, editor of the Press,
who was first called upon, "but in my
judgment it has very much to its credit.
1t is well to have get-together meet
ing occasionally to pledge ourselves
anew to cooperation. Speaking for the
firm | represent | will say that the
first thing it did upon coming to FL
Centre was to engage in get-together
project. 1t put two newspapers to-
gether for the purpose of making one
worthy of the town. The two had been,
as they always are in small towns, each
n leader of faction and the mouth
piece of contending forces whose per
pectual chickering's injured rather than
helped the community. You cannot
have essential harmony under such con
ditions. A newspaper can serve a com
munity only by representing it as
united whole and yreeognizing or en-
couraging no faction. This chamber
has performed one fine piece of work
in it's efficient campaign that resulted
in getting new court house for the
county and by settling the permanence
of the county seat and taking this irri-
tating question forever out of the realm
of doubt. This was enough alone for
a whole year. t contributed, too, to
the success of the water company
mergers and the great drainage project
that is to tremendously aid in the de
velopment of the valley. These were
real get together movements.
Two Big Questions
Mr.. Hammond also spoke of the
necessity of working out cooperative
marketing, of not merely talking about
it. but of doing it. He also suggested
the time has come to realize that 1t Is
impossible under present conditions eto
put through the Boulder dam project
embracing the All-American canal. I'm
portant as that feature is, said he, il
is better to take half a loaf than t'
get no bread at all. The dam is al
emergency measure. To avert Floods
and to dispose of the silt that now cost
us million a year is our first grea
concern. To open new lands to cult
walton when markets are already flood
ed with surplus of agricultural pro
ducts does not appeal to the farmers
of the great middle west and thei
representatives in Congress are no
likely to risk their political fortune
in supporting such a measure 'That
let us hope" said he, "will com
later
Attorney Ross 7. IIickcox made
plea for teamwork on the part of th
Chamber of Commerce for the comm
fall and winter season. He said pas
experience had showed the chamber an
the people of FL Centre can obtain an,
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