Imperial Valley press., 1922-10-23
RAILROAD MANAGER
I SAYS CONDITIONS
BETTER in VALLEY
S. D. and A. Chief Here on
Inspection Sees Future
Growing Better

"'Conditions in Imperial Valley right
now are as good as could be desired,
and the outlook for better conditions
is exceedingly bright, - said y. I. Mer-
cier, general superintendent of the San
Diego and Arizona Railway, who was
n visitor in III Centre Saturday, on
trip of inspection oyer the company $
lines.
"There is nothing fundamentally
wrong with the valley continued Mr..
Mercier, "and the depression OF the
past two years is only our share of the
general slump experienced by the coun-
try following the inflated prosperity
of war days. The valley has come
back strong from that slump, in my
opinion Not !, quick comeback, which
might lead to another period of false
prosperity, but q slow, healthful re-
turn, which is certain to be lasting,
and is founded on hard work and the
mistakes of the past.
~ believe the turn toward smaller
acreage per man, and operation of that
acreage by the owner, is going to help
the valley wonderfully. The man who
owns land here and rets it out to
somebody is like parasite. lie does
the community no good, gets what he
can out of it, and when he is through,
gets swhat he can for his land and is
usually pessimistic about everything.
The man, on the other hand, who owns
20 to 40 acres of land here, and oper-
atcs it himself, rotating his crop, has
hnc Iuf
any man could ask.
Plenty of GoG Land
"When there is plenty of goo,r land
to be obtained here IT a reasonable
figure, it is hard to understand why
people are willing to rent land from
somebody else. The renter may make
considerable money one ycar and 90
broke the next, but then he has Ia
start all over again, and he generally
|, decides to do it in some other place
He thus drifts around, therefore, from
one place to another aud never gets
anywhere. The land owner, Cn tho
other hand, if he does make & failure
Of it one year, still has his land and
because of its value, already has some
| thing to start back on. He is apt tC
work harder and better if the land IL
his own than if he is paying somehod,
else for the privilege of working ii.
| Gas IN indication of the prospects
| for the immediate future, can point
| to the crowded condition of the tourist
| hotels on the coast at the present time
and the number of reservations made
! by people in the east who intend com
! ing to California this winter. Not only
our own line, but all other transcon
| tinental railroads show u great in
! crease in the number of reservations
| made, and a good percentage of these
| reservations are for one way tickets
] showing that the people are intending
to stay here. Imperial Valley is bound
to get its proportion of these prospec
tive settlers, who because of the Goa
shortage and generally unfavorablt
| conditions in the east are turning to
| California as the place for solution OF
their troubles. There is also the middl,
west farmer who sees crops grown al
year round in California, without much
! more labor than he puts on one crol
| and he too is coming here. Ail OF
| these people bring varying sums OF
| money with them, and many of then
are looking for an investment. They
are the best class of newcomers wl
| could desire and the state is fortunate
in getting them.
To Handle Much Cotton
"Our' road expects to handle 4 good
volume of valley cotton this year, 70!
| shipment to the English mills. From
n survey we have made of the crop, II
is in wonderful condition and should
| materially aid conditions here. In This
connection | might say anu glad tC
hear about the Calexico Cotton Carni
val. This is another proof of the faith
the people have in the valley. 1t is
bound to attract attention not only
throughout the state but on the coast
and in the country as u whole. 1t is
certain to aid materially in giving I'm
perial Valley splendid publicity and
should bring rich returns in this con
nection.
"To look into the distant future, l
can only measure the next 20 years by
the past 90 and | can SEQ no reason
why greater things cannot be achieved
The first years are naturally the hard,
est. The day of the pioneer is past and
from now OH it is simply Il question
of constructive development. The fund
amentals are here in the form of good
soil, excellent climate and plenty of
water. The rest is dependent entirely
upon the amount of work the people
are willing to put into their own af'
fairs and if they will only keep striv.
ing for better things at all times and
not be discouraged by temporary set
backs, there is no doubt whatever about
the ultimate success of all who invest
their lives in this wonderful section