Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-09-21

was corner lots. The city blocks
are only half-sized ant, in conse-
quence, street paving costs are alb
normal.
Has Zone Fares
San Diego has a fine street car
system, but, alone Of California
cities, has the zone fare system. If
you live downtown you pay nickel;
if outside, IL cents. The idea is
good-you pay for what you get.
In practice it works a hardship ON
the small property owner who
bought his home before the raise
in fares. But shucks, the small
property owner gets soaked at every
turn of the road, anyhow.
There are no jitneys in San Di-
ego, due to the desire on the part
of the city to give. the street car
monopoly every chance to furnish
service, and it must be admitted
that the service is excellent.
San Diego orators occasionally
spout about the back country" by
which they mean the several thou
sand square miles Of valley and
mesa and mountain lying like a
great amphitheater back from the
bay and ocean.
One night at a big booster ban
quet after a lot of oratory had been
spilled over this back country"
thing, one-minute speeches were
called for by the POSTMASTER. A
tall, spindly -shanked, brindle-haired
rancher from Alpine rose trembling
ly to his feet and said: "Mr. Speak
err, I'd just like to ask one question
about this here back country we've
heard SO much about. What keeps
it back"
Why It's Back
In the roar of laughter which
greeted this query no one thought
to make answer. But, of course, the
answer is simple. The twin forces
holding the back country back have
been lack of water and lack of
roads.
Today, the last of the great water
systems is being developed by the
Santa Fe Railroad company. Hun
dreds of miles of paved trunk lines
and laterals are rapidly girding
mountains and valleys, and tomor-
row, San Diego county, the most
southWesterly political subdivision
of continental United States, will be
fragrant with the odor from a thou
sand citrus orchards in winter and
thousand peach and plum and
apricot orchards in springtime. A,
thousand carloads of winter vege-
tables raised on her frostless, or
nearly frostless, mesas will go out
to every part of the country, and
lot of folks Will make a lot of
money. But best Of all, homes, just
simple, little, flower-bedecked homes
of mighty comfort, will be built
here for those folks who getting
tired Of the rush and whirl of the
big city and who would rather live
ten years longer in a $4,000 bunga-
low than pass away at so in a $780,
600 apartment house.
San Diegos water system, by
which pure mountain water is
brought down from the mountains,
has been developed at great cost
at least $6.0O0,0O0, maybe more
anyhow two much for a city of this
size; and millions more have been
spent on the exposition grounds in
the park, containing what probably
is the most picturesque group of
public buildings in the west; mil
lions more have been spent on sew
ers, streets, municipal wharves, etc
and in consequence the city has a
big bonded debt and a pretty stiff
tax rate.
The city government is a hybrid
affair with a full-fledged, paid city
council and mayor, and a $6,000-sal-
aried city manager thrown in for
good measure. Either pla.. would
be fire, but no one yet has been
able TO understand why both man
ager and paid council are needed.
Tia Juana, an hour away in Old
Mexico, is a sink hole Of booze and
gambling with a racing season in
winter, and it is perfectly surprising
how nearly every citizen finds it
necessary to make semi-reg Lar eX-
cursions to QUAINT Tia Juana" just
to take a friend along.
And the Volstead act is nurctured
pretty badly all over this district,
they tell me, maybe owing to in
sufficient city ordinances like those
in cities farther north.
But these things are the eXcep-
tons. The rule is a life of unusual
content and happiness and delight
in, as I said at the first, a land of
beauty and fascination.
Copyright, 1922, NEA ServiceD