The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1924-06-13

Sold: 1000 people to Oakley val
ley; assets money cannot buy; re
sources so unique as to be almosl
unparalleled Terms: a few mo
ments of everyone's time to take ar
intelligent retrospective inventory
Of conditions and affairs as they ex
list today; and the application of a
wise, concerted, social and economic
action to the results revealed.
Consider with me a few of the
that gets an abundance of land
while the getting is good" Our ma
ticn is blessed with some of the rich
est and the most good lands of any
in the world; and 6S per cent of the
worlds natural resources are within
our boundaries. Our total value of
farm property in 1923 was over 78
billion dollars; more than the com
bined values of mines, quarries,
railroads and manufactures. The
total value of crops and live stock
produced last year was more than
II billion; greater than for any 9TH
er year prior to 1917.
The average number of people per
square mile in Europe is 1873. In
the U. S. there are only 35; in Ida
no 6; in Cassia county 46.
Rhode Island has about the area
os Cassia county, but has 566 per-
sons per square mile.
There are roughly six and a half
million farms in the u. S. manned
by only 32 per cent of the wage
earners of the country. In 1923
only 45.1 per cent of the people of
e S. were in rural districts as COM
pared with SIS in 1920. There is
a constant, concerted migration to
the urban centers at rate of over
a million a year.
This brief data will illustrate the
fact that this maladjustment of So
cial and economic conditions cam
not much longer endure; that there
is a silver lining of hope and better
lllu6S lOl tifC liCio III i41C NCiy
near future Thirty-two per cent
OF the wage earners cannot continue
to produce the food necessities of
life for the masses without a read
justment of producing conditions
such that the farmers lot will COM
pare favorably with other business
undertakings,
Exports of farm produce increase
each year, and the recent tariff re-
vision is very conducive to better OPP .
portunities for the wheat, sugar
beet and livestock farmers.
criterion of hope, social and
economic stability, a positive opti-
mism should pervade every rural
community, as the opportunity to
display real genius and ability is
better than ever, and chances to
succeed with a profession of farming
as business are far superior to the
past.
To localize the problem: Oakley
valley has a population of about
1000 people. There is an irrigated
tract of at least 10000 acres, con- ]
sisting of around 200 farms, aver |
aging 100 acres, and supporting 10
people.
This community is unique in that
/ is surrounded on three sides by (
grazing and timber lands ]
within easy reach, making an untold {
sealth for this generation, and all |
,thers yet to come. There are {
700. 900 acres of good grazing land
$4,000 sheep, 10000 cat {
lie, and 1000 horses. The $1,000 i
cres of forest or timber lands pro- c
'iding water sheds, storage reser- a
oirs, and timber, are assets of G
which few communities can boast. e
There is an abundance of sun i
hine, little wind, long warm days, u
nd very long growing season o
living ample time to grow and har- n
est all crops without serious hand e
caps of storms, or other weather 6
ariations. d