The Winslow mail., 1925-08-14
COOPERATIVE PLAN
FOR COLONIZATION
OF ARIZONA LANDS

theme OF the regular meetlng OF the
board of directors of the Phoenix
Chamber of Commerce at the Ari-
zona club this week. A report from
P. G. Spilsbury, president of the
Arizona Industrial Congress, rela-
tive to plans for securing the Co
operation of California in the col
onization of Arizona, while Arizona
in turn develops trade territory
for Los Angeles and other ports in
Southern California, was pre-
sented
Fred j. Elliott, president of the
chamber, pointed out during the
meeting that the development OF
huge reclamation projects in this
state is futile unless settlers are
secured for the land. He declared
that land without people may be-
come liability rather than an as
set to a community by reducing
tivation.
The first step in the plan for the
colonization of the lands will be the
distribution of Arizona literature
at middle western state fairs this
fall by party from Los Angeles.
Telegrams were received from the
larger newspapers in Los Angeles
pledging their support to the CO.
operative movement as presented
by Mr. Spilsbury, who appeared be-
fore the Los Angeles Chamber of
Commerce and presented the report
that was read to the Arizona board.
The report follows:
For the last four years the di-
rectors of the Arizona Industrial
Congress have been working along
economic lines for the production
of new wealth in Arizona. The
work has been carried on through
such methods as Buy at Home
Use Arizona Products campaigns;
the co-ordinating of the work of
state and local organizations; See
Arizona First campaigns, and sim
liar work The results have been
phenomenal in directing new bust
ness to Arizona, estimated roughly
at $70,OOO,OOO.
1.-THE development program in
Arizona for 1925-26 is approximate
ly $3O,000,000, and with this i'm
petus large developments are now
planned for 1929.
I'm January, 1925, several of the
directors of the Industrial Congress
brought up the question of where
this development was leading US,
and what the final outcome would
be. AS a result the president start
ed an investigation and study OF
the situation, to determine where
the state would stand in the mat
ter of taxable wealth when the
first series of improvements had
been completed in 1927.
"The matter of land development
was taken up with Fred j. Elliott,
president of the Phoenix Chamber
of Commerce. and after due con
sideration he pointed out the dam
ger which we faced if the new If
rigation and pumping projects
were brought in on schedule and
there were not sufficient people to
populate them. He brought ont
very distinctly that the new devel-
opments, instead of adding new
IAI - ,kaf MI
actually depress the value of all
present lands and the final situa-
ton in 1927 would be much worse
than if the projects had not been
started, unless they were put on a
productive basis.
''This problem presented by the
Phoenix Chamber of Commerce
was so disturbing that the matter
was taken up in February for deti
mite study and investigation for the
purpose of seeing if there was any
method of forestalling the dange1
which seemed to threaten Arizona.
'The Industrial Congress first
made a study Of the land Situa-
ton 1t was found that the new
projects, both for pumping and
gravity water, were in most par;
held by people who were already
land holders in Arizona. No new
blood OF capital has been introduced
into the development, so that il mat
ters were allowed to run along nor
mally it would mean that when
these lands were placed on the
market there would be a great dan
ger of speculative development in
which Arizona residents would par
ticipate, boosting the price of land
beyond reason without any idea of
actually putting it into production.
This land would then be held for
the normal growth and the outside
farmer coming in would pay eXOr-
bilant prices, with probably dis
astrOus results. The final result 0f
this cycle would be the collapse OF
land values after two or three
Yeas. resulting in considerable
loss and hindering the actual pro-
duction of values on the soil, which
is, after all, The basis of taxation.
''It is quite evident that if the
projects which have been encour-
aged and boosted by Arizona organ
izations are to be a real success in
the creation OF new wealth, there is
only one way TO accomplish it, aud