14 



PACIFIC TREE AND \MNE 



were such enormous values at stake 

 as in this case, there is every in- 

 ducement tor dishonest politicians 

 to force their way into the positions 

 if yossible. There is too much at 

 stake, the lives and welfare of too 

 many people are involved, to leave 

 the water supply in the hands of 

 private indi\-iduals, with a possibly 

 venial commission under their con- 

 trol. What the people of the south- 

 ern counties demand is that, where 

 possible, the ownership of the water 

 shall be left in the possession of the 

 owners of the land, and they to 

 manaeje it in their own interest. 

 Where it is not possible for the in- 

 dividual land owner, or a combina- 

 tion of them, to carry through an 

 irri.gation enterprise on account of 

 its magnitude and cost, then the 

 government itself to do the work 

 and sell the water to actual users at 

 cost. It is urged that by this means 

 immense areas of now arid land can 

 be brought under culti\'ation, and, 

 in their security of water, people 

 will settle on and improve these 

 lands and so build up the countr\'. 

 While, if these enterprises are left to 

 corporations, the unfortunate land 

 owner will have no certain tenure 

 of his land, but be wholly at the 

 mercy of the corporation agent, 

 whose rule of business will be "all 

 the traffic will bear," backed by a 

 pliant commission, and their condi- 

 tion will be infinitely worse than 

 that of the Irish farmers in their 

 sufferings from ab.sentee landlord- 

 ism. There are many enormous 

 irrigation enterprises that will be 

 'carried out in the Western States 

 before many years. Practically all 

 the fertile land in the humid sec- 

 lions has been appropriated, and 

 population has been driven further 

 and further west. It has been dis- 

 covered that the arid lands, the 

 Great American Desert of our 

 fathers, are among the most fertile 

 in the dountry, and these have been 

 gradually absorbed i!s water could 

 be had for Ihein, until all the water 

 supply witliin the reach ol the ordi- 

 nary capitalist is now appropriated 

 and conveyed to the land. Now 



there remain some massive enter- 

 prises to be carried through, among 

 them the diversion of the Colorado 

 river and the reclamation of the 

 great Colorado and Mojave deserts, 

 and this will require an immense 

 outlay of capital. When it is done 

 it will make homes for thousands of 

 people, and who controls the water 

 supply will have absolute control 

 over their lives and fortunes. This 

 is why these enterprises should 

 never be allowed to get into the 

 hands of an aggregation of private 

 wealth, but should be owned and 

 operated by the government of the 

 people for the people. Any meas- 

 ure looking to giving such immense 

 power to private corporations sh uld 

 be defeated as the Works )»ill has. 



Fruit Growers' Convention 



In accordance with a resolution 

 passed at the last Fruit Growers' 

 Convention, held in San Francisco 

 in December, a spring session is to 

 be held in Los Angeles during the 

 coming April. At this session a 

 specialty will be made of such sub- 

 jects as citriculture, the handling 

 and marketing of citrus fruits, irri- 

 gation and other matters of especial 

 interest of the southern part of the 

 State. vSpecial rates to attendants 

 will be givea by the railroads, 

 which will give our northern horti- 

 culturists an opportunity to attend 

 the convention and visit Southern 

 California at the most favoraljle 

 season of the year The exact date 

 for holding the con \'en lion has not 

 yet been fixed, but it will probably 

 be during the last week in April. 

 A vast amount of valuable informa- 

 tion is always given at these meet- 

 ings, practical ideas are exchanged 

 by practical men, and the new facts 

 and knowledge found at them is of 

 great value in dollars and cents to 

 the people who attend. 



A Pear Blight 



Tlie vSupcrvi.sors ot Santa Cruz 

 c.)unty have passed a strong ordi- 

 nance against the intioduction of 

 pear stock from the Southern San 



Joaquin valley counties, where that 

 disease is so prevalent and has done 

 .so much damage. The bear blight 

 is not confined in its ravages to 

 pears alone, but attacks the whole 

 family to which the pear belongs 

 and is almost as bad on the apple, 

 quince, loquat and hawthorn as it 

 is on the pear. Santa Cruz county 

 is now the principal apple county 

 of the State. Apple growing, in 

 fact, is its principal horticultural 

 pursuit, and it brings thousands of 

 dollars annually into the county, 

 besides giving employment tothous- 

 sands of people. If the pear blight 

 once gets a foothold in that county 

 it will mean the ruin of its most 

 important industry. Fortunately 

 the county his so far been free from 

 this dreaded disease, and the super- 

 visors have shown the part of wis- 

 dom in strengthening the hands of 

 the horticultural commissioners, 

 and prohibiting the importation of 

 diseased slock or stock from an in 

 fected district, into their county. 



H. T. HITE 



i?j«Si^ Eye Specialist 



Ul S. 2iid St. 



SAN JOSE, Cal 



Our whole time is given to the eye and its ap- 

 purtenaticcB Eye te.«;tinK and frame fitting a 

 specially Examination Free. 



I)K T A. PKRRIN h:is removed his office 

 from Room 4 in the Porter Huilcllng to Si -North 

 Second street, San Jose, Car 



w. s CH.\I'.\IA-N' Telephone, East g52 



I'Rtd'KIETOR 



Littlerock Cyclery 



Bicycle Repairinc 

 rknting and sunr>ries 



,1.1.: W Saii'a Clara St. 



San Jose. Caliri>rnia 



JAMISON'S pay the highest prices 

 for your 



POULTRY 



N. !■:. Cor. Tliii-d ami Santa Clani SIm. 

 San .lose, California 



E. C. I.OVE. M I). 

 Physician and Sirof.on 

 Offii-e. Theatre Bui ding. Rooms 12 and 13. Tel- 

 eplinne B.-own 2.S3 Hours. 10 to 1 1 a. m.. 2 to 4 

 ami 7 to 8 p.m. Sundaxs. lotoiia m. Resi- 

 dence. 30 North Eighth street. Tel. James M71. 



.]. S. McCINNIS 



.\rriii{M:v-.\ r-l..\\\ .\mi .Ncir.Miv I'l'ni.ic 



Kddipiiis IL' iiiui 14, Hank ol' San .lose 



liiiiUling, San ,fose, (Jal. 



