Brownsville herald. [volume], April 07, 1929, SOCIETY, Page TWO, Image 12

About Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current

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S. P. ABANDONS
HIDALGO PLAN
Flood Work* Make Building
South of Mc^Allen Too
Costly, Says I. C. C.
(Special to The Herald)
AUSTIN, April 6.—Magnitude of
flood protection for a lower section
of the Rio Grande Valley is well
portrayed in the language taken
from a new order of the Interstate
Commerce commission relieving the
Southern Pacific company from ex
tending the S. A. & A. P. from
McAllen to the international bound
ary with Mexico at Hidalgo, a dis
tance of 7 1-2 miles. A copy of
this order has just been received at
/the railroad commission office. It
sets out that the original plan was
for a line 'through the Valley bot
toms below McAllen and a firm
bridge footing was thought possi
ble, but that the river is disposed
to change its channel and make the
situation unstable an duncertain.
That is given as another reason for
permitting the abandonment of the
extension. The part of the order
setting out the flood control work
as a reason for abandonming the
line reads as follows:
“For the protection of the Valley
the river two overflow channels or
floodways between high levees have
recently been built on the north side
of the river. The northern flood
way is dsigned to carry 80,000 sec
ond-feet of water and the southern
floodway 40,000 second-feet al wa
ter when the river is at flood stage.
The levees are 14 feet high and each
floodway is nearly half a mile in
width. In order to build its line to
the Rio Grande, the applicant would
have to construct and maintain high
fills and trestles 4,500 feet in length.
Seven or eight times as much em
bankment would be required be
tween McAllen and Hidalgo as was
originally estimated. The construc
tion of these floodways will also
probably necessitate a revision of
the road system and changes in
drainage the territory in question
which would further increase the
cost of construction of the railroad,
while the dedication of large areas
of arable land to floodway use
would diminish the probable revenue
from the proposed construction.”
. a system of improved hard-sur
faced highways has been built in that
section to serve the towns involved
and that is also cited as making a
railroad unnecessary, especially
since there would be only a small
amount of tonnage to cross the Rio
Grande at that point.
DISTWlLL
(Continued from page one.-)
district. Hundreds of tons of scrap
iron is being utilized in the manu
facture of these gates, and other
Valley districts are using them in
ever increasing quantities.
„ According to the plans of the dis
trict irrigation water for practic
ally the entire acreage wTill be sup
plied through pipes, the large sizes
I to replace the main canals and lat
erals. the smaller sizes for the dis
' tribution system. The district also
proposes to provide pipe for other
Valley irrigation projects, practically
all of which are expected to be
placed under concrete within five
years. « * •
LINE WUNK
(Contir.jpd from ratre one.1
has been operating almost to ca
pacity since the extension of the
route to Durango.'
The route is almost due west from
Brownsville to Monterrey and Tor
reon. a distance of apnriximately 400
miles by air line, then southwest
through Durango to Mazatlan. a
distance of approximatelv 250 miles.
Mazatlan is approximately 550 miles
west and 18 miles south of Browns
ville.
The route is across the hich pla- i
teau area of the Mexican interior '
and crosses the various morn.tain j
ranges through low passes. Pilots ;
, pronounce it safe in every respect,
and the planes which have been.oTr
erating as far west as Durango have '
»experienced no difficulty in main
. twining their schedules.
Sit is understood the comnany also
5 developing a line along the Mexi
can west coast, Mazatlan to be the
.function point for all eastern mail
am? passenger and express traffic
generated in that section. ~
PAGEANT PLANNED
SHERMAN. Tex., April 6.—<£*)—
Presentation of a oageant, “One
Hundred Years of Sunday School
Work in Texas." will be one of the
features of the state Baptist Sunday
school convention here on April
fc-18.
Gooden-Legged Man
t A Dance
Is in as good a position to en
jv the festivities as a per
without money is to
a business opportun
w — RIGHT NOW t
| that Opportunity
kk
Attorney General Mitchell
Is Likened to ‘Y’ Secretary
_ . .Ml I . %..
By CHARLES P. STEWART
WASHINGTON, April 6 —Attor
ney General William D. Mitchell is
the living image of a Y. M. C. A.
secretary.
At 55, he is a little too old for one,
but he does not look his years.
Y. M. C. A. secretaries are a dis
tinct type. Individual secretaries
differ from one another sufficient
ly to be told apart, but they all have
certain characteristics in common—
or, if there are exceptions, I never
saw any—and I have visited Y. M.
C. A.'s (on business) all the way
from eastern Europe, in a westerly
direction as far as Japan and China,
and southwardly as far as Buenos
Aires.
* • •
Attorney General Mitchell behind
his half-acre desk—bigger than
President Hoover’s—at the justice
department, appeares in striking
contrast to John Garibaldi Sargent,
who preceded him in the same
swivel chair.
John G. Sargent was a huge bulk
of an old man—heavy, cumbersome,
slow—and sad bovine eyes and the
hesitant speech of an official who
never had caught up with the enor
mous volume of his work — who
simply was struggling painfully!
along, dependent on subordinates—
William D. Mitchell chief among
them—to sabe him from capital er
rors until the welcome day when he
would be free to retire.
Attorney General Mitchell obvi
ously enjoys his position.
He is at some advantage. Pro
moted from the post of solicitor gen
eral, only one step lower than his
present office—not to mention the
fact that he virtually has been head
of the department for two or three
years past—his preparation has been
ample.
However, the job would not have
swamped him in any event.
A tip-top. trained-to-the-minute
lawyer, with a long legal heritage,
smart as a whip, the admiration of
the entire supreme bench for the
soundness and clarity of his reason
ing—he comes to his task “loaded
for bear” with the heaviest ammuni
tion.
• • •
Crisp, clear and decisive sound his
orders to his assistants.
There is no bluster about him. He
knows his business and likes it. His
eyes snap and sparkle behind his
gold-bowed spectacles. His mind
functions on all cylinders.
Has he settled the “national
origins” problem?
John G. Sargent, now knowing,
would have sidestepped, with all the
dexterity of an infirm hippopot
amus.
“Yes,” says Mitchell, Instantly,
“my answer’s gone to the president.
It wouldn't ~be etiquette for me to
give it out. It will be announced
from the White House.”
What oil lands is it mandatory
for the government to lease upon
application?
“That’s interior department Infor
mation.”
What names are up for federal
judgeships?
“Ask Mr. So-and-So for the list.
He’ll give it to you.”
It Attorney General Mitchell an
swers, “I can’t say,” he means, “I
won’t say.” There Is nothing he
“can’t say” connected with the jus
tice department.
Out of all the members of the new
cabinet. I would guess that Attorney
General Mitchell Is the only like
1 liest to talk back to President
Hoover. Thev are a pretty meek
lot. in general. Y. M. C. A. secre
taries are afraid of nobody. If they
have to contradict, they do it in a
nice way—but firmly.
And I would imagine it would
make a hit with Mr. Hoover.
Only the "progressives” are a
trifle skeptical of Attornev General
Mitchell—and not even they because
they question his brain-power. As
the railroad brotherhoods’ organ
“Labor”—a very “progressive” publi
cation—expresses it:
“His ability is conceded, but his
friendship for ’Big Business’ is also
conceded.”
GYPSY GROOM WINS IN
BRIDE PRICE DISPUTE
LINDATT. Germany. April 6.—(JP)
The high price of the bride very
nearly prevented the celebration of
a large gypsy wedding held recent
ly In an encampment near here.
Violent and prolonged altercations
arose over the figure of $1,500 de
manded of the bridegroom by the
girl’s father. Peace was restored
and the ceremony proceeded only
when the suitor beat down the price
to $500, reserving an extra thousand
for investment in the household
horse and wagon.
r \7 VE?-ytS-N0 4J0- ^ I k
7 HO- VE$»VES «N0^5 ^
7^k~C7 1
*
He has -the admicaiIom
OP THE ENTIRE- %.
Supreme beaich • t
William D. Mitchell.
NewMethod
(Continued from Page One.)
sessments for local improvements
should never exceed the benefits to
the private property assessed, but in
practice assessments are often
made on the basis of the cost of the
improvement regardless of tho
benefit, says Philip H. Cornick, of
the National Institute of Public Ad
ministration, who has made a study
of this subject for the past two
years.
Moreover assessments are often
made in a haphazard manner by
committees of private citizens who
know nothing about the matter in
its modern ramifications, points out
Mr. Cornick. Many state law's re
quire that a commission of citizens
be appointed to award damages and
assess benefits in street openings
and widenings, etc. and the first
step in putting such work on a
scientific basis is to remove the
w’ell intentioned but blundering
butcher, baker and candlestick
maker, who under old laws, have set
about the intricate business of dis
tributing special assessment bur
dens.
Trained Men Replacing Citizens
And in cities where this matter is
being taken in hand, these highly
technical functions are being turned
over to engineers, attorneys, econo
mists and experienced real estate
men who are working out special
ized plans, that, among other things,
contemplate a look into the future.
“The reorganization that is going
on along these lines in many parts
of«-4he United States is necessary
partly because of the development
of economic regions that have
brought about a situation in which
an area of benefit of a local im
provement frequently extends be
yond the political boundaries of the
governing unit making the improve
ment,” says Mr. Cornick.
"For example, there are good
grounds to believe that some of the
highway work that is being done
now in New Jersey will reduce the
costs of doing business, not only in
that state, but also in cities stretch
ing from Boston to Washington,
D. C„ and will consequently confer
measurable benefits on sites
throughout that area. Conversely
it is probable that a number of
small cities have provided links in
important and beneficial highways
connecting large metropolitan areas
without deriving either general or
local benefits commensurate with
the costs.”
•
How to ttw»cities outside the juris
diction of a .state for imorovements
whose benefits extend outside of the
state is a problem incapable of solu
tion at present unless methods can
be developed to finance regional im
provements by means of regional
levies, admits Mr. Cornick.
But this is an extreme case, says
the authority, and an adequate tech
nique in special assessment proced
ure is being developed in many
parts of the country.
“In Seattle, Washington and in
St. Louis. Mo., new methods of plac
ing assessments for street openings
and widenings provide for an an
alysis of the same facts concerning
the affected properties as would be
secured by an appraiser for mort
gage loans on these properties. Sales
values, rentals, topogranhv. the
character of the neighborhood, the
traffic flow, and the probable effect
of the new improvement on future
traffic flow are studied.
When It Rains
“In Los Angeles instead of spread
ing the. cost of new storm sewers in
proportion to the area served by
them, as has been the practice in
the past, the district is divided into
zones on the basis of topography,
damage from storm waters, existing
drainage, etc., each zone being as
sessed at a different rate. In one
large district more than seventy
rates were used, the highest being
in the lands previously subject -to
overflow, the lowest near the rim of
the basin where storm water dam
age was negligible.
“In Ohio, county sanitary engin
eers have developed an interesting
system for apportioning trunk sewer
costs over the area to be served.
With the aid of real estate men, the
district is divided into zones on the
basis of estimated time which will
elapse before the several sections of
the area become rioe for develop
ment. A present worth factor is then
read from a compound interest table
tor each time zone and applied to I
the area within that zone. The en
tire cost of the project is spread
over the district, but an area of
land at the outskirts pays consider
ably less than one which is ready
for immediate development.”
All of these methods require' the
assessor to assume the role of a
prophet, because he must calculate
in advance the probable enhance
ment of land in the future, says Mr.
Comick. And the more extensive
the improvement, the mere difficult
it becomes to say when and where
the benefits will be apparent. For
instance in the city of Seattle, a
change in zone from one family
residence to business in one part of
a district may throw out of balance
the whole spread of assessment fig
ures for a new improvement.
Coordination With Zoning
“But the more prophetic and
painstaking the people who distrib
ute special assessments, the more
care they exercise in computing fu
ture benefits and present advan
tages, the more equitable will be
special assessment bills from the
point of view' of the public,” says
Mr. Comick.
“Westchester county. New York,
and the state of California have at
tempted to solve the-problem of new
zoning, upsetting new special as
sessment procedure. The laws in
both states provide for the financing
of improvements out of bond issues
with a somewhat longer term than
the ordinary assessment bonds.
The charges for retirement and in
terest are spread annually, by means
of a tax rate against the values at
which the lands in the district are
carried on the tax rolls for general
purposes. Shifts in assessed land
values involved shifts also in the
successive annual burdens on the
individual narcels. these with the
createst enhancement assuming the
heaviest burden. In the Seattle case
for example, refered to above, the
new business zone with its largely
increased values would have a pro
portionate increase in its annual
levies. This plan, manifestly, is
useful only when land values are re
vised annually on the basis of ren
tals and sales.
“On January 11. the Street Rail
way and Rapid Transit Commis
sions in Detroit presented a pro
posal to the city council for the fi
nancing of a subway by direct tax
ation upon the city ^t large, and in
addition by a charge made by the
city of part of the enhancement in
value upon specially benefited prop
erty, to be levied on the ascertained
fact that the improvement has in
creased the selling price of such
benefited land. Official bodies have
recommended the use of special as
sessments in financing transit lines
in Pittsburgh. Los Angeles, St.
Louis, Boston, and Chicago.”
If rain inundates your land in Los
Angeles, you pay more for storm
sewers than land that shakes off the
water, and this is as it should be,
says Mr. Comick. And when this
same principle is applied in distrib
uting the cost of all local improve
ments. everyone will be happier
about having them.
^Continued from Page One.-*
actual construction work from
Port Arthur to Galveston bay.
“Sections 7 and 8. Galveston bay
to Gulf. Matagorda county; dis
tance. 82 miles, estimated cost, $2,
231.000.
“Sections 9 and 10. Gulf. .Mata
gorda county, to Corpus Christi;
distance, 120 miles; estimated cost,
approximated $750,000.
Conditions Imposed
“In authorizing the construction
of the Intraccastal canal, congress
placed upon ‘local interests.’ that
is to say, the interested localities
along the route, two obligation;
precedent to commencement oi
construction work: first, furnish
ing to the government free of all
cost the necessary rights of wav
and spoil disposal areas; second
the assurance that there would be
available facilities including ade
quate vessels, terminals and auxil
iary equipment for the economi
cal handling of not less than 1.200,,
000 tons of commerce annually.
“Only recently the secretary of
war accepted the assurance of the
intracoastal canal association in
respect to the second obligation.
“Following adoption of the pro
ject by congress, a location survey
of the canal was necessary in or
der that local int^sts might be
provided with the data, including
maps and field notes, needed in
obtaining rights of way. The mak
ing of this survey naturally con
sumed much time, and the work
of securing rights of way could
not be undertaken until it was
completed. While many interested
land owners generously made their
conveyances by "donation, pro
longed negotiations were necessary
with others, while the problem of
getting in touch with numerous
non-resident owners was a most
tedious task. However, this essen
tial work is being pushed to rapid
completion and several additional
contracts for actual construction
work doubtless will be let in the
various sections:
“Section 1, New Orleans to Mor
gan City. Practically all rights of
way have been secured and the
few remaining conveyances yet to
be obtained should be in hand
within the next few weeks. An im
portant part of the work on this
section is the construction of the
lock in the Mississippi river at New
Orleans, which is estimated to cost
approximately $1,300,000. Plans for
the lock have been forwarded to
the chief of engineers at Wash
ington for final approval.
“Section 2, Atchafalaya river to
Vermillion river. All rights of way
secured and abstracts of title now
in the hands of the United States
District Attorney for examination
and approval. When approved,
construction work on this section
will be authorized.
“Section 3, Vermillion river» to
Mermentau river. All rights of
way secured and abstracts of title
now in the hands of United States
district attorney for approval.
When approved, construction work
on this section will be authorized.
“Section 4. Mermentau river to
Calcasieu river. Finally approved
and advertising for bids author
ized.
“Section 5. Calcasieu river to Sa
bine river. No work necessary.
“Section 6, Sabine river to Gal
veston bay. No work necessary
from Sabine river to Port Arthur,
a distance of 29.5 miles. All rights
of way conveyances in Jefferson
and Chambers counties, on the
stretch from Port Arthur to Gal
veston, have been obtained and are
now in the hands of United States
district attorney for approval.
Plans for a joint highway and
railroad bridge over canal at Port
Arthur have been approved and a
bond issue election will be called
shortly by Jefferson county to pay
county’s portion of the cost. Au
thority to begin work through
Jefferson and Chambers counties,
a distance of about 35 miles, is ex
pected in the near future.
“Sections 7 and 8, Galveston'
Bay to Gulf, Matagorda county
Route based upon location survey
recently approved, by the depart
ment at Washington. District
Engineer’s office at Galveston is
now preparing necessary data as
basis for securing rights of way
which will shortly be undertaken
and pushed to rapid completion.
“Sections 9 and 10, Gulf, Mata
gorda county, to Corpus Christi.
Location survey completed and ap
proval of route by department at
Washington will shortly be request
ed in order that the work of se
curing rights of way may be under
taken.
Continuing Contracts
“There is now available for con
struction work on the canal the
sum of approximately $3,350,000, of
which $2,000,000 has been allotted
for work in Louisiana and $1,350.
000 for work in |Texas. We have
been assured by the chief of engi
neers. however. that additional
funds will be made available as
rapidly as contracts for construc
tion work may be made. Recently,
the department decided to prose
cute construction under what is
known as the continuing contract
plan, under which the district engi
neers in Louisiana and Texas will
be authorized to anticipate the an
nual appropriations and thereby
make more advantageous contracts.
Under this plan there is no reason
why the entire project from New
Orleans to Corpus Christi should
not be completed within three
years.”
6 BANKRUPTS IN FAMILY
LIVERPOOL—Six members of
the Coaklin family, each engaged
in a different business, have gone
through the bankruptcy court.
WATER
•
(Continued from page one.)
of the total for the winter months.
This insignificant showing was due,
very largely, to the rates. New
Yorkers approved the quality of
Valley fruit and vegetables; they
were not enthusiastic over the
grading and pack of some of the
commodities, but they did not feel
inclined to pay the freight rates.
The New York market consumes
over 7vc cars of fruit and vegetables
every business day of the year. Ar
rival' in that city in 1928. exclu
sive of motor truck receipts, were
234,622 cars, of which 209,587 cars
were handled and sold through the
wholesale markets of the city. The
New York office of the bureau of
agricultural economics reports that
for several years the annual increase
lias been from 5,000 to 10.000 cars,
and ctsimate that by 1935 the an
nual consumption will be approxi
mately 300.000 carloads.
Over 20,000 Cars Monthly
During the winter months fruit
ana vegetable consumption is lower
than when local supplies are avail
able, but the monthly average from
November to May, the Valley’s ship
ping season, is approximately 20.000
cars. Reports covering a period of
years show a steady increase in
the per capita consumption of fruits
and vegetables in that market dur
ing the winter months.
New Yorkers last year consumed
4,899 cars of cabbage; 2,739 cars of
cauliflower, 4.926 cars of celery., 4.137
cars of grapefruit, 11,508 of oranges,
9.346 of lettuce, 628 of beets, 11.931
of onions, 2,634 of peppers,, 22,057 of
potatoes, 3.642 of spinach, 7,843 of
tomatoes, 1.175 of turnips, 3.663 of
watermelons. 5,093 of mixed vegeta
bles in addition to thousands of cars
of other commodities which are
listed among commodities the Val
ley can or does produce. Consump
tion of these commodities in Phila
delphia, Boston, Baltimore and
other cities lying east of the Al
leghanies is approximately the same
ratio to their population.
New York business interests, vi
sioning the future utilization of
water transport for handling at
least part of the huge tonnage of
fruit and vegetables the city con
sumes, have in the pkst three years
devoted considerable attention to
development of wharfs and termi
nals designed to handle this traffic.
Rail Lines Provide Piers
The Erie railroad has recently
completed a huge pier at which con
signments are received for- transfer
into the New York markets or to
the more inland cities; and the
Pennsylvania also has erected a pier
equipped with the most modern fa
cilities, where the Mallory lines'
steamers discharge their cargoes of
perishable products. The objective
of these railroads is to assure rapid
distribution of cargoes, not only on
to the New York markets, but also
to practically all markets east of
the Alleghanies. an area in which
approximately 40 per cent of the
perishables produced in the United
States are consumed.
New York and other eastcrrw^ies,
due to the development org®ter
terminal facilities, is now re^Vmg
large consignments of perishables
during the winter months from
Cuba, Porto Rico, Egypt, Spain and
Central America. These commodi
ties, due to a low water rate, and
despite a protective tariff are re
turning the growers a greater mar
gin of profit than American grow
ers using only rail transportation
derive from their production.
Phladelphia, Boston, Baltimore
and other seaboard cities are fol
lowing the lead of New York in
development of produce terminals to
handle water shipments, and
throughout the entire coast area the
past three years have witnessed ra
pid development of this class of •wa
ter traffic.
The Low’er Rio Grande Valley,
which can produce both fruit and
I winter vegetables at lower cost than
any other semi-tropic area in the
United States, can and will realize
great benefits from deevlopment of
water transportation. With the es
tablishment of an adequate tariff, I
completion of a deep water port
and development of terminal facili
ties in the Atlantic seaboard mar
kets the Valley will come into its
own as the "Winter Garden of the
World.”
HIS AUTO KILLS WIFE
GLENCOE, 111.—As Robert Burth
was backing his auto out of the
garage he struck and killed his wife.
You Will Really Enjoy Your Home
in
LOS EBANOS
(THE EBONIES)
*
#
I
I A
: £ - JL a\VAY from the noise and
( grime of the city—and still only a five minute drive to
! t downtown Brownsville. A cool, verdant residential
l section of desirable people — and within easy walk
^ ing distance of the Brownsville school system and
various churches. The.natural beauties of this wood
ed section have been enhanced bv skilled landscap
ing, architectural engineering and winding paved
drives.
9
I
i
u
SANITARY SEWERS * PAVED STREETS '
TELEPHONES CITY WATER
NATURAL GAS ° ELECTRICITY
STREETLIGHTS STORM SEWERS \
Palm Boulievard leads direct to the beautiful Los Euanos en
trance. Drive through Los Ebanos today and judge for yourself
the desirability of these charming, and sensibly restricted, home
sites.
✓ *
i
4'1K>LL« a
Los Ebanos Estates
INC.
James-Dickenson Co.
REALTORS
BROWNSVILLE
18 Years in the Lower Rio Grande Valley;
Ki I