Brownsville herald. [volume], June 30, 1929, SOCIETY, Image 15

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

Image provided by: University of North Texas; Denton, TX

                
i ' AUTOMOBILE ffl
■ ——, i |
___ ^ 1
I
Women Owned Land
In Ancient Crete,
i Old Records Show
B fe ___
. i* the thirty-ninth of a
i j, series of articles prepared by the
it National Association of Real
Estate Boards and published
weekly in this newspaper for the
information of its readers on real
estate matters.
>fc People who think that the inde
i <pendence of women is something
1 new will be Interested to learn that
[ * women could own property in their
k' own right two thousand years ago
I in the Grecian city of Gortyna on
| , the island of Crete, says the Natlon
l al Association of Real Estate Boards
■ in its weekly article on subjects
ft having to do wtih land.
7 The conveyancing or transfer of
J • property had well defined rules for
I the protection of the property own
B| er in the laws of all the ancient
H legal systems in the world, points
out the association.
Of The association quotes on this
I subject the eminent Dr. John Henry
| SVigmorc, professor of law at North
J vestern University, Chicago, ack
M towledged authority on legal con
« racts, who has just published a
■ hree volume book entitled "A Pan
w >rama of the World's Legal Sys
f terns.” Dr. Wigmore spent 10 years
I on this work, the first of its kind
to be attempted.
IThe longest real estate deed in the
j world, recently discovered, is written
' In Arabic and dates from the 15
tOO's, says Dr. Wigmore In his chap
iters on the Islamic or Mohamme
tdan Legal System. This deed.
• which established a trust In favor
jpf the grantor's heirs and freedom,
fls in the Khedivial (Royal) Library
it Cairo.
"Conveyancing of property in the
1 slamic of property in the Islamic
lystem reached a development well
•omparable with that of the modern
\nglican system, not only in the
standard forms but also in the tecn
mlc&l concepts," says Dr. Wigmore.
I "The ‘wakuf- or trust.exhibits
the remarkable Juristic Instinct of
the Arab thinkers. In the 'waur
| they invented a legal concept which
l equals. If not excels, in originality
/ and. practical utility, the Anglican
t trust; it combines the ideas of trust,
family entail, and charitable foun
dation. The grantor transfers the
I bare legal title to God, and ap
Y Points an administrator to man
| rj * the property for the beneficiary;
' £ there are four parties to the
.vUmactlon. This expedient has
I proved so flexible and so popular
■that in the Ottoman Empire three
lfourths of the city lands were held
fby this tenure.’
I Koran on Dedication
The Koran, the great bible of the
Arabs, the "Word of God.” written
by Mohammed in the sixth century
Is the source of Islamic law that
still govern two hundred and fifty
million people.
At present In this country, land
formerly dedicated to public use can
never be used for any other pur
pose. Over a thousand years ago,
, the Phophet Mohammed wrote:
r "Ibn Omar relates that Omar, In
If the life time of the messenger of
Ij God. made alms of one of his prop
! erties called Tsamgh, which con
sisted of a palm-grove. Omar sara:
i ‘O messenger of God. T possess a
. property which is precious to me
* and I would make alms with it.
J The Prophet replied: ‘Give it- in
4 alms but provide that it shall never
'toe sold nor given away" nor divided
among heirs, but the fruits of It
■shall be used.’ So Omar made the
•property, dedicating it to the use
of the holy war. the ransom of
slaves, and the support of the poor,
of guests, of travelers, and of klnd
. red.”
On the distribution of an estate
fhe Koran. Sect. IV, Verse 12. says:
rGod bids that, in distributing an
Instate, a son receive as much as two
Slaughters; if only daughters re
inain. and more than two. they re
ceive two-thirds of the estate; n
Inly one. the half Father and mo
I flier shall have each one-sixth, if
Jfiere is a child; If none and parents
Ike. the mother has one-third:
■ brothers survive, the mother takes
ft e-sixth; provided that legacies
lid debts be first paid.’
■ Monks Took Lands
fin the eighth century the use of
Britten deeds had spread north
lards from Italy; but the deeds
■ere in Latin and were prepared
lv a scribe, and usually neither the
Irantor nor the grantee could read
I the document. The clergy and the
^honks were the only educated peo
fiflj ,ie at that time. As late as the
,ri200‘s. few of the nobles and large
ft land-owners could write more than
I their names; much less could they
/ write Latin. In a deed of A D. 757.
j 0f the oldest extant deeds north
/ «f Italv, the grantor does not even
J «ian his name: the earliest signa
tures by grantors do not appear
until the 1300 s.
4ne conveyancing was chiefly in
the hands of the monks. They had
ccjukio own possibly one-half of all
lands In Christian Europe,
through numerous pious bequests.
-VTa thev were naturally expert con
veyancers. A deed dated A D. 757.
JSucaths three large estates to the
Monastery of St. Gall in Switzer
*for the remission of my sins ”
18 Deeds Filed In 748
The oldest private instruments in
wmone north of Italy are at tne
KServ of St Gall. These deeds
JJSwfurther back than the 700s.
£, i deed executed in Japan in
* D. 748 Ls considered quire
*85. It elves the area of a piece
i.nd gold by one Uji-no-sukune
£ to the familv of the lady
Fuiiwara. The deed states
f»his is residential property and
on it “wo houses; it gives the
location of the property and
SSt^Satoa that the paners have
Hied in the office of record—
SgJSSr?necessary in this coun
)
^ A
try today in the transfer of real
estate.
A record of a mortgage loan also
from Japan, made out in the year
A. D. 773, states that “a shingle
roof house on one lot of residential
land” is the security for the loan
which will be repaid with interest
”on receipt of my wages.”
In China during the Ming dynasty
about A. D. 1400 the minister Yung
Lo framed a new general code and
on this code was founded that of
the next Manchu dynasty, the Tsing.
some two centuries later. This Ta
Tsing Lu Li or code of Tsing be
came law about A. D. 1650. and en
dured until the revolution of A. D.
1912. The following are passages
from the Law of Mortgages from
the Lu which shows now me statues
operated to protect the property
owner 270 years ago.
“Whoever takes lands or tene
ments by way of mortgage, with
out entering into a regular contracr.
duly authenticated and assessed
with the legal duty the proper
magistrate, shall t: 50 blows,
and forefit to government half the
consideration money of the mor
tgage.”
If. after the period specified in
the deed, by which any land tene
ments are professed to be mortga
ged or pledged by the proprietor,
is expired, the said proprietor offers
his property by the payment back
of the original consideration upon
which he had parted with it. it shall
not be allowed the mortgagee to
refuse to comply; and Instance or
such refusal shall subject him to
the punishment of 40 blows and to
the forfeiture of all the produce of
the land, which he may have reaped
after the expiration of such period.”
Chinese System
The Torrens method of register
ing title to land (instead of merely
recording deeds* though new in this
country, has been in force in China
for at least 150 years. Every
Chinese land owner has his official
certificates of title which is indis
putable.
The oldest Greek statue now ex
tant comes from the island of Crete.
This Is the law of the city of Gorty
na. dating from perhaps B. C. 400.
This inscription, the largest exist
ing fragment of any Greek law,
came to light less than 50 years ago
for the stones on which it was
chiseled had been buried for two
thousand years cm- more and Its (re
covery made a sensation in the
learned world. It was about 30 feet
long in its original form; the broken
pieces are now scattered in several
museums. The first paragraphs of
this law deal with personal freedom
and slavery; the latter paragrapBs
deal chiefly with the Inheritance of
property.
These laws show that more than
two thousand years ago. women m
this Cretean city could own property.
Moreover, the law provided that a
husband could not sell or mortgage
his wlfes property, nor could a son
dispose of his mother’s property.
If a mother dies, jsays this ancient
statue on property; and leaves child
ren. the father has power over her
property but he cannot sell or mor
tgage it, unless the children con
sent, when they come of age. More
over. if the father marries another
woman after the first wife’s death
the children of the first wife shall
have power over their mother’s
property. Penalties are provided
; for the volation of any of these
I provisions.
Ancient rulers in all countries of
the world respected property rights
I for their people. They may have
; tortured their subjects and murder
ed them: they may have given them
i no voice in the making of the laws.
But they made it possible for them
to own property and to transfer it:
and the favorable laws on real estate
that exist today found their be
ginnings in these ancient times.
WORK STARTS
ON GAS MAIN
*
Engineers Arrive At Roma
To Lay Line Reaching
Monterrey
ROMA. June 29.—Engineers with
Smith Bros., contractors who are
to lay the gas main from Roma to
Monterrey, Mexico, arrived here
yesterday from Monterrey and be
gan at once to arrange for a camp
site fcr 300 men at this place. The
12-inch pipe for the main is arriv
ing now and will be laid as soon
as machinery for that ptirnose
reaches Roma, which will be within
the next three days.
According to the engineers there
will be 150 miles of gas mam and
it. will touch all the municipalities
between San Pedro and Monterrey,
principally Mier. Agualeguas. Cer
ralvo and Gen. Trevino, which ex
plains the extra mileage. Monter
rey is cnly 94 miles from San Pedro,
but under the terms of the conces
sion to the gas company each mu
nicipality on the route will have
to be served with gas. which in
creases the mileage.
CROP FOR "RAINY DAY”
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.. June 27.
——A combination of soy beans
and sudan grass is recommended as
an emergency crop to Missouri
farmers by Sam Jordan of the state
department of agriculture. This is
the most critical time for farmers
and dairymen who depend on grass
for stock, he points out
VALLEY SAVES
ON NEW NIXED
CAR SCHEDULE
Shipments to All U. S.
Take Carlot Rate of
Various Items With
Low Minimum
Smaller markets of the United
States will be opened to Valley
fruits and vegetables, the mixed car
trade will be stimulated and a sav
ing of at least $250,000 annually in
freight rates will result from an
amended ruling applying to rates and
minimum weights on mixed ship
ments agreed upon by represent
atives of the railroads and Valley
shippers in conference with W. V.
Hardy, director of traffic of the
Interstate commerce commission.
Under this ruling mixed fruits
and vegetables can be shipped to all
parts of the United States, the
freight rate to be figured on the
carlot rate for each commodity in
the car, and the minimum to be
20.000 pounds per car. unless more
than 25 per cent of the carload is
a commodity on which a 24.000
pound minimum is required. In that
event the minimum will be 24,000
pounds.
The estimate of the saving to be
made is very conservative in the
opinion of J. P. Blanton, traffic i
manager of the Brownsville Cham
ber of Commerce, who was instru
mental in securing the ruling.
Under a similar ruling which be
came effective March 5. 1929, and
which applied to shipments in Tex
as only, several thousand dollars,
were saved to Valley growers and
shippers during the past season and
the mixed car deal received consid
erable additional support. This rul
ing differed from the one now
agreed upon in that it applied the
20.000-pound minimum to all mixed
cars and brought about a saving
that averaged about $50 per car.
Tills ruling was to have apnlied to
Southwestern territory for the next
shipping season but carriers would
not agre to a" similar ruling in all!
rate territories.
The claim was made that appll- j
cation of the 20-000-pound min- j
imum to all territory would be too
liberal and cause too great a reduc
tion in revenue of the carriers, es
pecially on long hauls to Eastern ]
and Western destinations.
The agreement to ship all cars at
a 20,000-pound minimum unless
> they contained more than 25 per
cent of a commodity on which the
minimum was 24.000 pounds, was
reached at a conference in Wash
ington between Hardy and a num
ber of Valley shippers, representa-;
tives of Valley shippers, and of the
railroads.
Those in the conference were
W. E. McDavitt. Brown White.
Price, representative of Wade &
Newton. Stahl of Stahl and Leh
man. Weslaco, and J. P. Blanton.
representing A. N. Tandy * Sons
and The A. D. McMinn Co. of Har
lingen. There also were a number
of representatives of carriers in the
conference, including W. J. Schill of
the Missouri Pacific railroad.
"Potatoes, cabbage and green com
are the principal commodities that
take the 24.000 pound minimum.
Blanton explained, “and it was
agreed at the Washington confer
ence that the higher minimum
would not work so great a hardship
on the Valley as not to have the
rule in all territories.
"Approximately 6000 cars of
mixed vegetables were shipped from
the Valley this year and such
shipments were uniformally prof
itable to the grower and shipper.
“This new ruling of the I. C. C
should increase the number of
mixed cars next year to 10.000 and
open many markets to Valley prod
ucts which have been closed to 1t
before because of the high rates on
mixed cars and because the smaller
cities are unable to use a solid car
load of cse commodit.
"Some of the shippers estimate
the average raving on mixed cars
t $40 and if 10.000 cars are shioped
this would mean $400,000 additional
revenue for the Valiev, showing that
my estimate of $250,000 saved is
very conservative.
“This saving was brought about
through the co-operation of the
Missouri Pacific and Southern Pa
cific railroads, and they are largely
responsible for the new order being
issued. They agreed to the ruling
and it was ordered by Hardy be
cause the carriers were joining the
Valley interests in the plea for re
lief."
Cocoanut* of Fin
Islands Are Saved
By Moth-Eating Fly
SYDNEY. Australia. June 2d.—'*•»
—The luxuriant cocoanut palms cf
Fiji are flourirliing again, saved by
white scientists.
A small purple moth. Levunna ir
Idiscens, was cause of the co
coanut plague, when this moth
swept over the Islands of Moturiki
and Ovalau. centers of the copra
trade and in a few months the once
vivid green of the islands looked as
if a flame had passed that way.
Four years ago Dr. Tothill, a
Canadian government worker, went
to Fiji with two young entomolo
gists. They looked for some hug
that would eat Levuana iridiscens.
They found in Java a moth closely
resembling the Fijian scourge, and
a fly that attacked this moth and
kept it within bounds.
They imported the fly, Ptychomia.
to Fiji, and within 12 months the
cocoanut trees began to recover. The
answer is that the fly is thriving on
the moth.
V
Native Flora of \ alley Transplanted
to Little-Known Park on Resaca Edge
By MARIE JONES f
Thirty acres of land with a
tangled cover of native woods, and
lying along the banks of the city
resaca form the most enticing pos
sibility for a municipal park now
owned by the city of Brownsville.
A long drive on the border of the
tract, curving with the resaca. adds
to its charm, and a labyrinthine
maze of tiny paths wander in and
out among the trees.
This tract is as little known, per
haps, as any development now In
progress in the city: it was ac
quired in the deal with the South
ern Pacific railway, and was ne
glected for some time because Park
Commissioner Burt E. Hlnfcley was
unaware of Its existence. When it
came to his attention, however,
landscaping work began, and the
tract Is in a fair way to becoming
a charmingly woodsy retreat, with
the appurtenances of an up-to-date
park.
Children, by rights the natural
denizens of parks, have been espe
cially remembered In the planning
of the resort. Soft, clean white
sand carpets the little paths which
wjpd through the woods In twists
and curves and criss-crosses like
the weird little tracks which In
fairy stories lead to the witch's
house, and stones and broken bricks
outline them in jagged fathion,
making them easy to follow.
In the clearrd section of the
park, near the entrance, is a play
ground. equipped with swings,
merry-go-rounds, a slide, and trap
eze rings. The popularity of these
Innovations has already been prov
ed by the full house they draw on
holidays, and the merry shouts
which go up as the youngsters go
high In the swings, or snrmg from
one ring to another with the agil
ity of monkevs.
Natural Beauty
An effort has been made to pre
esrvr, through the greater part
of the tract, the beauty of the
untrammried wilderness, and
vtnrs, trees and shrubs are inter
mingled and entangled in their
pristine state. There are said to
be about fortv species of flora
peculiar to this section growing
on the tract. A large section has
been clearrd around the main
rntrance for the playground,
flower beds, and the cartus gar
den. where the ebonies left for
shade stand out most effectively,
their dark green tope sharply out
NEW JETTIES
PROVE WORTH
Angle Irons And Netting of
Wire Catch Debris And
Build Barrier
The Kellner Jetties recently in
stalled by Cameron County Water
Improvement District No. 6 near
Villanueva to prevent cutting off of
an ox-bow are regarded as a success
by district officials. The Jetties
were Inspected last week fo’.lrwing
the high rise in the river and ’t was
found that the bank Is being built
up with silt and debris.
The new style Jetties, composed of
angle Irons and wire netting placed
on the banks, have been watched by
other water districts with similar
problems.
When the river rises, the iron and
wire catch debris and slow down the
current. As the current slows clown
silt settles over the debris and
builds up the banks.
The last rise in the Rio Grande
built n the banks from one to two
feet with silt
The pumping plant of Dist. No. 6
is located on a large ox-bow. The
river was rapidly cutting through
the neck of the ox-bow and threat
ened to leave the pumping plant
off the main stream. The jetties
were installed on the Mexican side
of the river in the ox-bow neck and
the cutting has been ?llminai.ed.
officers of the district state.
LEARNED SOCIETIES
OFFER FELLOWSHIPS
NEW YORK. June 29.—<JPU_
Grants for research, ranging from
$500 to $2000 each, are announced
by the Amertcan Council of Learned
societies.
“The small grants,’’ says the an
nouncement, “are available to
scholars of all ages who are citizens
of the United States or permanency
employed or domiciled therein, and
who are engaged in specific projects
of research for which aid is actually
needed and not obtainable from any
other source.
"The larger grants range in
amount from $750 to $2000 and are
reserved for mature scholars of dem
onstrated ability who are engaged
in research to which they are able
to devote at least six months with
out interruption.”
The fields of study are philosophy,
philology, linguistics, literature, art.
archaeology, musicology, oriental
studtes including sinology, history,
palaeography, diplomacy and chro
nology.
FEW FORECLOSURES
HOUSTON. Tex., June 29 —TJPV—
The Federal Farm Land bank here
claims the lowest foreclosure record
of any such institution in the coun
try. Only 54 foreclosures have been
recorded in the bank's 12 year* of
existence. More than $185.000 000
has been loaned to 63.000 Texas
'~Tmers during that time.
lined against the sky with the
dramatic quality of cedars and
pines.
The spiny inhabitants of the des
ert already are taking a foothold,
or a root-hold. In the cactus gar
den. The devil’s pin cushions Rnd
bail cactus poke their heads up be
side the walks, and the long-arm
ed varieties writhe in grotesque
shapes and bask in the sunshine.
In the center, surmounting a rock
mound modeled after on in Breck
enridge park, are Spanish dagger
plants. Ail of the plants in thl»
garden are natives of the vicinity,
having been gathered from the ter
ritory surrounding Brownsville,
rolnsettias Planted
Other plants, natives and im
ports. are being started tor later
planting. Several hundred poln
settia cuttings are now In beds for
fall setting, and will brighten the
dark comers of the park with their
flame during the fall and winter.
Practically all the plants now In
the perk have been gifts from
Brownsville citizens. Among the
most conspicuous are a number of
Surveys Are Started
To Build Boulder Dam
As Act Takes Effect
IP-'-7'" " ■ =■—: :
I
Necessary preliminary work to buili Boulder Dam in the C olorado
river is under wav. Ray Lyman Wilbur (left) and Dr. Elwood Mead
(right) head the first surve/i. The vast hydro-eleetrie plants have
been newly visualized in a plan as shown above.
LAS VEGAS, Nev., June 29.—(JP)
—Boulder dam, long a dream, is on
the way to probable reality.
Government officials, charged
with laying the ground work for
construction of the great concrete
wall in the Colorado river, timed
their preliminary efforts to be on
the site June 21 when the Swing
Johnson bill .authorizing the proj
ect. went into effect.
Ray Lyman Wilbur, secretary of
the interior; Dr. Eiwood Mean,
commissioner of the bureau or rec
lamation. and R. F. Walter, the
bureaus chief engineer, had plans
ready to launch a comprehensive
study and survey making Las Ve
gas. 20 miles from the dam site,
their headquarters.
The vast hydro-electric projects
of the six-fold developmen:—capa
ble of generating 1.000.000 horse
power—have been visualized In an
engineers drawing by Mr. Walter,
and the trio had the survey of the
power development phases as its
first objective.
Those who have fought for 20
years for the gigantic reclamation
project see in Walter's plan a bona
fide beginning of the realization of
their dream.
No appropriation is to be made
for construction until the secretary
of the interior shall provide by con
tract. for revenuer "^equate to pay
operation and main ..nance expens
es and meet repayment require
ments.
Appropriations which will aggre
gate $121,900,000 thus must be cov
ered by power contracts—a prob
lem in finance of real proportions
for Secretary Wilbur.
Mr. Wilbur has three important
questions to negotiate with pros
pective power purchasers and rep
resentatives of interested states.
They are:
(1) At what price shall power be
sold per kilowatt, hour?
<2> How shall power be offered
for sale?
*3* What financial assurance
must the power purchasers give the
government that the power will be
taken as contracted for. when it is
ready for delivery, approximately
six years later?
Prom the continuous cry of des
ert ranchers for less water, in flood
time, and more water in dry season,
the great project of controlling the
Colorado river has grown.
Discussion raged and bills died
and were born again for two dec
ades.
And at last an act of congress,
made valid June 21 by six compact
ing states, but still protested by
Arizona, definitely authorized the
work on “Boulder dam and power
plant,” massive masonry to control
floods. Improve navigation, regulate
river flow, provide for irrigation de
velopment. supply domestic waters
to California coastal cities, and
generate power.
French Law Silent
On Spurious Relics
Lawyers Discover
MOULINS, Prance, June 29.—m
—What article in the French penal
code covers the faking of prehistoric
relics is the problem which has been
puzzling the courts here following
the report of Professor Beyle, a Paria
expert, that the famous Olozel dis
coveries were spunous. He conclud
ed that most of the '‘prehistoric'*
finds had been planted less tnan ten
years ago.
Emile Fradin. owner of the field
where the “relics" were located, has
been charged with faking the tools
and alphabetic tablets with strange
hieroglyphics, the Prehistorical So
ciety of Paris laying the charge. The
trouble arose when the clerk of the
court attempted to draw it up. Noth
ine in the code covered the "crime."
He is likely to be charged with
“outrage to the police’ because po
licement were on duty at the ne*d
for several weeks to guard the
"finds.’’
RAGWEED INFESTS IOWA
AMES. Iowa. June 29.—(A5)—A re
cent survey revealed that at least 80
per cent of pastures in Iowa are in
fected with small ragweed. The
weed is especially bothersome in the
fall, when it attains full growth.
- _
Fraudulent Bills
For War Damages
Found In Frafnce
BEAUVAIS. France. June 29.—(/p>
—A war damage claim of 1200 for a
$16 clock by the school authorities
of Liancourt. a village near here,
caused the entire bill of $48,000 to
be thrown out. The school. Instead,
was fined $80 for putting in fraud
ulent demands.
What put the climax to the af
fair was the discovery the clock still
was running, ten years after the
war.
Similar cases of exaggeration
were charged by the government at
torney who turned prosecutor be
fore the hearing ended. The school
board, in its argument, made it ap
pear the school building and its
contents were damaged by the Ger
mans but the government showed
there was no bombardment and that
the military commanders .lever even
ordered the villagers to evacuate the
place.
DAIRY HERD RECORD
UNDAILLA. Neb., June 29.—(IPh
A herd of eight dairy cows owned
by F. E. Orton has an average pro
duction record of more than 500
pounds of butterfat per cow per
year.
large palm trees which have been
donated and transplanted to their
new location successfully.
A treat for picnickers Is the
rustic table and benches placed
under the trees near the edge of
the resaca, where the cool breeze
sweeps up from the water. The
same kind of picturesque benches,
made from growths found In the
park, are scattered about In
shady nooks Inviting the rambler
to rest.
In the effort to preserve the wild
flora of the vicinity, a favored re
treat for birds of all kinds has
been provided, and the stillness Is
broken by a wide variety of bird
notes, while the coats of the card
inal. oriole and other brilliantly
colored species may sometimes be
seen flashing through the trees.
During the greater part of the
year, flocks of ducks swim on the
waters of the resaca.
The narrow’ strip between the
water and the drive has been clear
ed of undergrowth, leaving an open
view of the water through the
larger trees.
While nothing has yet been done
about the matter. Mr. Hinkley
hopes to have the resaca dredged
out and kept free of rubbish and
undesirable growths, so that it
could be used for small boats. A
landing has already been built at
the end of the park, near the Los
Ebanos boulevard. He also men
tioned the possibility of tumtng a
stream o? fresh water into the ro
saca occasionally, making It fit for
swimming. No plans have yet been
made along either of these lines..
A disadvantage frequently men
tioned Is (he location of the city
dump near the street which ap
proaches the entrance of the park,
and there has been some agitation
to procure an Incinerator and have
this nuisance removed. Use of the
park entrance located near the Los
Ebanos gates obviates the necessity
of passing this eyesore, and makes
a visit to the park much more en
joyable.
More rapid Improvement of the
park will be made as the public be
comes better acquainted with Its
possibilities.
The most easily accessible en
trance to the park may be reached
by driving out Palm boulevard and
turning to the left Just past the
Los Ebanos gates. This takes the
visitor around the long woods drive
before reaching the cleared section.
LICENSE LAW
WAR DECLARED
Attorney Will Enforce Auto
Plate Regulations
At Once
A relentless war on car owners
who Insist in driving autos bearing!
but one license plate loomed today
with the announcement by County
Attorney M. R. Hall that all vio
lators of the law requiring licenses
for both front and back will be ar
rested and vigorously prosecuted.
A maximum fine of $200 may be
Imposed on such violations, the
county attorney said.
"People should be sure that their
cars bear license plates on both
front and back, and those owners
who do not have a pair of plates
should apply at once to the tax col
lector's office for their numbers.
Hall said.
Dealers’ Plates Ised
"In connection with license
plates, there are a great many peo
ple driving around with dealers’
numbers attached to the car. In a
great many instances, this practice
1s the result of a desire to save
one-fourth of the amount of a
year’s fee by waiting over into the |
next quarter to buy the plate.
"It’s a good, economical plan but ,
It no longer works because a legis
lative act passed in March makes i
the fee now collectible In monthly
rates.
"Laxitv In the use of dealers* li
censes also Is subject to a maximum
fine of $200.
•Can’t Go On”
"Another regrettable practice
which the county no longer can tol
erate is the practice newcomers
to the Valley from other states,
who persist in sending back to
those states year after year fif
licenses, paying out money to a
county in another state for the use
of Cameron county’s good roods.
“We can’t have that go on. It
has always been the policy of this i
office to encourage tourist traffic.
The law allows 60 days In the state
without a state license, but we have
allowed many tourists to spend an
entire winter here without taking
out the state license.
"It is not our intention to prose
cute the tourist, but those who havn
moved here to make Texas their
home must become Texans to the
extent of taking out Texas licenses
for their cars. Too much abuse of
liberal privileges has made It neces
sary for us to take this step,” Hall
said.
"SOD-HESTERS” STILL BUSY
LINCOLN. Neb., June 29. ^/P■—
The "sod-buster’s” day is not all
over, figures by A. E. Anderson,
farm statistician, reveal. Nebraska
added 1.666.839 acres of cultivated
land to its farm area between 1921
and 1928, he reports.
TOSTARTSOON
ON IRRIGATION
FOR BIG TRACT
_
Trinity Farms Co. Will
Build Canal Big As
Ship Channel; 129,«
000 Acres In Tract
(Special to The Herald;
RAYMONDVILLE. June 29 -Con
structon work on the greatest irri
gation project ever attempted In
Texas is scheduled to get under way
in this county within a month.
This is the Willacy County Irriga
tion District No. 1. which has vote*
$7,500 000 in bonds, for the installa
tion of an Irrigation system to sup
ply 129.000 acres of land with water*
Announcement was made today
that contract for the installation of
the irrigation system has beetf
awarded to the Trinity Farms Con
struction company.
No definite total was set in th*
contract, the bid being based on a
certain charge per foot or yard of
concrete and earth work. This to
tal may vary, due to charges In en
gineering plans mh;ch are not ref
complete. However, most of th#
S7.500.000 voted by the district »(
expected to be used in putting la
the system.
No Rids Asked
The contract was awarded without
bids, the statute providing that <
contract may be awarded thus wltli
the consent of more than half thf
persons who voted for the bond*,
Such an arrangement was rnrrux®
out In awarding contract to thl#
company.
Plans are being rushed for the be
ginning of construction work, anrl
the contracting company has move-1
three dredges to the district already,
A number of additional dredges,
half a dozen or more, will be movetl
down within a few weeks, as soon if
a construction Job near Port Worth
is finished.
A celebration Is being planned by
the officers of the district and of
ficers of the Delta Orchards com
pany when construction work if
started. This celebration wJi b*f
held In about a month, and wtll b*t
in the nature of a get-together of
persons interested in the develop
ment of the district.
fligantie Main Canal
The irrigation system which is t*i
be Installed to irrigate the 129 00*
acre tract Is one of the most ex
tensive and expensive ever attempt
ed in Texas.
A main canal which would serv*
as a ship channel if placed con
veniently Is the beginning of th<*
system. This canal will be about 29
miles in length, will be 100 feet
feet wide at the top. 60 feet wide as
the bottom, and M feet deep. I*
will be concrete lined, and will rev
resent a large part of the expense
in the construction of the system.
The canal will touch the river ao
a point south and west of La Peril,
where the intake pumps of the dis
trict will be located. This main
canal is to pass through the two
large drainage lakes of the system,
which are to be banked so that they
will be on a level with the canal
when it is full. These lakes wilt
have storage capacity sufficient to
hold 250.000 acre feet of water, ter
comply with provisions of the state
board of water engineers that the
district provide storage for two
acre feet of water for every acre of
land in the district.
Salt Lake Abandoned
The plan to use the Sal del Rey,
a huge salt lake northeast of Ray
mondville for one of these storage
lakes was abandoned. Tests of the
soil at the bottom of the lake and
around It convinced engineers that
the task of washing It out and mak
ing it possible to keep fresh water In
it would take too much time
This lake is to be used, however,
as a storage lake. Drainage ditchrt
will extend along both sides of IIm
main canal, and wit! empty in this
salt lake In this wav it will h*
washed free of salt eventually and
will be a great asset to the section
engineers believe.
The man canals throughout too
system are to he concrete, and most
of the laterals will be concreted, to
prevent seepage. Drainage is to bo
provided along with the irrigation
system.
The legal battles of the district ar*
considered at an end. in the opin
ion of Davis E. Decker, attorney fox’
the district.
Decker said the opposition of oth
er irrigation districts in the Valiev
is no longer a consideration, sine*
the Willacy district has secured itf
permit, and declared that "we now
have an open road. It is simply a
problem for the engineers.”
Plan Huge Development
The other irrigation districts ol
the Valley opposed the Willacy pro
ject, and may still take action
against it.
Suits also were filed by persona
living in the district, seeking to in
validate the bond Issue, but these
were thrown out on demurrers
Decker estimated that it will re
quire three years to complete the ir
rigation system.
One of the greatest development*
in the section to be irrigated is to
be on a tract of approximately 40.00G
acres owned by the Delta Orchard.*
company.
This concern Is headed by E. C
Clark of Wichita Falls, other officer!
being E. P Harwell, Tulsa, secre
tary; T. H. Harbin. Waxahachie,
vice president and general mnaager;
and W. A. Harding of Raymond
ville, vice president and general
sales manager. Woodward Ac Oral
of Austin are attorneys for the con
cern.
To Plant Citrus
Officers of this concern, and of
ficers of the Trinity Farms Con
(Continued on page sixteen.)
> .