Imperial Valley press., November 09, 1907, Image 1

About Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current

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Imperial Valley Press.
VOL. VII
SUPERVISORS PLAN FOR
TEMPORARY COURT HOUSE
Brick or Stone Building for Present Use Likely
to Be Erected on Main Street at a Cost of
About $10,000
THREE DAY SESSION HELD THIS WEEK
Imperial Valley Press Declared the Official Newspaper of Imperial
County. Live Stock Inspector Appointed. Bills Allowed
and Other Important Matters Considered
The Board of Supervisors for
Imperial county held a three
days' session this week and con
sidered many matters of import
ance to the new county. Chief
among these was the matter of
providing a temporary court
house to serve until such time as
the county is able to erect a more
elaborate and permanent struc
ture. No definite action was
taken at any of the meetings this
week, but arrangements were
made to have plans drawn and
estimates of cost made for a suit
able building of brick or stone on
Main street where the jail is be
ing erected. These plans and
estimates will be' submitted at a
meeting of the Board called for
next Monday. At that time it is
practically certain that the imme
diate erection of a building to
cost $10,000 or $12,000 will be
authorized, provided the plans
and estimates are satisfactory.
The present quarters occupied
by the county officials are entire
ly inadequate and as the county
and its business grow the situa
tion will be even worse. So, the
best interests of the county will
be conserved by providing suit
able quarters at a minimum of
cost until the growth of the coun
ty warrants the erection of a
large and permanent court house.
It is the idea of the supervisors
to have the temporary building
so constructed and so located that
when it is discarded in favor of
a permanent building it can be
readily sold to advantage as a
business building.
MONDAY'S SESSION
Monday morning's session was
called to order by Chairman Web
ster, Supervisors Clark, McHarg
and Ferguson being present. Dr.
Morrison, Deputy Live Stock In
spector" was introduced and heard
on matters relating to live Tstock
and the necessity -of appointing
a county live stock inspector.
Dr. Patton, health officer of Im
perial reported on conditions in
general after which T. J. Stover
was elected County Live Stock
Inspector.
It was voted to endorse reso
lutions recommendidg the secre
tary of the interior be requested
to take up the matter of land
contests in Imperial county out
of fhe regular order and as soon
as possible. Supervisor Wade
was appointed a committee 6f
one to secure the use hf Masonic
hall as a temporary court room.
Official Paper of Imperial Cowtity
EL CENTRO, CALIFORNIA, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1907.
OFFICIAL PAPER
Imperial Valley Press is Declared
Official County Organ
On motion of Supervisor Fer
guson it was unanimously voted
that the Imperial Valley Press be
made the official organ of Imper
ial county and that it be given
all publishing of the county, j
Letters were ordered sent to
architects to prepare plans for a
temporary court house.
TUESDAY'S SESSION
At the opening of Tuesday's
session Chairman Webster was
authorized to see W. F. Holt in
regard to the use of the opera
house temporarily for the pur
poses of a superior court room.
Mr. Webster later reported that
such an arrangement had been
made.
Supervisor Clark was instruct
ed to accept a proposition for
cells for the new jail.
A motion was carried asking
that plans and specifications be
furnished for a building made of
terra cotta hollow bricks, equal
to a sample previously shown and
reinforced by wire.
A resolution was passed declar
ing the population of Brawley,
Imperial, Holtville, El Centro
and Calexico.over 600 and under
2500 and the populations of the
towns of Silsbee, Hanlon, Lagu
na, Picacho, Old Beach and Palo
Verde under 600. This action
was necessary to determine the
status and salaries of town officers
WEDNESDAY'S SESSION
The district attorney was au
thorized to employ special coun
sel to assist in the matter of a
tax suit.
It was voted that the road ease
ment in the third district be ac
cepted; that the road be accept
ed and be known as the Farrroad
A petition to order all pool rooms
in the valley closed was present
ed and ordered tabled.
The superior court judge was
authorized to purchase furniture
needed for his court room.
Wednesday night it was voted
to adjourn until Monday morning
at which time the matter of a
court house will receive further
consideration. At that time
plans and estimates will be fur
nished.
First National Bank to Open
President G. A. Lathrop of the
Pomona National \Bank and
George A. Carter were in El
Centre- this week and made final
and definite arrangements to op
en the First National bank of El
Centro in temporary quarters
about December 1. The charter
for this bank was secured some
time ago and everything is now
arranged for transacting busi
ness. The bank will start with
a capitalization of $25,000, but
Mr. Lathrop says that this amount
will be increased just as soon as
the volume of business is suffici-
Mr. Carter, who will have the
management of the bank, was
formerly cashier of the First Na
tional bank of Imperial and was
one of the pioneers of Imperial
Valley. . He has not only had cx r
'tensive experience in the banking
business in general but is in a
position to understand the speci
al needs of Imperial county.
Escondido to Fight
The people of Escondido do
not intend to give up the strug
gle for a new county without a
big fight. Perley E. Kent has
filed a complaint in the Superior
Court, in which he alleges that
the supervisors acted illegally in
striking out his and other names
from the former petition for the
forming of the new county of
Palomar and that the action of
the board in denying the petition
on the ground that there were
not enough signatnres was also
illegal. He asks for a writ of
mandate, compelling the board
to restore the names to the peti
tion.
HORTICULTURE
COMMISSION
Organization Effected and Officers
Elected. Special Meeting
Thursday
A board of horticultural com
missioners for Imperial county
was organized at El Centro, Thurs
day with D. G. Aplin as chair
man and W. E. Wilsie as secre
tary. The board is formed for
the purpose of enforcing the or
dinance recently passed by the
supervisors prohibiting the im
portation into the county •of in
fected cuttings or plants. It will
work along scientific and up-to
date lines and will insist that the
county be absolutely clean and
free from insect pests so far as
is possible. A special meeting
will be held next Thursday, Nov.
14, at 10 o'clock a. m., in the su
pervisors' room. The regular
meetings will be held on the first
Thursday of each month, but for
the present so many matters will
some up for consideration that
several special meetings are like
ly to be called.
The board has called on the
chambers of commerce at Holt
ville and Calexico to suggest the
names of persons for inspectors
at those points and the commis
sioners will themselves serve as
inspectors at Imperial, Brawley
and El Centro.
Real estate agents all over the
valley report a gratifying in
crease in business. Conditions
in Imperial Valley are so good
thot they more than offset the
stringency elsewhere. Acreage
and town lots are finding ready
buyers.
MEMBERSHIP
IS INCREASED
Augmented Chamber of
Commerce Enters
on New Year
RESOLUTIONS LOST
Body Refuses to Endorse Plan to
Secure Decision on Status of
Lands
With largely increased mem
bership, added interest and en
thusiasm and the full support of
the people, the El Centro cham
ber of commerce entered this
week upon a new year. At the
annual meeting held last week
there was a gratifying attend
ance and eighteen new members
were enrolled. The following di
rectors were elected: J. Stanley
Brown, C. E. Paris, True Ven
cill", F. G. Havens, W. E. Wilsie,
V. Rapp, Ira Aten, R. H. Clark,
J. M. Eshleman, W. O. Hamilton
and J. C. Blackinton. At a
meeting of the . directors Satur
day night the following officers
were elected: J. Stanley Brown,
president; F. G. Havens, secre
tary; R. H. Clark, vice-president;
True Vencill, treasurer; W. F.
Holt, honorary president. It
was voted to reduce the admis
sion fee for the present to $1.
The dues of $1.25 per quarter
will remain as before.
SPECIAL SESSION
On Tuesday night a special
meeting was held in the school
house. President Brown was in
the chair and about forty mem
bers were present. A set of
resolutions were presented by D.
H. Chaplin of Los Angeles who
in behalf of the land owners of
the valley urged their adoption.
These resolutions stated that con
tests are being filed against lands
in the valley on the ground that
the original entries were specu
lative and were made by people
who had agreed to assign the
land to other parties before mak
ing the entry; that it is impossi
ble to determine by any record
that the Los Angeles land office
has, which entries are of this
class and that this being the case
all the lands in the valley are je
opardized inasmuch as buyers,
being unable to tell what lands
are in the class that might be
contested on these grounds hesi
tate to buy. The chamber of
commerce for these seasons was
requested to ask the secretary of
the interior to take up the matter
of the contested lands out of its
regular turn and render a legal
opinion on the status of contest
ed lands in the valley and listen
to the law as explained by the
counsel who should represent the
people of the valley in the pres
entation of the matter, and in
common with the other public or
ganizations, chambers of com
merce, water companies and Set
tlers' Protective association unite
in giving more support to the at
torneys through which the reso
lutions are to be presented.
In a discussion which followed,
Mr. Chaplin in explaining the
resolutions and urging the neces
sity for their adoption made the
statement that the real estate
business in the valley was at a
standstill as a result of these
contests and the uncertainty en
gendered by them. Mr. Aten
took issue with this statement,
saying the real estate business
was very good, so far as he knew
and also that the question of con
tests had never been raised by
anyone to whom he had shown
lands.
Mr, Rapp took issue with Mr.
Chaplin on the law and also on
the improbability of the secre
tary of the interior taking up any
question out of its turn ol making
a decision or rendering an opin
ion on any matter not properly
before his department. He call
ed attention to the fact that the
land office rules on every matter
presented to it on the merits of
the individual case and not in
accordance with any precedents.
Mr. Blackinton asked Mr. Chap
lin how many contests there were
in the valley of the character of
which he complained. Mr. Chap
lin said that he thought there
were about twenty and possibly
there might be fifty but he main
tained that these fifty were a
menace to the real estate busi
ness and prevented capital from
seeking investment in the valley.
Mr. Chaplin stated that the at
torneys who are to present these
matters to the secretary of the
interior had already been select
ed and the matter would be pre
sented regardless of the action
the chamber of commerce might
take. Mr. Forrester inquired
who the attotneys were and was
told that they were Shirley C.
Ward and Edwin A. Meserve of
Los Angeles; also that the par
ties whose casesthey would rep
resent had already arranged for
their fees. A general discussion
in relation to the legal phases of
the matter followed in which
Messrs. Conkling, Chaplin, Rapp
and Havens participated, the last
two named gentlemen contend
ing that the resolutions were pre
sumptuous and not likely to re
ceive favorable consideration and
that the chamber of commerce
had no business to consider such
a matter. When the question of
the resolutions wai put to a vote
it was defeated by a large major
ity, only two votes being record
ed in its favor.
No further business coming up
the meeting adjourned. It is ex
pected that another meeting will
be called for next week.
Holtville Land Offers
In another column of this paper
will be found an interesting an
nouncement by White and Brid
enstine regarding some choice
lands in and near Holtville. It
is well known throughout the
valley that Holtville soil is par
ticularly soft and rich and admir
ably adapted for the raising of
almost any kind of crop with a
minimum of labor. Men who
contemplate buying land in that
vicinity should consult White and
Bridepstine for they have some
especially desirable tracts listed
for sale. The company also con
ducts a general insurance business
NO. 31