Arizona weekly citizen., 1885-01-31

SAN FRAycIsCo has always been a thrifty town, though never a live go ahead town like Chicago. Wealth and population came to her seemingly with oU. effort, ID the past, but hencefortl sbo will have to fight her way in the bat tie of life The completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad has played havoc with her trade in Oregon and
 Washington Territory; indeed it may be looked upon as one Of the things oI the past. The Board of Trade and Chamber Of Commerce have taken the matter in hand, which organizations are also aided by Transportation companies manufacturers and business men gener. ally.
 l sub committee recently made a re. port to the Chamber of Commerce etc. which, while it claims that the State was never more prosperous than nov, and the outlook for the future never more promising. Yet there seems to be an uuiertone throughout the report that inclines one to suspect tie gentlemen who made the report of of whistiing to keep their courage up. But whatever may have been their mo- tive, the report contains many good sug- gestious that the citizens of San Fran cisco and California would do well to follow.
 The committee, like most people in a new country, have fallen into the grave error of e1aggarating the resources of their country, for instance, the report of the committee contains this para graph:
 The population of Italy at the last ceE- sus. in 1878, was nearly twenty-eigh and one-hslf millions. It Is at least twenty nine millions now. Assuming that the productive qualities of California are as great as those of Italy-of which Wa have DO doubt-this State can support f0rty-scven million of people, and then be less den,eiy populated than Italy is at present. With such an outlook and with So much to attract immigration, winch q line of steamers would 90 materially assist, its establish ment ought not to be a very difficult problem or long delayed. What this stat. needs more thar all else Is popnla- tion, ,and nothing will contribute so much to this end Rs cheap, rapid and reliable water communication
 This statemeu: Is sufficiently extrava- gant to satisfy the most visionary real estate agent on the coast. But the ques- tion arises, whether such statements will not tend to damage rather than ben- eft California. Italy contains l14,3SO square niles and California contains ISS.96l square miles. It seems that the committee have taken it for granted that every foot of land iu California is productive, when, Rs a matter of fact, less than half its area will produce crops, while there are mill ions of acres of land in the southern part of the State that are more q desert than any portion of Arizona. It will not now, nor can It be made to support a dense population. The bet portien of Ca.ifornla is already occupied. Land is very high in many ocalities-higher perhaps than It will be fifty years hence. There is every reason for healthy growth in California, but there IS no room for rapid increase, no great in ducement to cfftr to immigration Cal ifornia may in time increase her popu- lation l. one and half million or two million people, but when they tilk about growing to 44,OOO0OO, Ii is an impossi- least twenty times too high.