Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-03
by way of Correction.

James Havens was once a resident
of Newport, Brown county, Nebraska.
He came to Los Angeles and after a
short stay here wrote as follows to the
Advocate, OF that place:
ED. ADvocATE-Much complaint is
being made against tae railroad COM
panies and land agents of Southern
California for advertising the country
falsely. There has been large boom
in Southern California all last fall and
this winter. Hundreds arrive here
daily from all parts of the East, and
they leave about as fast as they come.
Expenses are so high that they can
not stay here. Cheapest hotel rates
are So per day; house rent $50 to $l00
per month. We have to buy the water
we drink, and pay $1.50 a month for it.
Coal $35 per ton; wood $40 per cord,
and grubs at that; butter 70 cents per
pound. Town lots sell at all prices,
none less than $500. Land none less
than $500 per acre. Lumber sells at
$45 to $50 per thousand. The eli
mate here is unsurpassed; outside Of
that there is nothing inviting for rich
or poor. Fruit has not good flavor,
it is very bitter and very high.
Apples sell at 8 to cents per pound,
or 81. 80 to So per bushel; oranges 40
cents per dozen; fish, 20 cents per
pound. Judge for yourself the bal
ance. Yours respectfully,
JAMES HAvENs.
James Havens as an ordinary
everyday sort Of prevaricator is not
bad. He is entitled to pass up out OF
the apprentice role into that of the
full-fedged journeyman, in misrepre-
sentation. But James Havens' errors
are not SO much mendacity as lack OF
knowledge as to the affairs Of life.
He objects to paying $3.50 per month
per household for water. Where
does James Havens hail from, and
what sort Of a place is Newport, Ne
braska? Large cities usually pay fol-
water. He says hotel rates are So per
day. Well, that is not SO exorbitant
all things considered. That is the
rate for transient callers at the best
hotels. Coal is not, and has
not been $35 per ton.
There was fuel famine a month ago
which lasted week or SO, and during
that time coal was $25 per ton. There
was similar famine in Kansas and
Nebraska, and while it continued
fuel could not be had in some places,
mot for its weight in gold. Many
people perished from the bitter cold.
No such casualties were recorded
here. At all times fuel is dear here,
but We use very little of it. The cost
of wood or coal in this section is not
the tithe of what it is in
Nebraska-that is, taking the aver
age expense per family for the
year. Rents are high, too, but
for $500, ,sor even less, house may
be built which will serve a family in
this climate. It is not true that there
are no lots to be had for less than $500
There is good land here at $50 pei
acre. As to our fruit, like our climate
it beats the world. James Havens
palate may be diseased. Perhaps he
does not know what fruit is, and il
his ignorance he may have tackled
cactus fruit, spines and all? How
he could know anything about thu
flavor of fruit, hailing as he does from
Nebraska, where no fruit grows, is {
miracle. Oranges do not sell for AZ
cents per dozen-that is, not in sea
son. From these specimens of James
Havens' lack of truthfulness or knowl
edge let the intelligent reader judge
Of the balance.