Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-01-09
A SENSIBLE REPLY
TO An Interview I'm An Eastern
Paper.

FaRehs
EproR SUNDAY LEADER: l Del
permission to reply through youl
paper to an interview which occurred
a short time since between your re-
porter and Mr.. w. II. Keech, a Wood
street merchant OF your city, concern
ing his trip to Southern California. |
ana a Pittsburger. l did not come to
California for my health. | left q
good home and valuable property
behind me. three miles from McKee's
Rocks. l have been here almost
twenty-iour years, and have had
better opportunities OF seeing the
State and examining its resources
tn IN an invalid who made return
trip in four months. With Mr.. Nc
Keech have no hing whatever to do,
and only hope that when his earthly
race is run that he may enjoy all the
pleasure of dying in Pittsburg
that that inhospitable climate
eff ,rds. / wish, however, to
correct some misstatements he
maize concerning this country, its
booms, etc. He says that Los An
geles Is a city OF 10000, while it has
not less than 60 900, and with the
visitors there are 10000 moro, 100
per cent. mistake. He says there are
210O real estate agents, while the
records show but 700-a mistake No.
Q of SO per cent. He speaks al big
town advertised S5 miles south Of Los
Angeles City. Whatever lodges our
shrewd real estate dealers may re-
sort to to get Eastern people located
here and get portion Of their sur
plus money, this is the first time |
have heard of townsite laid out l3
miles in the Pacific ocean as ii
is only seventytwo miles to the coast
where the southern Pacific railroad
runs. I hardly think that will wash
although there may be plenty OF
water which can literallt;be taken
with few grains OF salt. Mr.. Keech
mentions t le wages paid to brickIay.
ers and carpenters. Why did he not
90 further and tell the people of Pitts.
burgh that la,hers get $2.75
per NJ, hod-carriers have been
getting $4 a day, the com
mon dirt shovelers and mortar
mixers Of the hotel building at San
Diego he speaks Of get 81 day; that
men on farms who till the soil get
$3.50 a day, or from $25 to $50 a
month the year round, with board
and lodging; that Chinese are moi
employed if white men can be had
that even Chinese are nov demand
ing and getting $1.20 day for eight
hours work.
Fuel is scarce an dear, but coal is
only $12 ton instead OF $1S; wood is
worth from 50 to $40 II cord, bat not
much is needed. Many families
have no other fire in their
houses during the year than
that used in cooking-stoves and
don't require it, so fuel would cost a
family less here by the year than in
Pitt-burg. Everybody who knows
anything of the climate knows we
have wet and dry season. The for
mer lasts from the middle of Decem-
ber to the middle Of April; the latter
the balance of the year, but the
mountains close by are covered with
a heavy fall of snow, which melting in
summer keeps up the streams, from
which the water is drained for irriga-
ton.
Our winter rains are now upon US,
and Ii Mr.. Keech had been here the
last week and seen the six inches OF
rain that fell in that time he would
not complain Of sterility. The whole
country is now covered with thick
growth of nutritious grasses where
the irrigation bitches have not been
extended. Crops Of wheat, barley and
hay are raised. Thousands Of tons of
wheat are shipped to Liverpool from
our seaport annually. Barley is sell
ing at from 80 to 55 cents per bushel.
1t Is the principal or only food for
horses. That price does not show
much sterility of soil. Southern
California alone shipped 400 cars
loads OF fresh fruits East, besides the
raisins, nuts, dried and canned fruits,
vegetables, in addition to the millions
of gallons of wine and brandy that are
made here and shipped to all parts of
the world.
had occasion to visit the different
reservoirs of Los Angeles City to ex-
anime their gates, towers, ETC., to get
points as to their construction, being
sent as representative Of the Ana-
helm Union Water Company. I saw
no empty reservoir, they are
all full, thirty feet deep and
the City Superintendent informed
me that they had been compelled to
waste water all the year on account of
no demand for it. I'll venture to say
that MIR. Keech did not turn faucet
in the city anywhere that it did not
run water, unless, perhaps, it was in a
barrel.
Is it reasonable to suppose that the
A. T. & s. F. r. r., the ). p, the U.
P. roads built three transcontinental
roads into Southern California if it
was the barren, sterile waste
that is represented by Mr.. Keech? 1
have had the pleasure of travelling over
two continents, and am free to say
that ] have never seen any place
where more profitable productions
can be grown than here. am not in
the real estate business. learned to
till the soil on the hills of the Ohio
north Of Pittsburg. l have followed
my earliest occupation. l own fifty
acres In one tract (no town-lot stakes
on it), my vineyards, English
walnuts, oranges and lemons,
besides figs, apples, pomegrantes,
pears, prunes and make me an in
como Of from three to four thousand a
year, beside paying all the labor. I
would gladly take trip back to
Pittsburg to see fifty acres there that
will do as well. An orchard close by
ships over thirty car loads OF oranges,
lemons, almonds figs and Japanese
porsimmons and brings in its owner
from ten to thirteen thousand
dollars annually, Our real es-
tate men may exagge rate their
lots, may enthuse eastern peo.
pie, but their is no likelihood of the
tremendous and ruinous crash" pre-
dicted. The banks of Southern Cali
fornia had on Christmas da, 1926, ,000,-
H.