Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-03-01
A NUountrous mlsappreAensIen.

cV1iO OtOCbs n CthDO pOtAb WehO NO
veloped yesterday. For some time past
Mr.. Mulholland, of Inyo county, has
been in Los Angeles in the interest OF
establishing trade relations between his
home and the people of Los Angeles, and
of stimulating the building of the Carson
and Colorado railway from Keller, its
present terminus, to Mojave. Mr.. Null
holland has put in great deal OF earn
est work in this line, and he has en-
countered some difficulties that were
altogether the result of the misrepresen-
tations to which we allude. One capi-
talist, of the millionaire order declined to
have anything to do with an enterprise
which was to lead to "busted" town,
that has delinquent list SO large as ours,
and where half the people were out of
employment. This gentleman would be
somewhat astonished were he to visit
Los Angeles and note the fact that more
building is going on here than in Oak
land, San Jose and Sacramento put to-
gether. His astonishment would not be
diminished when he should find out that
of a million and half dollars of taxes
imposed this year, only 10000 were al
lowed to go delinquent. 1t is true that
Los Angeles had very large published
delinquent list, but its voluminousness
was entirely owing to the fact that the
people, under the present clumsy eys-
tenn, had such poor facilities for paying
their taxes that they were, perforce,
obliged to allow them to go delinquent.
The throng at the County Tax Collectors
Office has for month past been almost
prohibitive of busy mans paying his
taxes. The delinquent tax sale was to
have taken place on Tuesday, the 26th
of February; but, by the authority
vested in him, the Tax Collector, it was
adjourned till the following day, by
which time only $40, 600 was delinquent.
Los Angeles is large county, covering
a superficial area of nearly four million
acres, with a population of probably
165, 900 souls, many of whom live at
q distance from the city. These
people were obliged to come to the
county-seat to pay their taxes, and to
keep weather eye on their trains. The
assessment lists, besides, were in such a
muddle that many persons voluntarily
allowed their taxes to be Published as
delinquent in order to be able to learn
what they were. The system needs an
entire remodeling, and Deputy Tax Col
lectors should be stationed at such
points as Pomona, Wilmington, Pasa-
dena an Santa Ana, during ax-paying
times, to facilitate the taxpaying. The
crucial point is not what was advertised
as delinquent through defective sys-
tenn. but what actually turned out in the
end to be delinquent, and this sum, as
we have stated, was petty in the ex-
treme, amounting to only one hundred
nd-fortieth part of the sum total.
The number of workingmen out of EN-
ployment here has been grossly exagger.
ated. 1t is not whit more in proportion
than in San Francisco, and we doubt il
it is s5 much. 1t is only natural that this
should be the case in view of the fact that
there has been more building in Los
Angeles during the past two years than
in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose
put together. This was necessary to ac-
commodate the phenomenal immigra-
ton which focked here during that per
iod. OF course it could not be expected
that this would keep up at such an un-
heard-of rate. Public and other improve
ments are under way here, which will
assure laborers steady and profitable
employment. If Mr.. Mulholland's COR
he would find as much business activity
here as in any city or town in California,
and persons who have been extensively
over the State recently tell us that there
| is more.
This gentleman would be still more
surprised to find system of cable rail-
ways under way. in which wide-awake
Chicago capitalists are putting 81, 500, 900.
Many enterprises are being pushed
ahead and, although there is no parade
made about it, our manufactures are
making very gratifying headway. He
would discover, besides that, far
and near, throughout all the country
tributary to Los Angeles, the work of de-
velopment and production is being
pushed with an energy and persistence
never known in our history before.
There is more downright, intelligent and
virtuous enterprise to the fore in South
ern California to-day, and that at the
ratio of ten to one, than. was ever dis
played here at the height of the boom,
and this remark holds good about Los
Angeles, Kern, Ventura, San Bernar-
dino and San Diego counties. Go where
one will, orange groves and vineyards
are being planted, ground is being
broken up that never knew plough be-
fore, bitches and fumes are being built
all over the Southern country, and hun
dreds of miles of cement and iron pipe
are being laid down-we had almost
said monthly. II we had said SO it
would not be much of an exaggeration.
If the capitalist whose remarks we
have made the text of our article would
come here in person he would very
quickly change his ideas as to the most
region in all lines of develop
ment to be found on either the Pacific or
Atlantic Coast.