Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-27

over 2O0, 0U0 OF the 359 UO0 is TO De attrlo-
uted to the southern group of counties and
to the principal city of the State. The fact
is that the cities have received all the in
crease of population, and a disproportlon-
e increase OF wealth.
MORTGAGES ON PROPERTY.
1.-THE mortgages upon the real estate OF
California have increased in the last two
years, from 1883 to 1890, from Sl45 100000
to $16S 600 600, an augmentation OF 49,
600 600. During the same period the IN
crease in the city of San Francisco. which
contains about one third of the taxable
property of the State has been 50 200 600,
leaving about $21, 900, 000 of the increase OF
mortgages to be charged against the coun-
| try. In the same time, the Improvements
| on CITY real estate increased from $l36 OO0,-
! 900 to S153 DOC, 000, an increase of $1,000
| 600, while the Improvements on country
real estate went from SOL ,7S6, 900 to 500, $751;
! 600. an increase only of about 81, 900 600, or
| one-eighth of the increase of Improvements
| on CITY real estate. Thus, while the mort
cages on property outside of the metropolis
| have increased $40 600 000 as against an In
crease of 50. 600 600 in the metropolis, the
value of Improvements on the country real
estate has increased 81 OOO000 throughout
the State, outside of the cities, while the
| improvements on city real estate have in
creased $4,000 900. The total assessed
value of city real property, that Is, the
property which is imperisha6le, the space
| on the surface of the earth, practically
maintained itself in the past two years at
| 1895. 965 OGO in 1883 and 1926, 229 900 in
| 1890 In the same period. the country real
estate descended from S406 600 in 1888
to 1888 600 900 in 1890, decrease Of $780,
900 COO Again, the property outside OF the
cities lost $4,000 900 in two years, while,
at the same time, the property OF the cities
held its own"
WHY THE COMMITTEE WAS APPOINTED.
Mr.. Mills was asked at this point what
explanation there was for these matters,
and said:
Il am not presenting these matters with
any expectation of explaining them now.
l am simply explaining why a committee
to inquire into them was appointed by the
Board. 1t is apparent on the face Of
things, however, that the growth of city
population and country population is dis.
proportionate and unhealthy; that the dis
tribu,ion Of wealth between the country
and the cities is equally unhealthy. The
savings banks of San Francisco hold mort
cages On the real estate of California in the
amount OF $63 900 000 The savings banks
of the State, including those of San Fran
cisco, have mortgages on the real estate of
California amounting to $4,000 600, while
the banks of the State, including all classes,
commercial, private and savings banks,
have about 500 900 600 loaned upon real
estate, about SIS 100000 of which belongs
to San Francisco This state of affairs is
to be attributed without doubt to the mer-
chandising side of our industries
What l mean by that will become
clearer by saying: Merchandising is the
science Of profitable distribution. The
commercial aspect of productive industry
should distribute the product of that in
dustry with reference to the prosperity of
the producer; that would be acting the
part of a merchant or distributor on its
scientific plane and from the standpoint of
benefcent aspect. Whenever the mer-
chaudisiDg side of productive industry
that is, the distribution of the fruits of in
dustIy-destroys the industry itself, it be-
comes piracy. The wine industry of Cali
fornia has been injured almost irrevocably
by the manner the product has been han
died by the merchants. There are SOS, 000,-
600 of capital invested in the wine indus
try of the State, but the growers of grapes
are permitted no profit. The rate to be
paid for grapes for wine making purposes
is determined entirely by the wine mer.
HUI ny Tue WINE
when, as in our case, ten years of COM
mercial and business activity in a country
with large territory, sparsely inhabited,
results in the growth of commercial cities,
absorbing the entire growth of the State,
it becomes apparent that the industries
connected with the soil have been worked
at great disadvantage; that those who
actually perform the productive labor of
the country are winning bare subsistence,
while the commercial transactions, based
upon what is produced, are reaping profit,
and, consequently, ell the expansion, and
enlargement, and growth.
ut is idle to say that these things can
not be discussed without danger of injury.
They are the open, undisguised disclosures
of the national census, obtained for the
purpose of publication; and, beside, the
evils to which they so clearly point have
their remedy only in exposure: and such
exposure as will make them broadly recog-
nized, so that remedies may be earnestly
sought and intellieently applied.
THE committee appointed by the Board
will make the broadcast possible inquiry
into this general subject"