The herald., 1893-05-31

why should he not come to the conclu-
zion that he has been losing his time for
years, and be willing to pay price at
least approximeting the values OF such
lands for purposes of income?
The assumption of our contemporary
that very few people in the east know
anything about California may be true
as respects Northern and Central Cali
fornia, but it 10 ridiculous when applied
| to Los Angeles and the other southern
counties. The Call makes the mistake
of applying to the southern portion of
the state rule which may accord with
the condition of things in its section.
There is scarcely region OF the world,
for instance, that ID better known than
Los Angeles county. It has been writ
ten up by men running from Nordhoff to
Charles Dudley Warner and an immense
number of persons, of more or less dis
tinction, who have come here and been
charmed by the place. Sixteen years
ago tho Austrian Archduke Ludwig
Salvador, nephew of the EN-
peror OF Austria, issued q
book from the imperial press of
Vienna, written and embellished by
himself, exclusively devoted to Los An
geles county. DR.. Russell, the celebrated
Bull Ron" correspondent of the Lon
don Times, is amongst the hundreds of
Engishmen who have made their coun-
trymen acquainted with the attractions
OF Southern California. 1t is perfectly
safe to assume that there is scarcely an
educated man in America who has not
heard OF Los Angeles. Today there are
myriads who are preparing to come
here, and they are perfectly aware that
they cannot buy good lands for nothing.
They know that this region is settling
up with marvellous rapidity, and that
when they have improved their lande
they can dispose of them with great
ease at prices which represent their real
value.
just here Is where the advantage is all
in favor Of the settler. He knows that
he ia in growing and progressive COM
munity and that he is in no danger OF
being sidetracked. AS to the price at
which our lands are held, if he makes
inquiry in Utah, for instance, he will
find that alfalfa lands there are held at
from two to five times the figures that
govern the far better lands of Los Ange-
les. Mr.. D. Freeman, the President of
our Chamber of Commerce, informed
the writer that on his recent visit
to Ogden he inquired the price of alfalfa
lands ten miles from that place and was
told that they commanded $3.50 and up
wards an acres. Five miles from Salt
Lake good alfalfa lands brought as high
as $1250. These are simply facts, and
we commend them to the attention OF
journal which thinks that good lands in
Kern county ought to be scaled down to
$25 an acre.
Lands are worth juHt what, taking one
year with another, and allowing for
variations of seasons. they can be made
to yield, treating the usufruct as inter-
est, but they are not held at such
figures, or anything like them. There
are plenty of farms and orchards in Los
Angeles, San bernnroino ana Ventura
counties that yield net from $3.50 to, in
exceptional cases, $500 and upwards an
acre. They are not held st anything
like what would be their capitalized
value at ten per cent, or at more than
one-ffth of that sum, and 30 of lands
less renunerative. ra fatr
These are truths and the Call should
accept them as such, and con6ne it's
gloomy estimates toits own region.