The herald., 1894-06-15
HOW THE CITY IS GROWING,
The Health Officers Estimate
of Increase.
He Claims A Gain of Ten Thousand
Souls in Year.
Some Interesting Data Culied From the
Records Of the Board of Health.
They Raise the Population
Fifteon Thousand.

Health Officer Powers OF the city board
of health gives out from a careful com.
putation OF the vital statistics OF his
office that there are 10000 more people
liz Los Angeles than there were at this
time last year.
These figures are not confused with
the winter rush OF tourists who annually
come to this benign section to escape
the snow and frost and blizsssds OF the
inclement east but are based on the
actual enlargement of the permanent
population of the city. Certainly q most
remarkable ratio of increase and one
that cannot be equalled by any city in
the United States. As an evidence OF
the position of the board of health on
the population question they have raised
the rate OF population as shown on the
monthly health reports issued by DIR.
Powers from 65, 900 to So, 900 souls within
the confines OF the City OF the Angels.
Some interesting if rather gruesome
data was picked up from the records Of
the health Office in the nature OF COM
parison of the vital statistics for the first
six months in 1898, and the same period
OF the current year. During 1898 the
deaths for six months were 479 as against
59S for 1894. OF the latter, however. it
is important to note that 153 of the de-
ceased had been in Los Angeles for less
than year and evidently came here as
confirmed invalids in the last stages.
The record of births for the same period
in both years shows that 1894 is de.
cidedly in the lead in the production Of
future presidents and angels. The births
Tor the six months in 1898 were 461 as
against 554 for the first six months of
1894.
The above figures, when taken on
basis of population, under the old
figure, $4,000 are very significant as in
dicsting large increase in the number
of people VINO have located here within
II months. The data snd information
cleaned by the inspectors in their daily
peregriuations in all sections OF the city
in the line of duties in connection with
the city health, are the foundation for
DR.. Powers estimate of an increase of
10000 population in the last year, and
as that gentleman is a man of conserv-
alive ideas, the statement can be con-
sldered as fair one.
1t is further borne out by the extra
ordinary demand for public improve
ments in the nature of sewers and street
openings and construction with which
the city engineers Office has been flooded
since the first of January. There are
now in sight improvements of an in
ternal character in the city footing up
in the neigh borhood Of 5000 900, most of
which hae already been let to contract
ors, while 100000 is a fair estimate OF
the amount expended on public i'm
provements in the city since January
LIST. The people pay for these improve
ments, and the fact that they have been
demanded by the taxpayers is in itself
the most substantial evidence of the
rapid growth Of the municipality. for
people do not ask for these improve
ments, involving such large expendi-
lures of money in these depressed times,
unless they are actually needed.