The herald., 1895-07-26
vIcE.coNsUL noRTIMER', REPORT

vIcE-cONSUL HORTIMER', REPORT
The British diplomatic and consular re-
port of the consular district of San Fran
cisco is at hanu. Vice-Consul Mortimer
contributed an extended report and as
the consular report is circulated exteh-
sively among the wealthiest classes OF Eng
land. many will be interested to know in
what light Vice Consul Mortimer has
placed us before the English people. TAX
en- as whole his report is commend
able one, both for its throughnass and ac-
curacy. What should be most pleasing to
the people of Los Angeles. is the fact that
everything IN Vice-Consul Mortimer's
Seport tends to place us before the
lBrtishers in a most favorable light. He
begins his report as follows:
F.. The general depression in business
complained of throughout the United
$tates has been less felt in this CITY and
district than elsewhere on the Pacific
coast. Compared with the stagnation and
decrease in business else where the activ-
ity here has been truly remarkable. The
following figures, although they do not
show any great volume OF business. serve,
with other similar returns, to indicate an
increase, which is in marked contrast
to the decrease in the corresponding fig
ures in nearly all the cities in this coun-
try. The superintendent of buildings re-
ports the issue of building permits in this
city as follows: 1898, $780, 000 1894,
f470.000. The Los Angeles clearing house
reports clearings Gn round numbers) as
follows: 1892. 81, 700, 600; 1893, aS,900 000
1894. 80. 400, ,000
''These figures do not represent the
volume of business done here, as there
are several banks which are not members
of the clearing house. Tne period of pros
perity and development IN the state of
Texas, which commenced with the finan-
cial panic in New York in 1873 and lasted
until prosperity became general through
out the country in 1879, was ascrbei to
the fact that many persons in the east, i'll
order to escape the hard times. or to re-
trieve their fallen fortunes, realized what
they could for their possessions, moved
west. and settled in Texas, 1t appears
probable that Southern California is now
protiting from like immigration from
the east, induced by like causes. Be that
as it may, the facts that the orange crop
is good one, that owing to the destruc-
tlon OF large part OF the Florida orange
crop by frost the crop here is being mark
eted at good prices, thaG owing to the de-
.truction of a large nun ber of the FLORIDA
orange trees by frost prices for California
oranges will proba bly, be nigh for several
years; that other crops generally are good
here, and that a very large amount of
money is being expended here III develop
ment of this city and district, justify
me in expressing the opinion that the
prosperity OF the last two years will be
maintained. and probably Increased"
He then takes up the subject of the re-
cent amendment to the constitution, of
which he says:
1.-The action of the people in voting in
November last in favor of an amendment
to tie constitution, by which the right of
aliens to own real property in California
has been taken away, will delay the set
tlemcnt OF unoccupied lands and deal a
severe blow to the prosperity of the
state
There is no denying the truth of the
above statement, and just how this
amendment came to be enacted is past
finding out. The secret Of it probably lies
in the fact that the amendment being
voted upon at the time of heated state
election, the purport of the amendment
was lost sight of. That a large nun Der of
voters who did not think it worth their
while to even consider the matter is
evident from the amendment vote
as compared with the gubernatorial
vote. The facts rs revealed by the amend
ment vote would tend to show that such
questions should be made separate issue
before the people and voted upon at some
other time than at state election. The
amendments which were ! laced before
the people at the last election were of
sufficient importance to have been made
an issue. Had the alien ownership
amendment been before the people at any
other time than at state election il Is
doubtful ii it would have passed. This
state will in time develop her own rpsourc-
es. but such a development must necessar-
'ly be very slow one. 1t is the investment
y re of foreign money that we are all
nxious for We are all talking that all
this state needs is more capital to make
it tbs grandest and richest in the union.
and yet we place restriction on the ac-
quirement of property here by requiring
the investor 10 become citizen. Few
,oreign capitalists, Englishmen of all
others, care to give up their allegiance to
their mother country simply for the priv
llsge of buying a California rahch. Yet,
as a matter of fact. the great majo tv
who come here as settlers do in time take
out naturalization papers. The alien
ownership amendment should be re-
pealed.
Vice Consul Mortimer then takes up
the matter of British investments in this
section of the country. and presents the
facts to his constituents in forceful and
matter CT fact way. He shows why SO
many English investments here have not
proved proftable, and in summing up
the situation says:
Great Britain has an enormous
amount of cheap money; California has
an immense area of fertile hut at present
NaRruductiye land. By bringing these