The record-union., 1896-03-07
PULLING WE'LL TOGETHER.
William 4. Mills Gives His Impressions
Of Los Angeles.
Statistics He Gathered The Vast Prog
ress Made is Due to Unanimity
of Action.

w. H. Mills, the Land Agent for the
Southern Pacific, was in Los Angeles
about ten days ago, and when he had
returned he gave to an Oakland news
interviewer the following impressions
of his visit:
Los Angeles" he said, sis beautiful
both IN the business portion of the town
and in the residence portion. Shortly
after my arrival there I visited the city
water works. My opinion is that there
are standards by which the population
OF town may be estimated even more
accurately than by the census returns.
For statistical purposes, / recently had
an observation made OF the number Of
taps served by the water companies of
Philadelphia and Chicago, and found
that in those cities there were about six
persons to the tap in Philadelphia, and
a little in excess of that number in Chi
cago. The average, however, between
the two cities was about six persons to
the tap. Now here in San Francisco we
have about 43,7 taps of which 4, 700
are vacant. We introduced 1,212 new
taps in the year 1885, and on the 1st day
of January, 1896, had about 39, 900 taps
in use.
''The city of Los Angeles, on the day
visited it, had 1868 taps in use and
II6 vacant. Estimating six persons to
the tap, Los Angeles has a population
of $4,000. | do not perceive any false
factor in this estimate, and am there
fore prepared to admit that Los An
geles has at least $4,000 inhabitants.
AT the office of the superintendent of
Public Buildings 1 found that permits
had been given during the year 1895 for
the construction of buildings, changes
and repairs to the extent of 2,400. 1
ascertained that the discrepancy be-
tween the number of taps introduced
into the mains and the number of build
ing permits issued was accounted for by
the fact that changes and reconstruc-
t1on do not require new taps; that many
taps had been introduced into the city
when the streets were macadamized
and bituminized to avoid the necessity
OF tearing them up again. Some of the
buildings were upon these old taps The
Los Angeles Water Works placed 1920
new taps in the mains in the year 1895,
which is 70S more than was introduced
into the mains by the Spring Valley
ing the same period.
If the basis of estimate of the in
crease of population already alluded to
is even approximately correct, the pop
ulation of Los Angeles must have in
creased from 10000 to 10000 during
the year 1895, and my opinion that such
an increase has taken place is verified
by other data-the school census. the
volume of postal matter and various
other sources of estimate. do not be-
lieye that the relative population of
the cities of San Francisco and Los An
geles can be determined wholly by the
number of taps being served by the
water works, but an approximation
may be made. For instance, in San
Francisco, I am persuaded that there
are about $1,000 people living in the
hotels boarding houses and subsisting
at restaurants. think that San Fran
cisco has at least seven and one-half
persons to each tap in the city, but / do
think that Los Angeles has at least
cne-third of the population of San
Francisco.
Los Angeles is peculiar in one re-
spect for California city. Every citi-
zen is pulling for the town. The street
car conductors will try to impress the
growth and Importance of the place
upon passengers. The same DISPOSE
ton which is observable in all growing
towns is manifested there. Citizens
claim for Los Angeles everything that
they think is good for it, For illustra-
ton, a gentleman assured me that Los
Angeles was one of the most cosmopol-
itan cities in the United States. He
seemed to think cosmopolitan an excel
lent word and the reputation of being
cosmopolitan an evidence of growth and
Importance, but at the water works l
inquired whether or not it was not nee
esary to employ linguists, and found
there were but two languages necessary
to be understood to transact the entire
business-English and the Spanish. In
San Francisco it is necessary to have
people employed by the water works
familiar with all the European Ian
guages.
THE fact is that Los Angeles is dis
tinctly an American city. In visiting
the city and county offices it was quite
apparent that nearly if not quite all the
incumbents were Americans, and l was
informed by one gentleman. that the
police force W as comprised almost ex-