The herald., 1897-03-02

very few years. IL this plan is carried
out-Los Angeles would have boule-
ward worthy the name. II such men us
j. S. Slauson, Henry O'Melveny. Major
Klokke and ]. r. Toberman would inter-
est themselves in this thing, the appear
ance of Figueroa street would be rev"-
lutionized within a year. What do they
think of 1t?
There is another phase Of this'question
worthy of consideration here. Many of
cur best residence streets are cut up by
the traffic OF heavy teams, grinding the
light coating of gravel into dust in sum
mer and cutting the surfacing into ruts
in the rainy season. In many eastern
cities the travel of heavy wagons Is
prohibited on certain streets 1t can be
done, and it ought to be done, in Los
Angeles. The streets reserved for hand
some residence purposes in the cities re-
ferred to are dedicated as public parks
and are placed under the care of the
park commissioners. who prohibit az
traffic teams from using those streets.
In Chicago many of the finest streets
are thus dedicated, and not even an
express wagon is permitted to use them.
Los Angeles ought to have system OF
park ulevards-connecting all of~the
parks-graded and surfaced with some
good substance, and then placed in the.
hands of a commission which would see
that they were kept in order. These
boulevards should be trec-lined ard
-bordered and kept in fire repair.
Property values along such driveways
would in few years rise to such point
that the city's tax revenue from them,
by reason of the increased assessment.
would abundantly pay for the expense of
caring for them. 1t requires only little
confidence in the future and a reason
able amount of optimism to figure this
out.
Furthermore, we make our roadways
too wide. Not the space from house 10
house, across the street, but from euro
to curb. For a boulevard eighty feet
between property lines, there need rot
be more than forty feet between the
curbs. Some of the finest driveways in
large eastern cities are even less than
this. A sidewalk of eight feet, with
1.t of aIx-a fe dxx-o Of
forty feet, flanked by another grass plot
of twelve feet and a sidewalk of eight
feet, make an ideal boulevard OF eighty
feet. Then, if the house can be kept
back thirty-five feet from the sidewalk,
there is a distance of $50 feet between
the house lines, making an ideal vista.
down which it would be a pleasure 20
walk or drive. This twelve-foot space for
e. ass is an almost absolute necessity in
a climate such as we possess, in order
to admit of the use of the fan and date
palm as sidewalk trees, and no oppor-
tunity should be lost to plant palm tree
as a street ornament. We can grow
more varieties of palms outdoors than
can any other large city in the world,
and we ought not to neglect our great
opportunity in this line.
There is no form of investment which
Los Angeles property owners can make
that will be productive Of such large
and sure profits as that of street i'm
The chamber of commerce
has done marvels in developing this sec
tion La Fiesta is annually attracting
thousands of tourists ard visitors to
Los Angeles, and yet neither one of these
most commendable things can do as
much for our future profit. and comfort,
and self-satisfaction, as a wise and ju-
dicious and persistent system OF tree
planting and street Improvement will co
for us.
From him to whom much hath been
given much shall be required"