The herald., 1897-08-10
OFFICE OF THE HERALD,
Los, Angeles, Aug. 8, 1897.

for paving purposes when it was first pro-
posed for use in California was very strong,
especially in San Francisco, but the ex-
perience of years is at last bearing fruit,
and the opponents of seven to ten years
ago have come round gradually to the
recognition of bituminous. rock and of
asphalt as desirable and economical ma
terials for paving purposes.
The great trouble with the laying of fine
pavements of this description has been in
the ignorance of city councilmen and
boards Of supervisors as to the require
ments for keeping the wearing surface in
good condition.
The experience of other countries, espe-
cially France, where the material is large
ly used, has been that 1t is necessary to
keep the surface in constant repair. The
patching of the first small hole prevents
it from becoming a big one and the re-
suit of such attention is the proverbial one
of the stitch in time" which saves nine.
In this connection it is pleasing to see
that the Real Estate Circular of San Fran
cisco has come round to the point of ad-
mitting the superiority of the bituminous
material 1t says:
ut is now about seven years since
bituminous pavements began to be gener-
ally laid on the dwelling streets of the
city. Everybody preferred that pavement
to hard and noisy stone blocks, but the
majority of the people, and the Circular
among them, very much feared that BIZ
luminous pavement would not make a
lasting roadway, and that the city was
acting prematurely in accepting it. We
reared that in accepting such pavement
the city was laying up excessively heavy
bilis of expense, which would cripple tax
payers. We are very glad indeed to say
that, speaking of bituminous pavements
generally, our fears have largely proved
groundless On streets like Van Ness and
Golden Gate avenues, where heavy travel
prevails in some blocks, bituminous has
had to be SO much repaired as to be prac-
tical relaying of it, but as a rule that
pavement has lasted we'll and is smooth
and vastly less noisy than stone blocks.
The present cost of bitumnous pavement
averages lI12 to 21 cents per square foot
seven years ago the cost was 23 to 27 cents
per square foot. Stone blocks then cost
"a TO II cents per square foot; their pres
ent price is 16 to 20 cents. Close watching
by the Merchants association, and the
exaction by it of more rigid official speci-
fcations for the laying of bituminous
pavements, especially in the foundations.
have had most to do with the success
which has attended the laying of this
smooth and desirable style of roadway.
The only danger to be apprehended is the
use of inferior bitumen, which, in some
instances, has been used, for unscrupulous
nnfr MI xr,sII
vantage to use inferior material. There
fore, unless careful and rigid supervision
is exercised, bad pavements will be the
result"
The City Water company opens bids this
AFTERNOON for the supply of nearly a mile
OF A-inch pipe, which will probably cost
anywhere from $4,000 to $1SOO0, and is in
TENDED to replace portion of the wooden
hume which now brings the water in along
the hillside near the city limits.
A comparison Of the real estate business
done in San Francisco last month with
that done in Los Angeles shows as fol-
lows:
July, 1897.
San francisco, 290 transfers. ...... 81 319, $40
Los Angeles, 1040 transfers 973 1924
San Francisco, 346 mortgages. S36, 73s
Los Angeles, 4H mortgages. . S51 OS3
San Francisco, 246 releases. ... .O3S. 1872
Los Angeles, 1863 releases. - SIG 572
A comparison of the foregoing figures,
when the difference in population and in
assessed valuation are taken into account,
certainly shows up very favorably for the
smaller city Of the two, and indicates a
lively condition of affairs which is en-
couraging for tho future.
y = =
The First National bank reports a heavy
demand for silver, which indicates. in the
opinion of President Elliott, that the work.
1ngmen OF the country are earning wages,
the silver being required for paying off
and Is thus performing a most useful func-
tion and doing good where it is most
needed. There is an active demand for
money and deposits continue to pile up.
+ + +
There is more truth than poetry in the
subJoined extract from wall in a San
Francisco journal, which answers the
question why the Bay City does not grow.
1t says: "If it were not for the almost
fnnumerable public and family hotels and
boarding houses here, and their patronage
by married people to an extent known in
no other city of the world of even double
our population, this city would cover
nearly double the dwelling space that 1t
does, and the family life would be much
more pure, happy, natural and desirable
We do not, indeed, see how parents can
expect to bring up their children but es-
pecfally their daughters, in purity and
Innocence, if they keep them in the pub
licity, glare, gossip and scandal of hotels
and boarding houses. True family life can
no more be enjoyed there than quietness
can be had in the clatter of foundry, or
secusion in the midst Of mob"
+ = +
In order to show New York's pre-
eminence as business center the newly
organized Merchants association has pre-
pared an interesting illustrated circular
showing by means of statistics and gradu-
ated cuts that in 312 industries New York
contains S6,9S9 factories, employing 9577
opertlves, and producing merchandise val
ued at $l,OS3 900. PHILADELPHIA comes
next, according to this statement, and then
Chicago.
\ 4 4
According to statement recently made
by the first lord of the admiralty. the COM
merce OF England and its colonies, between
1887 and 1897 covering the Victorian reign.
has grown from less than S,OOo 900 tons of
shipping to nearly 1900, 00Otons. The com
pined imports and exports of the british
empire grew in the same neriod from,
$4S7, ,000, 900 to $3.50, 10000.
= 4 =