The herald., 1897-02-15
IN EASTERNER's OPINION
Secretary Pratt, Of the Deep Water tlsr.
Dor Board, on Los AsgeIes
A Business nan's Views Of the Future Of the
clty-Mlsinformation Rite
In the East

In response to an inquiry as to his i'm
pressions of Southern California, formed
during six weeks stay in this section,
Mr.. w. c. Pratt, secretary of the deep
water harbor board, has Just furnished
the following answer, not having had
an opportunity to reply fully while in the
city:
l have found Los Angeles, with its
luXuriance of fruit and flower, a most
attractive place of residence at this sea-
son of the year to any one who exchanges
for Its manifold advantages the alterna-
tions Of snow, sleet and slush which
characterize a New York winter. One
encounters here climate milder, per-
haps. than that of western Oregon and
Washington and decidedly less enervat-
ing. Clear, sunny days largely pre-
ponderate, interspersed with short peri
DDS of rainfall. which seem only to pro-
vide pleasing contrast, while infusing
wonderful vigor into the growing veg
citation. think may say without fear
of contradiction that Los Angeles, with
Its environs, is. in respect of climate, the
most favored spot throughout the whole
United States.
The people of Los Angeles gracious
and hospitable to a degree, are entirely
loyal to the best interests of their city;
all feeling of Sectionalism is absorbed by
the general desire for the greatest good
to the greatest number, and 1t is this
admirable spirit, eager to seize upon and
make the most of the natural adyant-
ages that cannot be surpassed anywhere
on this continent. that has made the
prosperity of your city and will continue
to promote its development. 1t is this
unity of purpose on the part of your cit
liens, while disregarding the smaller
individual interests, that has enabled
Los Angeles to advance by leaps and
bounds in extent, in population and in
wealth, during the past seven years
which have constituted the most trying
period, from a business point of view
that the younger generation has known
l do not share in the opinion of those who
pretend to believe that ten years hence
Los Angeles will have population num-
bering over 800, 600. nor do find any
ground for che assumption that the pres
ent doubling of the population every
seven years will continue indefinitely;
but l am extremely confident of con-
slant and regular growth of the city
and the rapid development of its var .eus
business enterprises; I believe 1t is only
question of time when Los Angeles will
not only rival but will surpass San Fran
cisco in size and in the magnitude of its
business interests.
There is a great deal of misinforma-
tion abroad in regard to the actual cli-
matte conditions of your city and its
vicinity and 1 firmly believe that your
winter tourist element (Which has be-
come source of considerable revenue)
could be materially strengthened by the
judicious dissemination, among the peo-
pie of the east, of general information on
the subject of your climate and it's ad-
vantages, which would serve to correct
prevailing errors in this regard. There
are too many of those who regard Los
Angeles as the last hope of the despair
ing invalid; there are too many who di-
vide your climate into two seasons of the
year, during one of which the rainfall is
nearly incessant and during the other
there is not enough moisture to prevent
the parching and drying up of all vege-
tation. L is true that the transconti-
mental railroad companies issue large
quantities of advertising matter, some
of which is expensive and in appearance
attractive, purporting to give reliable
information regarding the country trav-
ersed by their respective lines; this in
formation, however, is of necessity gen.
eral in its character. and the course fol-
lowed by some of the transcontinental
lines III matters OIL advertising mas uu-
fortunately been such as to cause the
public to look with suspicion upon all
railroad publications as sources of infor-
nation.
If you will permit the suggestion, 1t
would be that the chamber of commerce
of your city should assist in the estab-
lishment in New York city of a bureau Of
information regarding the advantages
of Los Angeles as place of winter resi-
dence and the investment of eastern cap
ital in the promotion of its enterprises.
Such a bureau should be conducted by
business men of established reputation,
it should be entirely Independent of the
transcontinental lines of railroad, and
the informa ton provided should be va
ried and complete and, above all, relia-
BILE. L believe that the establishment
of such a bureau of information in the
east in the interest solely of Los Angeles
and its vicinity would do more than any
other one thing to develop winter tour
ist travel to this neighborhood and Incl
dentally benefit the city by drawing to
it's advantages such attention as would
result in the placing here of considerable
capital now seeking investment.
FUNERAL NOTICE