The San Francisco call., 1906-12-31

OAKLAND. Dec. 3o.-With the close
city shows a tone which for years has
not been manifest Though the ma
tural overflow from California towns
has contributed to the conditions this
is by no means the whole cause for the
advancement in property values. Early
this year and for some time last win
ter.-the noticeable influx of population
was having its effect. For months the
sale of home sites had been increasing
at rate unprecedented in the city's
growth.
Stimulating as the home buyers have
been to the class of properties they
sought, there has been a steady up
ward tendency to the market in bust
ness holdings as well as residence sites.
An element that has proved to be
40 small factor in recent advanced con-
ditions in the realty market is the
steady stream of seekers after desir-
able manufacturing sites. Scores of
new factories, employing hundreds of
men, many large warehouses. shops
and the like have been erected during
1906 and these are independent of any
artificial stimulus. Following ma
turally in the train of this develop
ment of manufacturing and ware
housing comes the battle of the great
railway systems for trackage on the
water front. adjacent to the mills and
the big shipping concerns. No other
one item in the list for 1906 has con-
tributed more to place Oakland before
the eyes of the world than the as yet
undetermined contest between the
Santa Fe. the Southern Pacific, the
Western Pacific, the Union Belt Line
Railway and the San Francisco Oak
land and San Jose Railway for fran
chise privileges along the southern and
western bay shore frontages.
CIVIC MANAGEMENT PRAISED
Then again, Oakland has been par
ticularly well favored in its civic man.
agement 1t has led the business men
and those concerned in the city's
growth to new standards of civic ac-
tivity. II has caused men of means and
small property owners, merchants and
manufacturers. capitalists and work
ingmen of this city to unite harmo-
niously upon every project that has
been advanced for civic betterment
Among the foremost of improvements
which are in course of fruition was the
successful work of enlisting the great
telephone, telegraph and electric light
ing corporations in tremendously ex-
pensive plan of removing all poles and
overhead wires from the business dis
trict. This work has been progressing
favorably, many underground" con-
duits have been laid and the only set
back to completion has been the delay
caused by the lack of railroad cars fol
shipment from the East of cables and
other necessary new equipment for the
underground" service. The installa-
ton of a new system of street lighting
in the business district is another
straw. Not the least by far Of the
many evidences of progress was the
voting Of nearly 100000 in bonds foi
the reconstruction and extension of the
city's sewer system. This is consid-
cred one of the most important moves
the city has made, for efficient sanitary
conditions are essential
Then, again, follows the project fol-
/ public park purchases by a bond issue
of nearly s1,00O,000. No city in the
United States is favored with such .
magnificent water park as Lake Mer.
ritt- II is provided in the bond plar
that there shall be system of parks
arranged adjacent to the lake; that the
1 lake shall be dredged and beautified as
soon as necessary lands near by can be
purchased. These lands are to be re-
claimed by the dredgings and elab.
orately embellished. Besides, ever,
district of the city will be benefited