Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-22
ANGELES
IS A VEL
Nearly One Hundred Thousand ln-
crease In Population Since the
Last Census and Still
Growing
80 os ANGELES, RemarlsabIe prog-

kh OS ANGELES' ffemarkapie Ftob-
ress!" An old yet ever new theme,
IL with its increase of wonders. its
breaking of records, its marvellous devei-
opment year by year, making the OFT
told tale an annual revelation OF which
the world never wearies. Southern Cali
fornia-the land of sunshine-with Los
Angeles for it's metropolis; there Is none
other like it, there never win be another
like It, there cannot be. The Mecca OF
those who seek health and strength. the
Mecca of the homeseeker, the promised
land of they that WOO fortune.
A muddle of rhapsody? Perhaps. II
there be nothing substantial for the words
to lean upon. But he who sings loyalty
and truthfully the praises of Los Angeles
leans upon no broken staff. The cold,
hard facts and figures, wonderful as they
are, can give to the unfamiliar but
faint idea of the reality, but they are
beyond mere word pictures. They have
the warm glow of indisputable reality.
Los Angeles increases in population
faster than any other city in the United
States In 1900 the census showed a pop
ulation of 100000. Today it is nearly if
not quite 100000. The city has grown at
the rate of $1,000 a year during the last
seven years.
Secretary Metcalf of the department. OF
| commerce and labor has publicly stated
| that owing to the phenomenal growth OF
| Los Angeles the percentages of increase
| generally used for estimating cannot be
| applied TO this city.
| There is nothing that shows more ac-
curately the development of a city along
these lines than it's postoffIce statistics.
| Los Angeles leads all the cities of the
| country in increase of postal business
| It's postoffice stamp sales for 1906 amounts
| ed to over $S50000, an increase of is per
cent over 1906. For 1907 they will be more
I than a million dollars. They were $512,000
for the first six months of this year.
Los Angeles is the largest general de-
livery postoffice in the United States
| Additional help is constantly required.
1t is almost impossible to keep up with
| the work, though the government is dis-
| posed to be liberal.
| While Los Angeles undoubtedly has the
, largest transient population of any city
in the country in proportion to it's size
| its permanent population draws largely
| from those who come here primarily to
| spy out the land. They come as sight
| seers and become residents. There could
| be no better evidence of this than the
| fact that the railroads brought 1ov,000
people into California this year on colo
mist one-way tickets. The great majority
of these come to Southern California.
| Bank -clearings too. form conclusive
evidence of the growth. prosperity and
| general standing of city. The clearings
| of Los Angeles for 1906 were over $57S.
| 100000. an increase of 20 per cent over
| the preceding year. For the first six
months of 1907 they We're nearly $685.
100000; for the year they will be nearly
| S625,000000. despite the financial furry
which acted as a check during tho last
| two months of the year
| Then there are the assessment rolls.
| For 1907 the city assessment was $685.
100000, an increase of no less than $780,
| 100000 over 1906. Consider, too, that the
population is but 100000, and that the
basis for taxation is not more than 40
| per cent Of the actual value.
| In 1880 the assessed valuation was
| $1,000 600; ten years later it had grown
| to S49000.000 and in 1900 the value was
placed at 600 The greatest growth
| has been in the last six years. Among
| the chief factors in this enormous in
crease have been the building record and
| the larger assessments for corporations
particularly on franchises.
| That the figures are not inflated is
| shown by the small number of protests
| against the assessments.
| The showing for the county OF Los
Angeles is no less remarkable. The state
controller in his report for the current
| year says that Los Angeles leads every
| county In California, including San FRAN
| cisco, in the value of its real estats inn
provements; this despite the remarkable
! building activity in the northern city
since the disaster Of 1906 and the adj
mitted slackening up of building mere in
the latter part of 1907.
| The grand total value of all property
in San Francisco county is $429. s66 609:
flor Los Angeles county, 1884. .051. .74G; maxi
ing Los Angeles a close second In the
state.
| The mortgage indebtedness of Los An-
geles county is only $4,000; its population
is 100000
| 1t is a trite yet true statement to say
| that building in Los Angeles has pro-
| gressed at the rate of over 81 100000 a
month for five years past. Building OPP
| erations for 1906 amounted to more than
s1S,OOO0O0. This year despite the check
/ to Industry caused by the financial furry
| and the consequent locking up of capital,
they will amount to nearly $14UOO,000
These figures sound large, but the 10000
people who become permanent residents
every year must have homes to live In
and buildings to do business IN
/ There are a hundred other fhiu.s that
| might be cited In support of Mo mar
veIous development of Los Angeies, but
| the figures given, being directly connect-
= Il.