Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-24
RANCH PROPERTY MOVEMENT
is STRONG
so55 ACRES ARE READY FOR
MARKET
These Great Tracts Offered for Sub
division Promise Much for the
Future Prosperity of
Los Angeles
BY c. b. DAVIS

would lead those undcqualnleU with the
situation to think that building had
about stopped in Los Angeles. The only
reason we can conceive for such state
ment is the delusion springing from the
comparison of present activity with that
which prevailed in the heyday of the
great boom. Nor do we believe inquiry
will prove 1t to be anything solder than
a fancy. There surely has never been
a time when more large sums of money
were being expended for structural work
than now. Some time since we made
tour of the downtown business district
for the purpose of writing about the big
office buildings in process of erection,
and though 1t is part of our pleasant
duty to keep informed of the progress
in this direction we were agreeably sur
prised at the long list which was finally
made up And subsequent conversation
with others who are in as close touch
and In even closer touch revealed that we
were not in q class all by ourselves on
,ne score of surprise. To see them In
one continuous tour and count them and
observe their height and age-enduring
character was the point which had es-
capped notice.
Further than that we do not believe
it to be fair always to draw a COMPARE
son with boom conditions. When we use
the term boom we mean business activity
accompanied by an excited state OF
mind We submit that this is not
healthy condition of things and we do
not believe that the average sane and
sound business man cares for it, at least
for 1t to be long continued. 1t means
that in the long run trouble will ensue.
from unwise actions. Activity under
normal conditnons, activity which car
ries forward under the inspiration of
buoyant hope and well-grounded conh-
dence in the future stability of values
lck xxyIaf f1lo IN
rest the superstructure of uninterrupted
progress.
Here Are Few Facts
And we insist that this is just the
condition existent in Los Angeles today.
Note a few of the facts which substan-
tiate this statement. During the month
of october the report of the chief in
spector of buildings showed that there
were 1892 permits taken out for class -
structures, the one one and half ana
two-story kind. Counting twenty-four
working days to the month this gives an
average of sixteen per day, omitung
fractional considerations. Allowing eight
hours as a days work this means two
houses to be finished each hour Observe
that this does not include buildings in
classes A. b or c or churches or altera-
tions, all of which furnish additional
work and additional wealth. The report
of the same official thus far this month
show that November will maintain the
pace Large structures may prove the
prosperity of the rich class, but the ex-
tensive building of small homes is
pretty sure index of widespread pros
perity, which is the consummation de-
voutly to be wished. And all this at
time when a so-called panic is supposed
10 exist.
Two weeks ago The Herald printed
tal ad with or hu A1hart Chan
plei assistant secretary of the Fielding
]. Stilson company, setting forth the
number of real estate transfers, the
number of mortgages filed and the num-
Der of releases recorded in Los Angeles
county during the month of OCTOBER.
The result was surprise to all real
estate dealers. The daily average of
transfers was 1853. of mortgages filed 45
and of releases recorded q. Further, the
number /. Of transfers was 10 per cent
greater than during the corresponding
period of 1906, and the number of mort
cages was little less and the number
of releases about the same. The volume
of first payments made on newly pur-
chased property averaged 80 per cent
greater this season than a year ago.
And a large building company recently
stated that its collections are 80 per cent
greater than they were twelve months
since. Isn't this a pretty fair record
for loudly proclaimed slow times?
Los Angeles Benefits
If you will look over the real estate
columns this morning you will see the
announcement of the subdivision of a
10OO-acre ranch and the purchase of an
other of the same size for the same
purpose. Last Sunday The Herald an
nounced the subdivision of 1000 acres and
on October q another of 1000 acres. This
makes a total of 1900 acres to be placed
on the market in small parcels within
a space of four weeks. Two months age
another firm offered 1000 acres to the
public in small farms and has had in
creasing receipts from the sales each
succeeding week and has stated within
the last few days that it has taken an
option on 455 acres more Now you have
a grand total of 9055 acres and it may
be quite possible that we have overlooked
sever al smaller offerings which, if true
will only swell the amount to larger
proportions. This doesn't look as If the
big dealers expected much of a slump
in real estate business does it? Doesn't
it look rather as if they considered pros
perity to be fairly well distributed and
reasonably firmly established?
Some of The Herald readers may think
this does not support our contention con-
cerning the prosperity of Los Angeles
But we submit with satisfaction that it
uOeS. LUIS Au6SlSS lS the QOInlnanI .lSure
south of the Tehachapi, is and will be
increasingly so with the recurring years.
The time has come when her own eff
cheney will be severely tested and when
she must turn her attention to the sur
rounding country for an ever larger con-
trlbutory volume of business. The un-
titled portions of the fertile valleys which
stretch their lengths away in every di-
rectson of the compass must be brought
under the productive hand of skilled
farmers; the homeseeker must creep a
little higher along the sides of the beck
oning foothills and the acres which now
pour millions of wealth into the lap of
the favored citizens of Southern Cali
fornia must be kept to the highest state
of efficiency by the genius of their mas
ters. These will form the reserves which
shall support the unchecked progress of
Los Angeles, which shall help sustain
her values and make her supremacy in
the southwest secure.
The great movement in country prop
erty is welcome. 1t is the second step
in the development Of the state 1t will
prove bulwark against the future in
cfdfouq anpraarhac of daprarefo,