Arizona republican., 1908-02-12
GRfA!ER NEW YORk'S
 TENTH ANNIVERSARY
Growth of New Worlds Most Preco-
 cious Child-Real Estate Values Would Pay National Debt and Run Federal Government for Eight Years.

New York. Feb. S--(Special Cores spondence of The Republican)-The
 most precocious municipal child the world has ever seen-that is the title indubitabIy conferred on Greater New
 York on this her tenth birthday. since the consolidation by which the greater city was made reality took place just a decade ago in 1898. A com parisOn of the city then and now shows an undreamed of growth never before approached in this or any other coun-
 try. Since 1898 the population has in-
 creased 26 per cent until it now stands
 at 4.5O0,O00 persons. The city's area
 has grown to 327 sCuare miles, the new metropolis being in this respect
 twice as large as Chicago, nearly
 three times the size of Philadelphia and ten times larger than cities like Detroit and Baltimore. But as great as it is this is the least impressive fea-
 ture of Greater New York'S growth in
 the first decade of it's existence Dur
 ing the last ten years have come prac-
 tically all the skyscrapers, great pub
 lie buildings like the new $5.00O. 900
 custom house, and the new Astor li-
 brary, the subways, the tunnels and
 dozens of great hotels and theaters.
 Ten years ago the assessed valuation
 of taxable real estate was S2,460.OO0 900. To-day it has reached the total of S6.-
 240,000,000. Sold at this valuation Father Knickerbocker's real estate would bring enough money to- pay all the public expenses of the United
 States government for eight years Or
 it would pay the national debt and. leave enough over to purchase all the property in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont. Massachusetts and the Dis
 trlct of Columbia. In the first decade of its histor<- Greater New York's
 school children have increased from
 S7.eO0000 annually to S21. .000. 900. The
 police and. fire forces have increased about 50 ger cent. and it is signifi-
 cant fact that the s13,O0O,OOO which it
 costs the national government every year to run its legislative branch would not pay for this city's firemen and po-
 licemen. It is interesting to note in this connection that the city is no bet
 ter or worse than it was in 1898. judg- ed by the number Of arrests. These for last rear, totalled S9,2O2. an in-
 40e~'S '- ~ -'CA NtiAl ON 1oSos UT tA- actly the same ratio of increase as shown by the entire population. Ten years ago New York had one bridge in operation. valued at s21,0OO,OOO To- day the value of bridges erected since then and in the course of construction is SS4.500.000. City improvements un- der way, planned, and contracted for. total about S1O0.OO0,00O exclusive of the S162.OO0,000 to be expended for the new water system. Big and large ev- cry dollars worth of value in 1898 has grown to four dollars now. In all this 1 the New Yorker finds much to fill him J with pride. There is another side of this amazing growth. however, which | he cannot view with cOmpiaceney, and | this is the staggering increase in the expense of running the city While the | population has increased 26 per cent in ten years the city's budget has in | creased 409 per cent, exceeding today | those of London. Paris and Berlin com ined. As well as being the biggest and | the most orecOcious and one of the I youngest cities in the country, Greater ] New York today is also without doubt | the most expensive to live in that the l world has ever seen.
 Is New York in danger of a con- | Q or nsa