The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-12-17
TAX Digest SHOWS
NEAR nine MILLIONS
City improvements Equal to Those of
Cities Double Her Size, Make The
Commercial Center of South Missis-
sippi a Good Town to Live In.
(By E. B. Huston.)


Gee, "but this is a live town." This
is what you hear the people say when
they come to Hattiesburg.. "A person
just can't help using that expression,
as if you visit the stores you find |
them busy, if you look over the bank
statements you will find that they are
in a most healthy condition, having
millions of dollars on deposit, bust
ness houses and residences are being
built by the score in fact, when you
come here you will find everybody
| busy and all making an honest effort
to make an honest living and lay aside
something for the rainy day.
In 1900 the total assessed value Of
personal and realty property in Hat
tiesburg was only 1881 ,223.00. The
returns for 1910 shows nearly nine
millions. 1t is safe to say that there
is no city in the stats that can show
such astounding increases in values.
Beginning in 1900 as an infant, the
other cities of the state, some OF them
had nearly a century the start of Hat
tiesburg. The increase in both popu-
lation and values has indeed been won
derful.'
Hattiesburg is in the center, CON-
mercially, of the yellow pine section
of South Mississippi, and is situated
at the junction of the New Orleans
& North Eastern, the Gulf & Ship Is
land, the Mississippi Central and the
Mobile, Jackson & Kansas City rail-
roads. affording exceptional facilities
for transportation, and by reason OF ex-
ceptional railroad facilities Hattiesburg
is the leading wholesale center OF the
state, with the exception of Jackson.
It's wholesale houses enjoy a very
large and lucrative patronage and
there is room for many more wholesale
enterprises.
The three banks here do business
that exceeds 100000 annually.
So rapid has been the growth, that
only a few years ago there were few
sidewalks in the city; today there
are miles of paved streets and
broad, cement sidewalks. Corners
; that harbored little one and two-story
buildings for business have been re
placed by five and six story buildings
| In addition to the many small indus
tries now located in the city, there
are two large saw-mills that manufac-
ture and send out by rail on an aver
age of 70,OOO,O00 feet of lumber an
nually and local oil mills and fertilizer
plants manufacture and ship nearly
two thousand cars of their product
= annually, while sash and door fac
tories handle in the neighborhood Of
one-half million dollars worth of lum
Der yearly.
The Normal School.
At the recent session of the state
, legislature they voted favorably OF
the question of a new state norma
: and located it at Hattiesburg. The
, cost of erecting the building is to b'
met by Hattiesburg and Forrest coun
D tv. which will cost about one-quarte
\ of a million dollars. After the building
: is erected the cost of maintaining /
Y will be met by the state. This Norma
I means much to Hattiesburg, as Their
n will, without doubt, be hundreds o
: students here each year, which VII
:. bring considerable trade to merchant
4 as well as everybody living here
R Special efforts are being made t
\ improve Hamper Park grounds, whic
contains forty acres and when con
pleted will be one of the beauty spot
{ of the city. The park is situated o
= the electric car line, which will max
: it easy of access.
y public Schools.
, Next to the church in important