The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-02-12
]. ". Foley Writes Newsy Letter
From California-Met Many NJ D.
People There-How Tourists Live

rOrum. MoueSty leads me TO assume
that it is only a coincidence that fol-
lowing my departure from North Da-
kota the state has experienced long
and unusual cold and that my arrival
in California was followed by a month
of sunshine and warmth that has not
been equalled for the past thirty-five
years. This is the rainy season in
southern California, but the rainfall
this month and the last is wofully de-
hcient The seasonable average up to
this time is something like nine inches
and so far we have had only two and
three-quarters inches. AS a conse-
quence there is dust enough to worry
the painstaking housekeeper, and the
grass and foliage show brown and look
dry. Lawns are backward, the leaves
of the trees are dusty and suffer in APP
pearance from the lack OF moisture.
Local weather prophets T squirting
sidewides at the moo and advancing
various theories to account for the de-
ficiency in precipitation. So while the
dry and sunshiny weather Is good for
the tourist crop it is bad for the 9TH
er crops that come out Of the ground
mere.
The tourist crop is this country's
unfailing one. They run as high as
100000 to the winter, s~ojourning in Los
Angeles, Pasadena, and the dozen and
one towns and resorts about here.
They leave as high as $50,000,000 an
nually in the country. That's a pretty
good none crop, equal to the value of
So 900. 900 busllel wheat crop at 81 a
bushe1. And it's an easier crop to
handle, because the tourists plant
otherwise make it easy for
native sons and daughters. 1t
isn't as big q winter for tourists as
some winters have been but there are
probably $4,000 to $4,000 Of them knock
ing about here. and that is a very fair
addition to the population of a city of
100000. Some OF them-the Weather
classes-live at fashionable hotels,
bring out their motor cars and idle
away the winter months with motoring
and other diversions. The middle
classes live in apartments and put in
the time with sight seeing and light
housekeeping. The apartments are as
numerous and as varied in character
as the tourists who inhabit them.
Probably $4,000 winter visitors are liv-
ing in apartments in Los Angeles and
its environs. At an average of fifty
people to the apartment house, that
would mean 1000 apartment buildings.
big, little, brick, frame, concrete and
of all sorts and conditions. At ten
apartment buildings to the block, it
would require 100 solid blocks to house
the winter tourists. So you see the
care OF tourists becomes the biggest
single industry in Los Angeles, Fiji
ty thousand visitors who spend an
average Of SO a day each means $780,
600 q day spent by this class alone, or
81, 100000 a month. Climate is a
great asset in the winter time.
Just a word about the apartment
style of living. 1t is especially suited
to the needs and desires of people who
come here to get away from the Sc
yerities of winter weather and want
most of their time to see sights, and
yet who do not want to give up all
together to hotel and boarding house
life and fare. There are some apart
ment houses here rivalling in con-
struction. comfort and service any first
class hotel. Built Of solid concrete to
the height of six and seven stories,
they are dreproof, finished in the I'm
est style Of the building arts, furnish
ed splendidly, and plumbed. heated and
'kitchenettedP to perfection. The
,,Mx,rV &A@~t-a~~& aN.zf.A. - Ts-.s--
room and sleeping room combined, a
bath room and '~kitchenette.. The
lister Is. as It's name implies, a little
kitchen" The kitchenette is supplied
with every detail and furnishing OF the
fulI sized home grown kitchen. 1t has
it's gas stove, its refrigerator, its sink
and convenient drain board. It's kitchen
cabinet, its hundred and one utensils,
it's linolelm door covering, it's flour
bin and hot and cold water and air.
cooler and what not. The bath In the
better class OF apartment has it's tiled
floor and snow white fittings. The liv-
ing room has its easy chairs, Cadillac
writing table, couch, side board, and
capacious clothes closet. and disap-
pearing into this ID the bed, which
swings about on a central pivot, and
when not in use, becomes a handsome
mirror In which you may admire your
self at will and note how the climate
agrees with you. The economy of
space il marvellous in these apart
ments. You fold up everything and
shove 1t away somewhere, and when
YOU have everything folded up. you
have room and to spare. The disap-
bearing bed is the feature Of Cali
fornia apartment and bungalow life,
The bed disappears, sometimes into a
closet, sometimes into what appears
to be a solid mahogany sideboard,
sometimes into the hoor--and when
YOU so to find it at night you are like
ly to encounter it in the most unex
pected and out Of the way place. Aft
err you get It subdued and tanned, it is
really a comfortable and likeabIe bit
of furniture, and affords you many
hours of restful and comforting sleep.
Upon an eminence within a block or
two from the business heart OF the
city is q swarm of apartment houses,
for the convenience of those tourists
who want to be within easy walking
distance Of the business center, and
thsse are filled to ~overfiowing. THE
apartment In which we are domiciled
Is the newest and probably the best,
all things considered in Los Angeles.
It is seven stories high, of reinforced
concrete construction, and is not yet
pficiaily opened. although q few Of us
were fortunate enough to get located
before the time set for the opening.
It has 202 rooms, divided among
e~iglty-six apartments. and it lis two