The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-12-29
THE YEAR IN THE CITY.

Salt Lake City for the year just pass
ing has participated in the general pros
perity of the State and Nation to q
marked degree. Tho trade Of the city
has grown wonderfully, its bank clear
nnces show the high mark and there
have been great additions to its bust
ness capacity and field. The removal
of the retail district to the corner of
State and Third South has made
marked change in the trade Of the
people.
The building operations Of the season
have been very great. The Walker sky
scraper has been finished; there has
been q fine annex to the Utah Hotel;
work on the Newhouse hotel has been
resumed; the great KeithO 'Bricn struc~
ture has been finished; the half million
high school on the southeast bench
is getting on well, as is also the admin
istration building for the University;
the contract for excavating the base
ment for the capitol has been let. and
work Is progressing actively upon It,
The building record of the city for the
year has been Of the most gratifying
character. reaching we'll towards the
record, II it has not surpassed all pre-
vious records.
The city has had year Of commits
sion government, involving many
changes, but 1t is at q disadvantage
by reason OF the uncertainty Of the
legislation revengefully passed at the
session Of the Legislature Of 1911. The
difficulties created by that legislation
are constantly cropping up, and it is
impossible to say whether the commits
sion form Of government is a success or
not, for the legislation creating that
form forced it upon the city without
the will of the voters, and it has bound
the commission in many ways that arc
hampering, and that left much for the
courts to do by way Of straig tightening
out entanglcments, which in fact arc
not straighteend out yet. The new
commission has done its best under in
volved and uncertain conditions, and is
entitled to praise therefor. But much
remains to be done to clear the situa.
tion, and allow the public business Of
the city to be done In straightforward,
businesslike manner. Tho involved
legislation has been very detrimental
to the municipal interests, and there
is much to do by way Of Strengthening
things out.
But the new year will open brightly
for the city, in all its business and
progressive advancement There is no
discount on tho pre-emineuce Of Salt
Lake City as great metropolis. For
five hundred miles to the east there
is no possibility Of rivalry for this city
as commercial metropolis; there is
no possibility Of rivalry to the north
or to the south, and to the west there
is nothing nearer than San Francisco.
All this area is a region Of immense
wealth in minerals, in agriculture, in
natural richness Of many kinds. and
in possibilities of great manufacture.
The day is surely coming when the i'm
mense iron deposits of Utah will be
brought into commercial use, and when
that is done there will be a manufac-
turing industry here far surprising the
dreams Of the past
With her magnificent centrality Of
location, with the wonderful richness of
the tributary country, and with the
splendid start that the city has obtain
ed, there is no question whatever Of
the future Of Salt Lake. It is bound
to be one of the few great and i'm
portant commercial centers in the
United States.